Fire up the duck boats … again.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics etched their names in history by winning the 2024 NBA Finals, completing a gentleman’s sweep Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Banner 18 will rise in the TD Garden rafters, as the Celtics have broken a tie with the Lakers for the most in NBA history.
Championships have become the standard not just for the Celtics, but for Boston. The Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins have given the city championship parades in recent years. Now, fans will gather to celebrate another Boston title following the Celtics’ dominant playoff run.
Boston sports fans have grown accustomed to championships and parades, but just how many titles has the city won? And where does Boston rank among the most decorated sports cities?
Here are the U.S. cities with the most championships across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL:
1. New York – 54
- New York Yankees – 27 (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999. 2000, 2009)
- New York Giants (NFL) – 8 (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1986, 1990, 2007, 2011)
- New York Giants (MLB) – 5 (1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954)
- New York Rangers – 4 (1928, 1933, 1940, 1994)
- New York Islanders – 4 (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)
- New York Knicks – 2 (1970, 1973)
- New York Mets – 2 (1969, 1986)
- New York Jets – 1 (1968)
- Brooklyn Dodgers – 1 (1955)
New York has the Yankees to thank for its spot atop this list. The Bronx Bombers have won 27 World Series titles, more than twice as many as any MLB franchise.
The Big Apple has not won a title across the four major sports leagues since 2011, when the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.
2. Boston – 40
- Boston Celtics – 18 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 2024)
- Boston Red Sox – 9 (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018)
- New England Patriots – 6 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018)
- Boston Bruins – 6 (1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011)
- Boston Braves – 1 (1914)
With the Celtics’ 2024 Finals triumph, Boston is now one of two cities to win an NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL title since 2010.
The city boasts two teams that rank at the top when it comes to championships in their respective sports. The Celtics are in a league of their own with 18 NBA titles, while the Patriots are tied for the NFL lead with six Super Bowls, all won during the Brady-Belichick era.
The Red Sox broke their 86-year World Series curse in 2004 and have won the most championships of any MLB team in the 21st century.
The Bruins have lifted the Stanley Cup once over the last 50 years, but the Original Six franchise is tied for the fourth-most championships in NHL history.
3. Chicago – 29
- Chicago Bears – 9 (1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963, 1985)
- Chicago Bulls – 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
- Chicago Blackhawks – 6 (1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015)
- Chicago Cubs – 3 (1907, 1908, 2016)
- Chicago White Sox – 3 (1906, 1917, 2005)
- Chicago Cardinals (NFL) – 2 (1925, 1947)
Chicago’s most recent championship success has seen its two MLB teams break their World Series curses and its NHL team form a dynasty.
While Chicago hasn’t seen a title since the Cubs’ memorable run in 2016, the city can put its hopes in two No. 1 picks in Connor Bedard and Caleb Williams.
4. Los Angeles – 25
- Los Angeles Lakers – 12 (1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020)
- Los Angeles Dodgers – 6 (1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020)
- Los Angeles Rams – 2 (1951, 2021)
- Los Angeles Kings – 2 (2012, 2014)
- Los Angeles Angels – 1 (2002)
- Los Angeles Raiders – 1 (1983)
- Anaheim Ducks – 1 (2007)
Los Angeles is the only city to enjoy as much recent championship success across the sports as Boston. It has won one NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL championship in the last 10 years, though it also has the benefit of having two teams in each of those leagues.
While the Lakers have 17 championships in their history, L.A. itself can only claim 12 of them. The franchise’s first five NBA titles came before it made the move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960.
5. Detroit – 22
- Detroit Red Wings – 11 (1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)
- Detroit Tigers – 4 (1935, 1945, 1968, 1984)
- Detroit Lions – 4 (1935, 1952, 1953, 1957)
- Detroit Pistons – 3 (1989, 1990, 2004)
The Detroit Red Wings are the most decorated sports franchise in the Motor City, as they have as many championships as the Tigers, Lions and Pistons combined.
The Lions may have four NFL championships, but they are one of four NFL teams to never reach a Super Bowl.
6. San Francisco Bay Area – 19
- Golden State Warriors – 5 (1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
- San Francisco 49ers – 5 (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994)
- Oakland Athletics – 4 (1972, 1973, 1974, 1989)
- San Francisco Giants – 3 (2010, 2012, 2014)
- Oakland Raiders – 2 (1976, 1980)
Recent success in the Bay Area has come from the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants, who have combined to win seven championships since 2010.
The San Francisco 49ers have been knocking at the door, reaching four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls over the last five years, but they are still chasing their first Lombardi Trophy since Steve Young was throwing to Jerry Rice.
7. Philadelphia – 18
- Philadelphia Athletics – 5 (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930)
- Philadelphia Eagles – 4 (1948, 1949, 1960, 2017)
- Philadelphia Phillies – 2 (1980, 2008)
- Philadelphia 76ers – 2 (1967, 1983)
- Philadelphia Flyers – 2 (1974, 1975)
- Philadelphia Warriors – 2 (1947, 1956)
- Frankford Yellow Jackets – 1 (1926)
Speaking of the Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles brought it to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time in 2017 for Philadelphia’s most recent championship.
Of the city’s 18 championships, only 10 of them belong to franchises that still reside there. Philadelphia’s team with the most championships, the Athletics, moved out in 1954, currently calls Oakland home and is on its way to Las Vegas.
8. Pittsburgh – 17
- Pittsburgh Steelers – 6 (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 5 (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, 2017)
- Pittsburgh Pirates – 5 (1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, 1979)
Pittsburgh has the most titles of any city that is not represented across all four leagues.
The Steelers are tied with the Patriots with their six Super Bowl titles, while the Penguins and Pirates have five championships apiece.
9. St. Louis – 14
- St. Louis Cardinals – 11 (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011)
- St. Louis Blues – 1 (2019)
- St. Louis Rams – 1 (1999)
- St. Louis Hawks – 1 (1958)
St. Louis only has two teams across the four leagues, and they have dramatically different championship histories.
The Cardinals have the second-most World Series titles in MLB history, winning the most recent thanks to David Freese’s heroics in 2011. The Blues, on the other hand, won their first and only Stanley Cup in 2019 by beating the Bruins in a Game 7 in Boston.
T-10. Cleveland – 13
- Cleveland Browns – 8 (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964)
- Cleveland Guardians – 2 (1920, 1948)
- Cleveland Cavaliers – 1 (2016)
- Cleveland Rams – 1 (1945)
- Cleveland Bulldogs – (1924)
LeBron James brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first championship with a legendary 2016 NBA Finals comeback against the Warriors. Before that, Cleveland hadn’t won a title since Jim Brown was leading the way for the Browns.
T-10. Green Bay – 13
- Green Bay Packers – 13 (1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1996, 2010)
The Packers’ success alone is enough to put Green Bay in the top 10 on this list.
From Curly Lambeau to Vince Lombardi, Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have 13 NFL titles. They won the first two Super Bowls ever, and Favre and Rodgers each added one to the team’s total.