Every year, sports teams spend an unreal amount of time, energy, and effort putting together what they believe to be a winning roster and they do it with one goal in mind – winning a championship. And not only win a championship, but sustain that winning culture and string together multiple championship runs.
With that being said, winning a championship – let alone multiple championships – won’t come easy. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, World Series, or National Championship game, the level of competition is at an all-time high and you’re going to have to work for it.
It’s something that requires everyone – from the top of the organization to the bottom – to buy-in. That includes the ownership, front office, management, coaching staff, training staff, medical staff, players, and even the fanbase. Any chinks in that armor can and will result in lost opportunity and disappointment.
Which American Sports Teams Have the Most Championships Since 2000?
via Shutterstock (Miguel Angel Lopez Rojas)
Throughout the history of American sports, we have witnessed several teams and franchises sustain a winning culture – sometimes for a short period of time and sometimes for a long period of time. Dynasties are known to fall just as quickly as they form, but one thing rings true every year – someone has to win.
Since 2000, there are only 22 teams across the MLB, NHL, NFL, and NBA to win multiple championships – that’s in a 23-year span and accounts for 124 total teams. And if you take into account college football and college basketball (men and women), there are another 18 teams with multiple titles since 2000.
Below, we’re going to further narrow that list down to the sports teams – across the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAAM, NCAAW, and NCAAF – that have won at least three titles since 2000. These teams have proven time and again that they can not only compete with the best of the best, but come out on top often.
16. North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAAM) – 3 championships
We owe these two a thank you!
2016 ACC Regular Season Champions 2016 ACC Tournament Champions 2017 ACC Regular Season Champions 2017 NCAA National Champions 2 Final Fours 1 National Championship
Two competitors who truly embodied what it meant to be Tar Heels.
Total Championships: 6 (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)
The North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s basketball team has won three National Championships since 2000 – all of which coming with RoyWilliams as their head coach. He coached them to a win in 2005, 2009, and 2017, making them one of just three NCAAM teams to win at least three championships since 2000.
The Tar Heels have been one of the most dominant schools in Division I basketball over the past two decades. They’ve had seven seasons with at least 30 wins, have made it to five Final Fours, and were runner-ups in 2016 (which would’ve been their fourth title). Will they find themselves back on top soon?
15. Duke Blue Devils (NCAAM) – 3 championships
April 6, 2015: Duke beats Wisconsin 68-63 in Indianapolis to win the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/Al9K5heFW1
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) April 6, 2020
Championships Since 2000: 3 (2001, 2010, 2015)
Total Championships: 5 (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
The Duke Blue Devils’ men’s basketball team has won three National Championships since 2000 – all of which coming with MikeKrzyzewski as their head coach. He coached them to a title in 2001, 2010, and 2015 before retiring in 2022 – his team made a March Madness appearance every year, except in 2021.
The Blue Devils were one of the more feared programs of the 2000s under Coach K – who led them to at least 30 wins in 11 of the past 23 seasons. They made it to the Sweet Sixteen 16 times, the Elite Eight eight times, and the Final Four five times since 2000 – they were consistently among the nation’s best.
Total Championships: 6 (1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015)
The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL have won three Stanley Cup Finals since 2000 – all of which under head coach JoelQuenneville, who was with the team between 2008 and 2018. He led them to a title in 2010, 2013, and 2015 (a six-year span) – they fell short to the Kings in the Conference Finals in 2014.
The Blackhawks were primarily led by PatrickKane, JonathanToews, MariánHossa, and DuncanKeith during their championship era. Their first title in 2010 was Quenneville’s first full season as head coach – the team made it to the Conference Finals in 2009, but came up short against the Red Wings.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 8, 2021
Championships Since 2000: 3 (2004, 2020, 2021)
Total Championships: 3 (2004, 2020, 2021)
The Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL have won three Stanley Cup Finals since 2000. Their first title of the century came in 2004 under head coach JohnTortorella, while their second and third titles came in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021 under head coach JohnCooper – they were tough to beat.
The Lightning were primarily led by BradRichards and Martin St. Louis during their 2004 title run – combining for 50 points in the 2004 playoffs. Their back-to-back title runs in 2020 and 2021 were primarily led by NikitaKucherov, BraydenPoint, and VictorHedman – with AndreiVasilevskiy in net.
Total Championships: 5 (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, 2017)
The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL have won three Stanley Cup Finals since 2000. Their first title run came in 2009, when they were matched up with the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year. While the Red Wings won it in 2008, the Penguins got their revenge in a 2009 Game 7.
Their second title run came in 2016, when they defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins followed that up with another title in 2017. They were led by SidneyCrosby, EvgeniMalkin, KrisLetang, and Marc-André Fleury – all of whom played a part in all three title runs.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 8, 2019
Championships Since 2000: 3 (2005, 2012, 2019)
Total Championships: 3 (2005, 2012, 2019)
The Baylor Lady Bears’ women’s basketball team has won three National Championships since 2000 – all of which were won with KimMulkey as their head coach. She took over the program in 2000 and led the university to a 632-104 record between 2000 and 2021 – including titles in 2005, 2012, and 2019.
Their most impressive title run came in 2012, when the team went a perfect 40-0 on the year and 18-0 in the Big 12 Conference. Under Mulkey, the Lady Bears had at least 30 wins on 10 occasions, including nine consecutive years between 2010-11 and 2018-19. They made it to the Elite Eight 10 times, as well.
The San Francisco Giants of the MLB have won three World Series Championships since 2000. They were the team to beat between 2010 and 2014, winning all three of their titles in that five-year span – doing so in 2010 (in five games), 2012 (in a four-game sweep), and 2014 (in a seven-game thriller).
All three of their titles came with BruceBochy as the manager – he led the team to a 1,052-1,054 record between 2007 and 2019. EdgarRenteria won World Series MVP in 2010, PabloSandoval won WS MVP in 2012, and MadisonBumgarner won WS MVP in 2014. They haven’t been back ever since.
The Miami Heat of the NBA have won three NBA Finals since 2000 and have been one of the most consistent teams of the past 23 years. Their first title came in 2006 with DwyaneWade and ShaquilleO’Neal. Wade went on to win two more in 2012 and 2013, this time with ChrisBosh and LeBronJames.
The Heat have been to nine Conference Finals since the turn of the century and have made seven Finals appearances – while they won three times, they also lost in 2011, 2015, and 2020. They currently have an opportunity to win their fourth title if they can get past the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
8. Golden State Warriors (NBA) – 4 championships
On this date in 2014, Steve Kerr was introduced as Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors. Since then:
👏 4x NBA Champion 👏 Named one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history 👏 2nd most wins by a coach in franchise history pic.twitter.com/BrrS0TzgQz
Championships Since 2000: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Total Championships: 7 (1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
The Golden State Warriors had a rough start to their 2000s with only one playoff appearance between 2000 and 2012. Of course, that’s when we witnessed the rise of StephenCurry, DraymondGreen, and KlayThompson – a dynamic trio that would go on to win four NBA Finals between 2015 and 2022.
The Warriors first won with their trio in 2015, but they quickly became a cheat code with the addition of KevinDurant in 2016. They would go on to win back-to-back NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018, while the original trio won a fourth title without Durant in 2022. They’ve been to six Finals in the past nine years.
Championships Since 2000: 4 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
Total Championships: 5 (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
The San Antonio Spurs ended the 20th century with the addition of GreggPopovich as head coach in 1997 and a championship in 1999 – so things were already off to a good start. And things got even sweeter with four more titles – in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014 – under the leadership of Popovich.
He helped build a dynasty that featured the likes of TimDuncan, TonyParker, and ManuGinobili – the three of them, along with their head coach, have all been inducted into the Hall of Fame. While the team has missed the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, they’ll forever be remembered for this era.
The Boston Red Sox entered the 2000s with a massive championship drought looming over their heads – they hadn’t won a title since 1918. Of course, that all changed in 2004 when they ended their 86-year title drought with a 4-0 sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals – they were led by DavidOrtiz and MannyRamirez.
The Red Sox would go on to win again in 2007, a third time in 2013, and most recently in 2018. They won titles with three different managers during that span – TerryFrancona, JohnFarrell, and AlexCora. Other notable names during this era include CurtSchilling, MookieBetts, and DustinPedroia.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2023
Championships Since 2000: 4 (2004, 2011, 2014, 2023)
Total Championships: 5 (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023)
The UCONN Huskies’ men’s basketball team – like the San Antonio Spurs – ended the 20th century with a National Championship in 1999 and have remained relevant every season since. They didn’t waste any time getting a title in the 21st century, beating Georgia Tech in the 2004 National Championship.
The Huskies went another seven years before winning their next title in 2011 and won another title in 2014 – marking their second win in four years. And after winning the 2023 National Championship, the Huskies will enter next season as the defending champs as they search for their fifth title since 2000.
Championships Since 2000: 6 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018)
Total Championships: 6 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018)
The New England Patriots entered the 21st century with 0 Super Bowls in the team’s 40 years of existence (they joined the NFL in 1960). They had been to the Super Bowl twice in the past (1985 and 1996), but lost both times. Things finally started to change with the addition of BillBelichick in 2000.
Of course, 2000 was also the year TomBrady was drafted. He became the starter in 2001 and won three Super Bowls in the next four years – 2001, 2003, and 2004. Brady led them to three more Super Bowls in 2014, 2016, and 2018 before leaving town after the 2019 season. They went from 0 to 6 titles in 18 years.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in sports history, so it’s no surprise to see them near the top of this list. They entered the 2000s with 11 championship banners hanging in the rafters, but that number would only continue to rise over the next two decades – by six, to be exact!
They started the 2000s off with three consecutive NBA Finals wins in 2000, 2001, and 2002 with PhilJackson, ShaquilleO’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. They won back-to-back with Kobe and Phil (again) in 2009 and 2010 before winning their fifth title since 2000 with LeBronJames and AnthonyDavis in 2020.
The Alabama Crimson Tide entered the 2000s on a seven-year championship drought – they last won it in 1992 with Gene Stallings as head coach. The team went through three head coaches before hiring NickSaban in 2007, which was the start of a new era for the Crimson Tide – a championship era.
Saban led the Tide to National Championship wins in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020 – proving to be a consistent threat year-in and year-out. The team only lost 17 games during their championship stretch (between 2009 and 2020) and continue to produce some of the NFL’s greatest players every year.
1. UCONN Huskies (NCAAW) – 10 championships
Congrats to UConn women on winning their 3rd straight National Championship!
The UCONN Huskies’ women’s basketball team was already a force to be reckoned with throughout the 1980s and 1990s, ever since GenoAuriemma was hired in 1985. The university entered the 2000s having won a National Championship in 1995 – they were also named runner-ups in 1997 and 1998.
The 2000s were a different story. Starting with a National Championship in 2000, Geno led the Huskies to 10 championship wins over the next 17 seasons – winning it all in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. They’ve also been runner-ups on three occasions – 2006, 2007, and 2022.
Sports Teams Likely to Win More Championships Soon
The 16 sports teams listed above have each won at least three championships since 2000, but there are several teams who could find themselves on this list soon – if not by the end of this year. For example, there are three MLB teams – Astros, Cardinals, and Yankees – that each have two titles since 2000.
There are also five NFL teams – Buccaneers, Steelers, Chiefs, Ravens, Giants – and four NHL teams – Avalanche, Red Wings, Kings, and Devils – with two championships since 2000. Unfortunately, there are currently no other NBA teams (outside of those listed above) with at least two championships since 2000.
And let’s not forget about college sports. Florida, Kansas, and Villanova each have two NCAAM titles, while Notre Dame and Tennessee each have two NCAAW titles since 2000. There are also six schools that currently have two NCAAF titles since 2000 – Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Florida, USC, and LSU.
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