Central Division (NBA)

The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, and the Milwaukee Bucks. All teams except the Cavaliers are former Midwest Division teams; thus, the Central Division now largely resembles the Midwest Division in the 1970s.

An earlier five-team Central Division previously existed for the 1949–50 season as one of three divisions in the NBA, along with the Western and Eastern divisions. The current Central 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 in each conference. The Central Division began with four inaugural members, the Atlanta Hawks, the Baltimore Bullets, the Cincinnati Royals, and the Cavaliers. The Hawks were moved from the Western Division, while the Bullets and the Royals were moved from the Eastern Division.

Thirteen NBA champions came from the Central Division. The Bulls won six championships, the Pistons won three, the Bucks won two, and the Bullets and Cavaliers won one each. All of the teams, except the 1977–78 Bullets and the 2003–04 Pistons, were division champions. In the 2005–06 season, all five teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. Overall, the Bucks have won thirteen Central Division titles, followed by the Bulls and Pistons with nine division titles each. The Central Division has the highest percentage of teams that have won a championship, with four out of the five teams having won an NBA title. The Pacers are the lone exception, although they did advance to the NBA Finals in 2000, and are the current Eastern Conference champions and playing in the 2025 NBA Finals.

Since the 2021–22 season, the Central Division champion has received the Wayne Embry Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Wayne Embry who played for the Bucks in the 1968–69 NBA season.

2024–25 standings

Notes
* c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
* 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

;Notes
* denotes an expansion team.

Former teams

;Notes
* denotes an expansion team.
* denotes a team that merged from the American Basketball Association (ABA).
* The Charlotte NBA franchise was inactive from 2002 to 2004 upon the relocation of the Hornets to New Orleans. A new franchise, initially known as the Bobcats, began play in the 2004–05 season. In 2013, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the Pelicans, and the following season, the Bobcats were renamed the Hornets, acquiring the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets while retroactively designating the Pelicans as an expansion team.

Team timeline

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bar:1 color:tan2 from:1970 till:2004 text:Atlanta Hawks (1970–2004)
bar:2 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1978 text: Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets (1970–1978)
bar:3 color:tan2 from:1970 till:1972 text:Cincinnati Royals (1970–1972)
bar:4 color:tan1 from:1970 till:end text:Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–present)
bar:5 color:tan2 from:1972 till:1980 text:Houston Rockets (1972–1980)
bar:6 color:tan2 from:1974 till:1979 text: New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)
bar:7 color:tan2 from:1976 till:1980 text:San Antonio Spurs (1976–1980)
bar:8 color:tan1 from:1978 till:end text:Detroit Pistons (1978–present)
bar:9 color:tan1 from:1979 till:end text:Indiana Pacers (1979–present)
bar:10 color:tan1 from:1980 till:end text:Chicago Bulls (1980–present)
bar:11 color:tan1 from:1980 till:end text:Milwaukee Bucks (1980–present)
bar:12 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text:Orlando Magic (1989–1990)
bar:13 color:tan2 from:1990 till:2002 text:Charlotte Hornets (1990–2002)
bar:14 color:tan2 from:1995 till:2004 text:Toronto Raptors (1995–2004)
bar:15 color:tan2 from:2002 till:2004 text:New Orleans Hornets (2002–2004)

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Wayne Embry Trophy

Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Central Division champion has received the Wayne Embry Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history. Wayne Embry became the NBA's first African American general manager when he was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972. The Embry Trophy consists of a crystal ball.

Division champions

Titles by team

Season results

Rivalries

Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons

Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

1949–50 season

Before the 1949–50 season, the BAA merged with the NBL and was renamed NBA. The number of teams competed increased from 12 teams to 17 teams and the league realigned itself to three divisions, creating the Central Division. The division consisted of five teams, the Chicago Stags, the Fort Wayne Pistons, the Minneapolis Lakers, the Rochester Royals and the St. Louis Bombers. All five teams joined from the Western Division. The Minneapolis Lakers won the Central Division title. The division was disbanded before the 1950–51 season, after six teams folded and the league realigned itself back into two divisions. The Stags and the Bombers folded, while the other three teams returned to the Western Division.

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.
*In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, the NBA canceled the April 16 game scheduled in Boston between the Celtics and the Pacers; the game was not rescheduled because it would have had no impact on either team's playoff seedings.

See also

*Atlantic Division (NBA)
*Pacific Division (NBA)
*Southwest Division (NBA)
*Midwest Division (NBA)

References

;General

*

;Specific

External links

NBA.com Team Index

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Division (Nba)
Eastern Conference (NBA)
NBA divisions
NBA
NBA
Atlanta Hawks
Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973)
Capital Bullets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cincinnati Royals
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
New Orleans Hornets
New Orleans Jazz (NBA team)
Orlando Magic
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Washington Bullets
1970 establishments in the United States