1980–81 NBA ELO rankings
NBA team ratings for the 1980–81 season, reconstructed through the latest rated game available and including every franchise active in the selected period.
A transparent signal
See the rules and assumptions behind every movement.
Seasons
Ranking table
Showing 1-23 of 23 filtered teams.
| Rank | Global rank | Team | ELO | Games | Peak ELO | Last games oldest → newest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | #1 | 1760 | 2960 | |||
| #2 | #2 | 1711 | 1149 | |||
| #3 | #3 | 1709 | 2721 | |||
| #4 | #4 | 1636 | 1293 | |||
| #5 | #5 | 1634 | 1204 | |||
| #6 | #6 | 1610 | 2866 | |||
| #7 | #7 | 1609 | 936 | |||
| #8 | #8 | 1600 | 2828 | |||
| #9 | #9 | 1597 | 1124 | |||
| #10 | #11 | 1574 | 432 | |||
| #11 | #12 | 1571 | 442 | |||
| #12 | #14 | 1553 | 1764 | |||
| #13 | #15 | 1553 | 2656 | |||
| #14 | #16 | 1543 | 412 | |||
| #15 | #18 | 1505 | 924 | |||
| #16 | #21 | 1477 | 1217 | |||
| #17 | #22 | 1475 | 2832 | |||
| #18 | #23 | 1455 | 2656 | |||
| #19 | #26 | 1422 | 920 | |||
| #20 | #28 | 1416 | 412 | |||
| #21 | #29 | 1410 | 2651 | |||
| #22 | #33 | 1376 | 574 | |||
| #23 | #35 | 1362 | 82 |
ELO ratings guide
How the NBA ELO rankings are calculated
NBA teams gain or lose ELO points after each rated game according to the result, opponent strength, home-court advantage, and score margin. The live ranking reflects current franchise strength; switch to historical franchises or the graph to explore the longer record.
Ratings start at 1,500 and update after every rated result using a versioned, published model. Read the basketball ELO formula and assumptions.
Rankings by season
2025–262024–252023–242022–232021–222020–212019–202018–192017–182016–172015–162014–152013–142012–132011–122010–112009–102008–092007–082006–072005–062004–052003–042002–032001–022000–011999–001998–991997–981996–971995–961994–951993–941992–931991–921990–911989–901988–891987–881986–871985–861984–851983–841982–831981–821980–811979–801978–791977–781976–771975–761974–751973–741972–731971–721970–711969–701968–691967–681966–671965–661964–651963–641962–631961–621960–611959–601958–591957–581956–571955–561954–551953–541952–531951–521950–511949–501948–491947–481946–47