[1] The NBA adopted its current name at the start of the 1949–50 season when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).
[2] The league currently consists of 30 teams, of which 29 are located in the United States and 1 in Canada.
The first two seasons used a playoffs format where Eastern and Western Division teams would face each other before the BAA Finals.
Two other franchises, the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, have never appeared in the conference finals.
[4] In 2022, both were redesigned, and named the Bob Cousy Trophy for the Eastern Conference and the Oscar Robertson Trophy for the Western Conference, in honor of two men who were instrumental in developing and advancing the players' labor union, the National Basketball Players Association.
The two redesigned trophies each feature a silver basketball with its respective conference finals logo on the underside.
In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning conference finals appearances.