The 2026-27 NBA season is going to be typically competitive, with lots of teams bidding to become champions this season. Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the leading sides, with San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers other prime contenders at this early stage of the season. There's the chance to bet on the outright winner and also take advantage of Futures markets such as To Win Conference and To Win Division.
New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors are other big contenders in the NBA Championship, with Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons all hoping to have a say in the final outcome. There is also MVP betting where you can place wagers on Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
There's the chance to bet on other Regular Season Awards, with Clutch Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year betting available.
Best price per selection highlighted. Odds update frequently and may differ at the bookmaker. 18+ | #ad | BeGambleAware.org | T&Cs apply.
The NBA Championship betting odds are available across all our recommended bookmakers. There's a chance to bet on any team to be crowned champions, with leading sides such as Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers battling it out to land the coveted title. There are lots of twists and turns, with the regular season taking place before we get to the playoffs.
The NBA Eastern and Western Conference are played out first, with customers getting the chance to assess the quality and form of each team. You can also drill down and bet on a side to win the division. There are lots of NBA odds when it comes to Futures markets, with the prices updating after each round of fixtures.
How to Bet on the NBA Championship Winner
One team will be crowned NBA champions at the end of a season. Before any of the matches, you can bet on the NBA Championship Winner. Every participating team is priced up, including the big outsiders who are highly unlikely to be champions. You can choose a team to back early and take the corresponding price. Alternatively, you can wait for the NBA Championship odds to change according to the first few matches.
The odds for the winner of the NBA Championship chop and change as the campaign progresses. This continues when we get to the play-in tournaments before the playoffs. The final sixteen teams left standing compete for the honour of being crowned champions. There's a first round before Conference semifinals, Conference finals and NBA Finals.
There's the choice to bet win only or each-way when it comes to the winner of the NBA Championship. Having an each-way bet means you can split your stake between a team to be crowned champions and the same side to make the final, irrespective of the final outcome. It all comes down to what type of bet you feel most comfortable with.
Bet on the Eastern Conference and Western Conference NBA Winners
If you want to bet on NBA Futures betting markets, then there are lots of options. This includes the chance to place wagers on NBA Eastern Conference and NBA Western Conference. The former involves teams such as New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. You don't need to predict the winner of the NBA Championship, just the winner of the Eastern Conference.
As for the Western Conference, this is always a competitive tussle. Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are among the leading teams battling it out, with Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers other leading teams. You can generally only bet win only and it's all about predicting the sides who come out on top.
History of the NBA Championship
Boston Celtics are the most successful team in the history of the NBA Championship. They returned to the winners' enclosure in 2024 which was their eighteenth success, having been runner-up on an additional five occasions. Los Angeles Lakers are the other side who have been victorious many times over and they have a running total of seventeen along with fifteen appearances as runner-up.
Golden State Warriors have previously been known as Philadelphia and San Francisco and they have racked up seven victories, with Chicago Bulls very much a team of the 1990's considering that this vintage crop of players was able to rack up six successes during that decade and there wasn't a single runner-up performance in their history.
San Antonio Spurs only landed their first NBA Championship title in 1999 although they've now been crowned champions five times along with two runner-up spots. The latest final appearance at the time of writing was in 2026, with every other side only managing three wins. Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat are those that have a trio of successes.