1987–88 NBA ELO rankings
NBA team ratings for the 1987–88 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 | 1710 | 3565 | |||
| #2 | #2 | 1696 | 3281 | |||
| #3 | #3 | 1670 | 701 | |||
| #4 | #4 | 1663 | 1189 | |||
| #5 | #5 | 1646 | 3655 | |||
| #6 | #6 | 1638 | 1061 | |||
| #7 | #7 | 1627 | 1543 | |||
| #8 | #8 | 1616 | 1503 | |||
| #9 | #9 | 1616 | 1887 | |||
| #10 | #10 | 1600 | 3270 | |||
| #11 | #11 | 1579 | 2366 | |||
| #12 | #12 | 1578 | 3424 | |||
| #13 | #14 | 1567 | 1825 | |||
| #14 | #17 | 1529 | 1820 | |||
| #15 | #18 | 1520 | 1793 | |||
| #16 | #19 | 1509 | 3364 | |||
| #17 | #20 | 1506 | 990 | |||
| #18 | #23 | 1458 | 1728 | |||
| #19 | #26 | 1431 | 1047 | |||
| #20 | #29 | 1402 | 3236 | |||
| #21 | #33 | 1364 | 1007 | |||
| #22 | #35 | 1338 | 3416 | |||
| #23 | #38 | 1297 | 1498 |
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
2026–272025–262024–252023–242022–232021–222020–212019–202018–192017–182016–172015–162014–152013–142012–132011–122010–112009–102008–092007–082006–072005–062004–052003–042002–032001–022000–011999–001998–991997–981996–971995–961994–951993–941992–931991–921990–911989–901988–891987–881986–871985–861984–851983–841982–831981–821980–811979–801978–791977–781976–771975–761974–751973–741972–731971–721970–711969–701968–691967–681966–671965–661964–651963–641962–631961–621960–611959–601958–591957–581956–571955–561954–551953–541952–531951–521950–511949–501948–491947–481946–47