1988–89 NBA ELO rankings
NBA team ratings for the 1988–89 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 1-25 of 25 filtered teams.
| Rank | Global rank | Team | ELO | Games | Peak ELO | Last games oldest → newest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | #1 | 1862 | 3380 | |||
| #2 | #2 | 1721 | 3662 | |||
| #3 | #3 | 1666 | 1822 | |||
| #4 | #4 | 1652 | 3357 | |||
| #5 | #5 | 1648 | 1986 | |||
| #6 | #6 | 1637 | 1590 | |||
| #7 | #7 | 1608 | 3515 | |||
| #8 | #8 | 1596 | 1884 | |||
| #9 | #9 | 1590 | 2448 | |||
| #10 | #11 | 1577 | 3449 | |||
| #11 | #12 | 1562 | 1915 | |||
| #12 | #13 | 1560 | 1274 | |||
| #13 | #15 | 1544 | 3740 | |||
| #14 | #16 | 1536 | 3506 | |||
| #15 | #18 | 1531 | 1072 | |||
| #16 | #19 | 1529 | 1906 | |||
| #17 | #20 | 1512 | 1146 | |||
| #18 | #23 | 1477 | 1628 | |||
| #19 | #24 | 1474 | 783 | |||
| #20 | #25 | 1468 | 3318 | |||
| #21 | #31 | 1383 | 1580 | |||
| #22 | #33 | 1376 | 1089 | |||
| #23 | #35 | 1370 | 82 | |||
| #24 | #36 | 1346 | 82 | |||
| #25 | #38 | 1330 | 1129 |
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