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Pacific Division (NBA)

Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association

Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association

FieldValue
titlePacific Division
conferenceWestern Conference
leagueNational Basketball Association
sportBasketball
inaugural1970–71 season
teams5
championLos Angeles Lakers (25th title)
most_champsLos Angeles Lakers
(25 titles)

(25 titles)

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The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams: the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. All teams, except the Suns, are based in California. Along with the American League West of Major League Baseball (MLB), they are one of two North American major league divisions with no animal themed nicknames.

The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences: the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions each in each conference. The Pacific Division began with five inaugural members: the Lakers, the Blazers, the San Diego Rockets, the San Francisco Warriors and the Seattle SuperSonics. The Lakers, the Rockets, the Warriors and the SuperSonics all joined from the Western Division.

The Lakers have won the most Pacific Division titles with 25. The Phoenix Suns have the second most titles with eight. 19 NBA champions have come from the Pacific Division. The Lakers have won 12 championships, the Warriors won 5, and the Blazers and Sonics won one championship each. All of them, except the 1976–77 Blazers, the 2001–02 Lakers and the 2021–22 Warriors, were division champions. In the 1991–92 season, six teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. In the 1977–78 season, all teams in the division had winning percentages above 0.500 (50%). The most recent division champions are the Los Angeles Lakers.

Since the 2021–22 season, the Pacific Division champion has received the Chuck Cooper Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Chuck Cooper.

2025–26 standings

Main article: 2025–26 NBA season

Notes

  • y – Clinched division title
  • pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot (locked into a play-in spot but not able to clinch a playoff spot directly)
  • x – Clinched playoff spot

Teams

TeamCityJoinedYearFrom
Golden State Warriors (–present)
San Francisco Warriors (–)San Francisco, California
Oakland, CaliforniaWestern Division
Los Angeles Clippers (–present)
San Diego Clippers (–)Inglewood, California
Los Angeles, California
San Diego, CaliforniaAtlantic Division
(as Buffalo Braves)
Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles, CaliforniaWestern Division
Phoenix SunsPhoenix, ArizonaMidwest Division
Sacramento KingsSacramento, CaliforniaMidwest Division

Former teams

TeamCityJoinedLeftCurrent divisionYearFromYearTo
Houston Rockets (–present)
San Diego Rockets (–)Houston, Texas
San Diego, CaliforniaWestern DivisionCentral DivisionSouthwest Division
Portland Trail BlazersPortland, Oregon—Northwest DivisionNorthwest Division
Seattle SuperSonics (–, now Oklahoma City Thunder)Seattle, WashingtonWestern DivisionNorthwest DivisionNorthwest Division

;Notes

  • denotes an expansion team.

Team timeline

Denotes team that has left the division

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:25 Period = from:1970 till:2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:20 bottom:20 top:0

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:Los Angeles Lakers (1970–present) bar:2 color:tan2 from:1970 till:2004 text:Portland Trail Blazers (1970–2004) bar:3 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1972 text:San Diego/Houston Rockets (1970–1972) bar:4 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1970–present) bar:5 color:tan2 from:1970 till:2004 text:Seattle SuperSonics (1970–2004) bar:6 color:tan1 from:1972 till:end text:Phoenix Suns (1972–present) bar:7 color:tan1 from:1978 till:end text:San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers (1978–present) bar:8 color:tan1 from:1988 till:end text:Sacramento Kings (1988–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1970

Chuck Cooper Trophy

Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Pacific Division champion has received the Chuck Cooper Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the many African American pioneers from NBA history. Chuck Cooper became the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team when the Boston Celtics selected him with the first pick in the second round of the 1950 draft. The Cooper Trophy consists of a 200 crystal ball.

Division champions

^Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season
SeasonTeamRecordPlayoffs result
Los Angeles Lakers48–34 (.585)Lost conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers^69–13 (.841)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers60–22 (.732)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers47–35 (.573)Lost conference semifinals
Golden State Warriors48–34 (.585)Won NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors^59–23 (.720)Lost conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers^53–29 (.646)Lost conference finals
Portland Trail Blazers^58–24 (.707)Lost conference semifinals
Seattle SuperSonics52–30 (.634)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers60–22 (.732)Won NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns57–25 (.695)Lost conference semifinals
Los Angeles Lakers57–25 (.695)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers58–24 (.707)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers54–28 (.659)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers62–20 (.756)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers62–20 (.756)Lost conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers^65–17 (.793)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers^62–20 (.756)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers57–25 (.695)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers^63–19 (.768)Lost conference semifinals
Portland Trail Blazers^63–19 (.768)Lost conference finals
Portland Trail Blazers57–25 (.695)Lost NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns^62–20 (.756)Lost NBA Finals
Seattle SuperSonics^63–19 (.768)Lost first round
Phoenix Suns59–23 (.720)Lost conference semifinals
Seattle SuperSonics64–18 (.780)Lost NBA Finals
Seattle SuperSonics57–25 (.695)Lost conference semifinals
Seattle SuperSonics61–21 (.744)Lost conference semifinals
Portland Trail Blazers35–15 (.700)Lost conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers^67–15 (.817)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers56–26 (.683)Won NBA Finals
Sacramento Kings^61–21 (.744)Lost conference finals
Sacramento Kings59–23 (.720)Lost conference semifinals
Los Angeles Lakers56–26 (.683)Lost NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns^62–20 (.756)Lost conference finals
Phoenix Suns54–28 (.659)Lost conference finals
Phoenix Suns61–21 (.744)Lost conference semifinals
Los Angeles Lakers57–25 (.695)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers65–17 (.793)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers57–25 (.695)Won NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers57–25 (.695)Lost conference semifinals
Los Angeles Lakers41–25 (.621)Lost conference semifinals
Los Angeles Clippers56–26 (.683)Lost first round
Los Angeles Clippers57–25 (.695)Lost conference semifinals
Golden State Warriors^67–15 (.817)Won NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors^73–9 (.890)Lost NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors^67–15 (.817)Won NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors58–24 (.707)Won NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors57–25 (.695)Lost NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers52–19 (.732)Won NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns51–21 (.708)Lost NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns^64–18 (.780)Lost conference semifinals
Sacramento Kings48–34 (.585)Lost first round
Los Angeles Clippers51–31 (.622)Lost first round
Los Angeles Lakers50–32 (.610)Lost first round

Titles by team

^Denotes team that has left the division
TeamTitlesSeason(s) won
Los Angeles Lakers25, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Phoenix Suns8, , , , , , ,
Golden State Warriors7, , , , , ,
Seattle SuperSonics^ (now Oklahoma City Thunder)5, , , ,
Portland Trail Blazers^4, , ,
Sacramento Kings3, ,
Los Angeles Clippers3, ,

Season results

×Denotes team that qualified for the NBA play-in tournament
†Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart (Bubble happened due to COVID-19)
Seasoncolspan="7"Team (record)1stwidth=150px2ndwidth=150px3rdwidth=150px4thwidth=150px5thwidth=150px6thwidth=150px7th
Los Angeles* (48–34)
Los Angeles^ (69–13)
Los Angeles+ (60–22)
Los Angeles* (47–35)
Golden State^ (48–34)
Golden State* (59–23)
Los Angeles* (53–29)
Portland* (58–24)
Seattle^ (52–30)
Los Angeles^ (60–22)
Phoenix* (57–25)
Los Angeles^ (57–25)
Los Angeles+ (58–24)
Los Angeles+ (54–28)
L.A. Lakers^ (62–20)
L.A. Lakers* (62–20)
L.A. Lakers^ (65–17)
L.A. Lakers^ (62–20)
L.A. Lakers+ (57–25)
L.A. Lakers* (63–19)
Portland* (63–19)
Portland+ (57–25)
Phoenix+ (62–20)
Seattle* (63–19)
Phoenix* (59–23)
Seattle+ (64–18)
Seattle* (57–25)
Seattle* (61–21)
Portland* (35–15)
L.A. Lakers^ (67–15)
L.A. Lakers^ (56–26)
Sacramento* (61–21)
Sacramento* (59–23)
L.A. Lakers+ (56–26)
Phoenix* (62–20)
Phoenix* (54–28)
Phoenix* (61–21)
L.A. Lakers+ (57–25)
L.A. Lakers^ (65–17)
L.A. Lakers^ (57–25)
L.A. Lakers* (57–25)
L.A. Lakers* (41–25)
L.A. Clippers* (56–26)
L.A. Clippers* (57–25)
Golden State^ (67–15)
Golden State+ (73–9)
Golden State^ (67–15)
Golden State^ (58–24)
Golden State+ (57–25)
L.A. Lakers^ (52–19)
Phoenix+ (51–21)
Phoenix* (64–18)
Sacramento* (48–34)
L.A. Clippers* (51–31)
L.A. Lakers* (50–32)

Rivalries

Main article: National Basketball Association rivalries#Pacific Division

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors

I-5 rivalry/Portland Trail Blazers vs. Seattle SuperSonics

Notes

  • Because of a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, and all 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule.
  • Because of a lockout, the season did not start until December 25, 2011, and all 30 teams played a shortened 66-game regular season schedule.

References

Specific

General

References

  1. "1970–71 Season Overview: Kareem Rules the League". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  2. (April 11, 2022). "NBA unveils new trophies for division winners named after 6 NBA legends". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  3. Conway, Tyler. (April 11, 2022). "NBA Unveils Division Winner Trophies Named After Black Pioneers from League History".
  4. Donovan, John. (February 4, 1999). "Let the semi-season begin: Expect injuries, intensity and a new champion in '99". Time Warner Company.
  5. Jenkins, Lee. (December 5, 2011). "'tis The Season". Time Warner Company.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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