Southwest Division (NBA)
The Southwest Division is one of three divisions in the National Basketball Association's Western Conference, and its name is misleading. Despite the label, the division's teams sit in the South Central United States, not the American southwest. Five franchises make up the group: the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs. Three of them play home games in Texas. How did these five clubs end up grouped together, and which one has piled up the most division titles? What trophy now goes to the champion each year?
The NBA grew from 29 teams to 30 in the 2004-05 season, when the Charlotte Bobcats joined as an expansion franchise. That growth pushed the league to realign each conference into three divisions. The Southwest Division opened with five teams: the Mavericks, the Rockets, the Grizzlies, the Hornets and the Spurs. Four of them, the Mavericks, the Rockets, the Grizzlies and the Spurs, came from the disbanded Midwest Division. The Hornets, who play today as the Pelicans, moved over from the Central Division instead. One of those five original teams was about to dominate the new division for years to come.
Ten Southwest Division titles belong to the San Antonio Spurs, more than any other team in the group. The Houston Rockets have won five division titles, the Dallas Mavericks four, the Memphis Grizzlies two and the New Orleans Pelicans one. Four NBA champions have come out of the division. The Spurs won the championship in 2005-2007 and 2014, while the Mavericks broke through in 2011. Titles are only part of the picture. Some seasons produced a level of collective strength rarely seen across the division.
In the 2007-08 season, all four Southwest Division teams that made the playoffs won more than 50 games apiece. That kind of depth returned twice more. In the 2010-11 season and the 2014-15 season, every team in the division posted a winning percentage above .500. The 2014-15 season went further still, with every team in the division reaching the playoffs. That feat has been matched only twice in the past 30 years. The Houston Rockets stand as the division's most recent champions.
Since the 2021-22 season, the division's champion has taken home a trophy named after Willis Reed. Willis Reed played in the NBA from 1964 to 1974. He was the first graduate of a historically Black college or university, or HBCU, to win the NBA MVP Award. He also became the first HBCU graduate to win the Finals MVP Award. The trophy itself is a 200 mm crystal ball. Reed never played for or coached a team that is part of today's Southwest Division. The division carries one more lasting rivalry beyond its trophy case: the Houston Rockets against the San Antonio Spurs.
Common questions
What teams are in the NBA's Southwest Division?
The Southwest Division includes the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs. Three of the five, the Mavericks, the Rockets and the Spurs, are based in Texas.
When was the NBA's Southwest Division created?
The Southwest Division was created at the start of the 2004-05 season, when the NBA expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Which team has won the most Southwest Division titles?
The San Antonio Spurs have won the most Southwest Division titles, with ten. The Houston Rockets have five, the Dallas Mavericks four, the Memphis Grizzlies two and the New Orleans Pelicans one.
Why is the Southwest Division named that if its teams aren't in the southwest?
Despite its name, the Southwest Division is actually located in the South Central United States, not the American southwest.
What is the Willis Reed Trophy in the Southwest Division?
Since the 2021-22 season, the Southwest Division champion has received the Willis Reed Trophy, a 200 mm crystal ball named after Hall of Famer Willis Reed. Reed never played for or coached a team currently in the division.
Which teams have won NBA championships out of the Southwest Division?
Four NBA champions have come from the Southwest Division. The San Antonio Spurs won titles in 2005-2007 and 2014, and the Dallas Mavericks won in 2011.
All sources
5 references cited across the entry
- 1Expansion Bobcats prompt changeNovember 17, 2003
- 2Southwest Division's historical dominanceApril 15, 2015
- 3NBA unveils new trophies for division winners named after 6 NBA legendsTurner Sports Interactive, Inc — April 11, 2022
- 5'tis The SeasonLee Jenkins — Time Warner Company — December 5, 2011