With the exception of the Miami Heat, the Southeast Division is starved for NBA Championships. The Washington Wizards are the only other team to claim a title (1978), which was well before the formation of the division. The Southeast Division came into being during the 2004-05 NBA expansion. It brought the Hawks in from the Central Division and welcomed the then Charlotte Bobcats, the latest expansion team to the league. Due to the relative 'newness' of the Southeast Division, its teams do not have too much rivalry history yet aside from the Heat and the Magic, who both reside in Florida. The Hornets are looking to change that narrative of the Southeast Division in 2022, though, as they attempt to knock the Heat out of the top spot and build a divisional dynasty of their own.

Atlanta Hawks

The history of the Atlanta Hawks can be visually represented as a swinging pendulum. There have been many lean seasons at the bottom rungs of the NBA standings, but also several strong years where they were seen as legitimate title contenders. Most recently, the Hawks surprised the NBA world by making the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season led by Trae Young. Despite some exciting teams over the past decade, the Hawks currently hold the second longest NBA title drought of 63 consecutive seasons. The Hawks are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in for the 2022 season, seemingly unable to capitalize off of last year's success. Will the Hawks be able to land some players at the trade deadline to help elevate their playoff hopes?

Atlanta Hawks Facts:

Division Titles: 2

Conference Titles: 0

NBA Championships: 0

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets franchise history has been an ever evolving one. It was initially established as part of the 1988 NBA expansion. The team found some success in the late 1990s and early 2000s making the playoffs in five out of six seasons from 1996-2002. The Hornets were relocated to New Orleans after the 2002 season. Eventually, a new ownership group paid a $300 million expansion fee to bring a new team back to Charlotte. In 2004-05, the Charlotte Bobcats were born. The Bobcats failed to make a splash in the NBA with only two playoff appearances in ten seasons. In 2009, the Bobcats were bought by NBA legend, Michael Jordan. After several years of rebuilding the foundation of the team, Jordan changed the name back to the Hornets in 2014. 2021-22 marks the team's first serious push to enter the upper echelons of the league behind the play of LaMelo Ball. The future is bright in Charlotte as the team hope to grow into a dominate force in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte Hornets Facts:

Division Titles: 0

Conference Titles: 0

NBA Championships: 0

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat franchise is synonymous with names like Pat Riley, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. With their rich history, it's not surprising that the Heat have been the predominant team in the Southeast. The franchise won its first NBA Championship in 2005-06 with a star-studded team led by a young Dwyane Wade and veterans Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, along with others. This was to foreshadow the Miami Heat recipe for success in later years. After a run of disappointing years since winning the championship, the Miami Heat freed up massive amounts of money to land free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010. This was the beginning of their own "Big Three" era where the Heat went on to play in four consecutive NBA Finals, winning back-to-back championships in 2011-13. Since the break-up of the Big Three, the Heat have maintained divisional success, and even made the NBA Bubble Championship Finals in 2020. The Heat are still the team to beat in the Southeast, but the gap isn't as large as it once was to the rest of the division.

Miami Heat Facts:

Division Titles: 10

Conference Titles: 6

NBA Championships: 3

Orlando Magic

When you think about the Orlando Magic, it is difficult not to picture the early 1990s teams with Shaq and Penny Hardaway at the helm. The Magic advanced to the 1994-95 NBA Finals where they fell to the Houston Rockets. In the subsequent season, Shaq and Penny were outmatched in the Eastern Conference Finals by Jordan's Bulls. The 1990s Magic were simply unable to get over the hump. Eventually the team core was dismantled by trades and free agency. The Magic would struggle to be a true playoff threat until Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson came to town in 2004. The Magic strung together competitive seasons in 2008-10 losing in the NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals in consecutive years. Since then, the Magic have not been able to maintain a consistent playoff calibre team. The Magic are currently pouring resources into drafting and developing young talent that they hope will make strides in the coming years in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando Magic Facts:

Division Titles: 4

Conference Titles: 2

NBA Championships: 0

Washington Wizards

Despite being the only other team in the Southeast Division with a NBA Championship, the Washington Wizards have largely struggled as a franchise in recent memory. Since being rebranded as the Wizards in 1997, the team has a cumulative win percentage of 0.424 and only nine playoff appearances in 24 seasons. Notable players to come through Washington since becoming the Wizards include Michael Jordan, Gilbert Arenas, John Wall, and Bradley Beal. The Wizards made the playoffs from 2004-08, but lost in the first round each year except for one. There is optimism in Washington these days, though, as many believe them to be a player or two away from being a playoff contender in 2022 with Bradley Beal leading the way.

Washington Wizards Facts:

Division Titles: 1

Conference Titles: 4

NBA Championships: 1