By the end of this NBA season, the number of franchises without a championship title could decrease from 10 to 9. Currently, 10 teams, including Indiana and Minnesota, have never won the Larry O’Brien Trophy. While the Oklahoma City Thunder have no championships as the Thunder, their Seattle-era franchise won in 1979. The New York Knicks claimed championships in 1970 and 1973. On May 19th, DraftKings Sportsbook released odds for which team might secure their first NBA Finals win, listing Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves with +245 odds to win and -310 odds against. Apart from Indiana and Minnesota, the other titleless teams are Charlotte, Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, and Phoenix. The Thunder are favored this season with -145 odds, followed by New York (+450), Minnesota (+550), and Indiana (+600).
Looking at other North American sports, with the NHL conference finals underway, no new Stanley Cup champion has emerged after the Winnipeg Jets lost to the Dallas Stars. Other NHL teams without a Stanley Cup include Vancouver, San Jose, Nashville, Columbus, Minnesota, Seattle, Ottawa, and Arizona (now Utah). In the NFL, teams without a Super Bowl win have the following odds for the 2025 season: Buffalo Bills +700, Detroit Lions +1000, Cincinnati Bengals +2000, Los Angeles Chargers +2800, Minnesota Vikings +3000, Houston Texans +4000, Arizona Cardinals +6000, Jacksonville Jaguars +8000, Atlanta Falcons +8000, Carolina Panthers +14,000, Tennessee Titans +18,000, and Cleveland Browns +25,000. Buffalo ranks second in odds behind defending champions Eagles (+650) and ahead of the Chiefs (+750). Detroit reached the NFC title game in 2023, Buffalo reached the AFC title games in 2020 and 2024, and Cincinnati played the Super Bowl in 2021, losing to the Rams.
In MLB, teams without a World Series win and their 2025 odds include the Seattle Mariners +1600, San Diego Padres +2200, Tampa Bay Rays +6000, Milwaukee Brewers +8000, and Colorado Rockies +50,000. Seattle has only made the playoffs once since 2001, losing to the Astros in 2022, while San Diego won the National League West in 2020, 2022, and 2024 but fell to Philadelphia in the 2022 National League Championship Series.
Fan Take: This update highlights the long championship droughts faced by several NHL teams, underscoring the intense competition and drama in hockey. For fans, it fuels hope and anticipation that a new Stanley Cup champion could soon emerge, potentially reinvigorating fanbases and growing the sport’s popularity.
