How Many NBA Teams Are There in 2025? Full List & Breakdown

By Sarah Miller · November 30, 2030

There are currently 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), divided evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences, each containing 15 teams.

Overview of NBA Team Structure

The NBA is the premier professional basketball league in the world, featuring elite athletes and global fan engagement. With a stable count of 30 franchises since the addition of the Charlotte Hornets in 2004, the league maintains a balanced structure across two conferences to facilitate competitive parity and organized scheduling.

Key Features of the NBA's Team Format

The league consists of 30 teams: 15 in the Eastern Conference and 15 in the Western Conference.
Each conference is further divided into three divisions of five teams each.
Teams play an 82-game regular season schedule, with playoff qualification determined by win-loss records within their respective conferences.
The NBA Finals pits the top team from the Eastern Conference against the champion of the Western Conference.

Historical Expansion and Relocation

The NBA has undergone numerous expansions and relocations since its founding in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The current number of 30 teams reflects strategic growth aimed at increasing national and international reach.

Milestones in NBA Expansion

1946: League founded with 11 teams under the BAA name.
1949: Merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA, bringing the total to 17 teams.
1989: Addition of the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat brought the total to 27 teams.
1995: Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joined, expanding the league to 29 teams and marking its first Canadian franchises.
2004: Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) joined as the 30th team, completing the current lineup.
2002: Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, maintaining the 30-team count.

NBA Teams by Conference and Division

Below is a complete breakdown of all 30 NBA teams grouped by conference and division, including city, state, and arena information.

Conference	Division	Team	City	State	Arena	Year Joined NBA
Eastern	Atlantic	Boston Celtics	Boston	MA	TD Garden	1946
Eastern	Atlantic	Brooklyn Nets	Brooklyn	NY	Barclays Center	1976*
Eastern	Atlantic	New York Knicks	New York	NY	Madison Square Garden	1946
Eastern	Atlantic	Philadelphia 76ers	Philadelphia	PA	Wells Fargo Center	1949
Eastern	Atlantic	Toronto Raptors	Toronto	ON	Scotiabank Arena	1995
Eastern	Central	Chicago Bulls	Chicago	IL	United Center	1966
Eastern	Central	Cleveland Cavaliers	Cleveland	OH	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse	1970
Eastern	Central	Detroit Pistons	Detroit	MI	Little Caesars Arena	1948
Eastern	Central	Indiana Pacers	Indianapolis	IN	Gainbridge Fieldhouse	1976*
Eastern	Central	Milwaukee Bucks	Milwaukee	WI	Fiserv Forum	1968
Eastern	Southeast	Atlanta Hawks	Atlanta	GA	State Farm Arena	1949
Eastern	Southeast	Charlotte Hornets	Charlotte	NC	Spectrum Center	2004
Eastern	Southeast	Miami Heat	Miami	FL	Kaseya Center	1988
Eastern	Southeast	Orlando Magic	Orlando	FL	Amway Center	1989
Eastern	Southeast	Washington Wizards	Washington	DC	Capital One Arena	1946
Western	Pacific	Golden State Warriors	San Francisco	CA	Chase Center	1946
Western	Pacific	LA Clippers	Los Angeles	CA	Intuit Dome (2024)	1970
Western	Pacific	Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles	CA	Staples Center	1948
Western	Pacific	Phoenix Suns	Phoenix	AZ	Footprint Center	1968
Western	Pacific	Sacramento Kings	Sacramento	CA	Golden 1 Center	1948
Western	Southwest	Dallas Mavericks	Dallas	TX	American Airlines Center	1980
Western	Southwest	Houston Rockets	Houston	TX	Toyota Center	1967
Western	Southwest	Memphis Grizzlies	Memphis	TN	FedExForum	1995
Western	Southwest	New Orleans Pelicans	New Orleans	LA	Smoothie King Center	2002
Western	Southwest	San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio	TX	Frost Bank Center	1976*
Western	Northwest	Denver Nuggets	Denver	CO	Ball Arena	1976*
Western	Northwest	Minnesota Timberwolves	Minneapolis	MN	Target Center	1989
Western	Northwest	Oklahoma City Thunder	Oklahoma City	OK	Paycom Center	1967
Western	Northwest	Portland Trail Blazers	Portland	OR	Moda Center	1970
Western	Northwest	Utah Jazz	Salt Lake City	UT	Vivint Arena	1974

Table data source:1, 2

The table illustrates the geographic and structural balance across the NBA, with five teams per division and 15 per conference. Most recent expansion occurred in 2004 with the Charlotte Hornets, and no active plans for new teams exist as of 2025. The inclusion of the Toronto Raptors marks the NBA’s only international franchise.

Future of NBA Expansion

While the NBA remains stable at 30 teams, potential expansion cities have been discussed, including Seattle, Las Vegas, and Mexico City. Seattle, in particular, has strong historical ties after losing the SuperSonics in 2008, and continues to advocate for a new franchise.

Seattle: A leading candidate due to market size and past NBA presence.
Las Vegas: Hosts the annual Summer League and is seen as a viable entertainment-driven market.
International Growth: The NBA may prioritize global expansion over domestic additions, possibly targeting markets in Europe or Asia long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions About NBA Teams

How many NBA teams are there in 2025?

As of 2025, there are 30 teams in the NBA, split evenly between the Eastern and Western Conferences with 15 teams each.

Which city lost an NBA team recently?

Vancouver lost the Grizzlies in 2001 when the team relocated to Memphis. More notably, Seattle lost the SuperSonics in 2008, which remains a topic of discussion for potential expansion.

Are there any plans to add new NBA teams?

As of 2025, the NBA has not officially announced plans to expand beyond 30 teams, though cities like Seattle and Las Vegas are frequently mentioned as possible candidates.

Which NBA team is the newest?

The Charlotte Hornets, originally established as the Bobcats in 2004, are the most recently added team. The franchise was rebranded as the Hornets in 2014 after the original Hornets moved to New Orleans.