No other state fields three NBA franchises with as much combined championship history as Texas. Add in a Big 12 and SEC presence in men’s college basketball, a women’s program that has produced multiple national title runs, and a UIL playoff system that fills arenas across six classifications every February and March, and basketball in Texas is really three distinct scenes worth understanding separately.
NBA Basketball in Texas
The San Antonio Spurs have won five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014), more than any other Texas franchise, built first around David Robinson and Tim Duncan and later the Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili-Duncan core under head coach Gregg Popovich. After a long playoff drought in the early 2020s, San Antonio’s rebuild has centered on Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French center taken first overall in the 2023 draft. The Houston Rockets won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 behind Hakeem Olajuwon, and the Dallas Mavericks won their only championship in 2011, upsetting the heavily favored Miami Heat behind Dirk Nowitzki’s Finals MVP run. All three franchises play in arenas built specifically for them — the Spurs at the Frost Bank Center, the Rockets at Toyota Center, and the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center — and Texas is one of only a handful of states with more than one NBA team, let alone three.
College Basketball in Texas
Texas college basketball has shifted meaningfully in the last few years. The University of Texas at Austin left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2024, joining Texas A&M, which had already made that move back in 2012. That leaves Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and Houston as the state’s Big 12 representatives, while Rice, University of Houston (in a prior league era) and others have represented the state in other conferences. Houston, under longtime head coach Kelvin Sampson, has been one of the sport’s most consistent programs of the last decade, built on defense and offensive rebounding rather than one-and-done recruiting classes. Baylor won the 2021 NCAA men’s national championship, beating Gonzaga in the title game, giving the state its most recent men’s basketball national title.
Texas in the NCAA Tournament
Texas teams have been tournament regulars rather than one-off Cinderella runs. Houston has reached multiple Final Fours in the 2020s under Sampson. Baylor’s 2021 title came after the program had already established itself as a top-10 fixture for most of the previous decade under Scott Drew. Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M have all made deep tournament runs at various points, with Texas Tech reaching the 2019 national championship game before losing to Virginia in overtime — still the program’s best NCAA Tournament finish.
Texas High School Basketball
High school basketball in Texas is governed by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which splits schools into six classifications by enrollment, from 1A for the smallest rural schools up to 6A for the largest suburban and urban districts. Each classification runs its own regional and state playoff bracket, culminating in state championship games typically held at Moody Center in Austin or the Alamodome in San Antonio depending on the year. Because enrollment — not geography — determines classification, a small-town 2A team and a Dallas-area 6A powerhouse are never competing for the same state title, which is part of why the UIL playoffs produce so many distinct regional storylines every winter.
Women’s Basketball in Texas
Baylor’s women’s program, built by Kim Mulkey over 21 seasons, won national championships in 2005, 2012 and 2019 before Mulkey left for LSU in 2021; Baylor hired Nicki Collen to continue the program. The Texas Longhorns women’s team won the 1986 national championship under Jody Conradt and has remained a consistent NCAA Tournament participant, now competing in the SEC alongside the men’s program. Texas A&M’s women’s program has also made multiple tournament appearances, giving the state three historically significant women’s programs rather than just one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What NBA teams play in Texas?
Three: the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks. Between them they have won eight NBA championships.
What college basketball teams are in Texas?
Major Division I programs include Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston, Rice, SMU and Texas State, spread across the SEC, Big 12, American Athletic Conference and Sun Belt.
Has a Texas team won the men’s NCAA basketball championship?
Yes. Baylor won the men’s national championship in 2021, beating Gonzaga in the title game. Texas Tech reached the championship game in 2019 but lost to Virginia in overtime.
Where do the San Antonio Spurs play?
The Spurs play home games at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
How does the Texas high school basketball playoff system work?
The UIL organizes schools into six enrollment-based classifications, 1A through 6A, each running a separate regional and state playoff bracket toward its own state championship game.
