The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics to claim their fourth NBA title in eight years and first since 2018.
The Warriors won 103-90 in game six in Boston to clinch the series 4-2.
Having finished 2019-20 with a dire 15-50 record, they are also the first team to go from the league’s worst side to a championship in two years.
Stephen Curry, twice the most valuable player in the regular season, was NBA Finals MVP for the first time.
The 34-year-old averaged 31.2 points in the six games and scored 34 points in Thursday’s win, adding seven assists and seven rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points and Jordan Poole 15 as Golden State won the NBA championship for the first time in four years.
They also won the title in 2015 and 2017, but lost the 2016 and 2019 finals before missing out on the play-offs in the past two seasons while rebuilding their squad.
Kevin Durant left as a free agent in 2019 while Curry and Klay Thompson were injured during the 2019-20 season.
Both have played a key role for the San Francisco-based franchise in each of their recent title wins, with Thompson scoring 12 points on Thursday.
“We found a way to just get it done,” said Curry, who was the seventh overall draft pick by the Warriors in 2009.
“You always have a doubt, but you know how long the road is to get back here because of how hard it is to win at this level.”
The Celtics led 14-2 after four minutes and 22-16 late in the first quarter before the Warriors went on a 21-0 run to go 37-22 up with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half.
When Curry scored three three-pointers in the first six minutes of the third quarter, pushing Golden State’s lead to 72-50. he nodded his head and began pointing to his ring finger.
“We built this for like 10 or 11 years and that means a lot when you get to this stage because you know how to win,” said Curry.
“Everybody who has been a part of this knows what that is about. This one hits different, for sure.”