The Maurice Podoloff Trophy is an annual

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) award given since the 2022–23 season to the team with the best overall record at the end of the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

. The award is named after

Maurice Podoloff Maurice Podoloff (; August 18, 1890 – November 24, 1985) was an American lawyer and a basketball and ice hockey administrator. He served as the president of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946 to 1949, and the National Basketb ...

, who served as the first

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

(then president) of the NBA from 1946 until 1963. Prior to 2021, the Podoloff Trophy was given to the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the NBA regular season. However, this was changed in 2022 when the NBA renamed the MVP trophy after

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, and a new Podoloff Trophy was unveiled to reward a team's regular season performance. The

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

clinched the first edition of the new Podoloff Trophy on April 5, 2023, with their victory vs. the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. The

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

became the second winner of the trophy after defeating the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

on April 3, 2024.

Winners

Earlier best records

For reference, the following are teams that finished with the best records in the NBA for each season between and .

BAA (1946–1949)

NBA (1950–2022)

Notes

* There was no tiebreaker. Two teams with the best record received a first-round bye in the playoffs. * Despite having the same record as the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

, the

clinched top seed by virtue of having a better conference record (34–12 vs. Washington's 32–14). The teams split their regular season series 2–2. * Despite having the same record as the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, the

clinched top seed by virtue of having a better division record (19–5 vs. Philadelphia's 15–9). The teams split their regular season series 3–3. * Despite having the same record as the

, the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

clinched top seed by virtue of winning their regular season series 2–0. * Despite having the same record as the

, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

clinched top seed by virtue of winning their regular season series 2–1. * Despite having the same record as the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, the

clinched top seed by virtue of having a better conference record (36–16 vs. Dallas's 34–18). The teams split their regular season series 2–2. * Despite having the same record as the

, the

clinched top seed by virtue of their only regular season meeting between them, a 96–89 victory by the Bulls on February 29, 2012.

Records

Maurice Podoloff Trophy winners

Combined pre-trophy/trophy era best records

Notes

References

{{NBA NBA awards NBA lists Awards established in 2022 2022 establishments in the United States Regular season trophies and awards

Winners

Earlier best records

BAA (1946–1949)

NBA (1950–2022)

Notes

Records

Maurice Podoloff Trophy winners

Combined pre-trophy/trophy era best records

See also

Notes

References