List of NBA G League champions explained

The NBA G League Finals is the championship game or series for the NBA G League and the conclusion of the league's postseason. The league was previously known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005 and the National Basketball Association Development League (NBA D-League) from 2005 to 2017.

Since the league's inception in 2001–02, a variety of formats has been used to determine the champion. From the inaugural postseason in 2002 until 2006, the four teams with the best records advanced to the postseason.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] In the first two seasons, both the semifinal round and the Finals were held in a best-of-three format.[1] [2] Then, between 2004 and 2007, the playoffs used a single-elimination tournament among the four teams, with two semifinal games and one winner-take-all championship match.[3] [4] [5]

In 2007, the league expanded to twelve teams and was divided into Eastern and Western Conferences, comprising six teams each. All playoff rounds were one game each, ending with the Eastern Conference's Dakota Wizards winning the championship 129–121 in overtime against the Colorado 14ers. The best-of-three format for the Finals returned in 2008.[6] [7] [8] [9] With the league's continued expansion to fourteen teams in 2008 and sixteen teams in 2009, the two-conference format was replaced with a three-division format consisting of Western, Southwestern and Central Divisions.[7] [8] Both the 2008 and 2009 NBADL championship series were between teams representing the Western and Southwestern Divisions, with no Central teams making it to the finals.[7] [8] The 2009–10 season saw a reformatting to having Eastern and Western Conferences, with the 2012–13 season being the only one with a third conference named as the Central and the 2013–14 season having just Divisions rather than conferences. Due to there being two more teams in the Western Conference (nine) than the Eastern Conference (seven), and because the top eight teams with the best regular season records qualified for the postseason irrespective of conference, the 2010 and 2012 NBADL Finals consisted of two Western Conference teams.[9] Finally, in the 2014–15 season, the playoff structure was changed so the teams were separated by conference in seeding. The 2021 edition of the Finals was a one-game match, which equaled the amount of games played for the other playoff rounds as played by the eight teams that were seeded solely by record. The league returned to the best-of-three format for the Finals in 2022.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers lead the league in championship appearances (seven) and championships (four).

Key

BoldWinning team of the Finals
Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season
Team (X)Denotes the number of times the team has won
(also includes past names of franchise, if applicable)

Champions

Year Champion DivisionCoach Result Runner-up Division Coach
2002Greenville GrooveMilton Barnes2–0North Charleston LowgatorsAlex English
2003Mobile RevelersSam Vincent2–1Fayetteville PatriotsJeff Capel II
2004Asheville AltitudeJoey Meyer108–106 (OT)Huntsville FlightRalph Lewis
2005Asheville Altitude (2)Joey Meyer90–67Columbus RiverdragonsJeff Malone
2006Albuquerque ThunderbirdsMichael Cooper119–108Fort Worth FlyersSam Vincent
2007Dakota WizardsEasternDave Joerger129–121 (OT)Colorado 14ersWesternJoe Wolf
2008Idaho StampedeWesternBryan Gates2–1Austin TorosSouthwestQuin Snyder
2009Colorado 14ersSouthwestBob MacKinnon Jr2–0Utah FlashWesternBrad Jones
Year Champion Conference Coach Result Runner-up Conference Coach
2010Rio Grande Valley VipersWesternChris Finch2–0Oklahoma City BlueWesternNate Tibbetts
2011[10] Iowa EnergyEasternNick Nurse2–1Rio Grande Valley VipersWesternChris Finch
2012[11] Austin TorosWesternBrad Jones2–1Los Angeles D-FendersWesternEric Musselman
2013[12] Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2)CentralNick Nurse2–0Santa Cruz WarriorsWesternNate Bjorkgren
2014[13] Fort Wayne Mad AntsEasternConner Henry2–0Santa Cruz WarriorsWesternCasey Hill
2015[14] Santa Cruz Warriors (2)WesternCasey Hill2–0Fort Wayne Mad AntsEasternConner Henry
2016[15] Sioux Falls SkyforceEasternDan Craig2–1Los Angeles D-FendersWesternCasey Owens
2017[16] Raptors 905EasternJerry Stackhouse2–1Rio Grande Valley VipersWesternMatt Brase
2018[17] Austin Spurs (2)WesternBlake Ahearn2–0Raptors 905EasternJerry Stackhouse
2019Rio Grande Valley Vipers (3)WesternJoseph Blair2–1Long Island NetsEasternWill Weaver
No NBA G League playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18]
2021Lakeland MagicStan Heath97–78Delaware Blue CoatsConnor Johnson
2022Rio Grande Valley Vipers (4)WesternMahmoud Abdelfattah2–0Delaware Blue CoatsEasternCoby Karl
2023Delaware Blue CoatsEasternCoby Karl2–0Rio Grande Valley VipersWesternKevin Burleson
2024Oklahoma City BlueWesternKameron Woods2–1Maine CelticsEasternBlaine Mueller

Results by teams

TeamsFinals
appearances
ChampionshipsRunners-upYears wonYears runners-upPlayoff appearances
7 432010, 2013, 2019, 20222011, 2017, 2023 12
4312004, 2005, 2024 2010 10
4222007, 20152013, 2014 13
4222012, 20182005, 2008 11
41320232009, 2021, 2022 7
2112006 2004 11
21120092007 6
21120142015 7
21120172018 5
11020021
11020032
11020086
11020115
11020168
11020217
2022012, 2016 8
1012002 4
1012003 2
1012006 2
1012019 4
10120246
01
06
03
02
02
03
00
02
08
03
01
00
00
00
000001

See also

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2001–02 NBDL season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  2. Web site: 2002–03 NBDL season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  3. Web site: 2003–04 NBDL season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  4. Web site: 2004–05 NBDL season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  5. Web site: 2005–06 NBA Development League season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  6. Web site: 2006–07 NBA Development League season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  7. Web site: 2007–08 NBA Development League season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  8. Web site: 2008–09 NBA Development League season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  9. Web site: 2009–10 NBA Development League season summary . November 13, 2010. basketball-reference.com.
  10. Web site: Emmert. Mark. Iowa Energy Win NBA D-League Championship. Des Moines Register. April 29, 2011. May 2, 2011.
  11. Web site: Dentmon, Austin top Los Angeles for D-League crown. Fox News. April 29, 2012. April 29, 2012.
  12. Web site: Warriors Fall to Rio Grande Vipers in NBA D-League Finals . NBA.com . April 27, 2013 . April 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130427213236/http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20130427/SCWRGV/gameinfo.html . April 27, 2013 .
  13. Web site: Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title . NBA.com . April 26, 2014 . April 26, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140429171629/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html . April 29, 2014 .
  14. Web site: Title Wave: Santa Cruz Wins NBA D-League Championship . NBA.com . April 26, 2015 . April 26, 2015.
  15. Web site: Sioux Falls Skyforce Cap Historic Season with First NBA D-League . NBA.com . April 27, 2016 . April 27, 2016.
  16. Web site: One For the 905! Raptors Affiliate Takes Home Title . NBA.com . April 27, 2017 . April 27, 2017.
  17. Web site: Austin Spurs Win 2018 NBA G League Championship . NBA.com . April 10, 2018 . April 10, 2018.
  18. Web site: NBA G League Cancels Remainder of 2019-20 Season . 2020-06-04. 2020-06-04 . NBA G League.
  19. Web site: National Basketball Development League Facts: NBDL Membership Chronology 2002–2007. apbr.org. Association for Professional Basketball Research. 2008. November 13, 2010.
  20. Web site: NBA League Development Team Comes to Frisco; Colorado 14ers to Move Operations. ci.frisco.tx.us. June 18, 2009. November 13, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721142951/http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/communication/press/Pages/NBALeagueDevelopmentTeamComingtoFrisco.aspx. July 21, 2011.
  21. Web site: Hubert. Matt. D-League 101: D-League Franchise History. D-League Digest. dleaguedigest.com. August 18, 2010. November 13, 2010.