Worst 50 NBA Teams to Ever Make the Playoffs - Sorted by Winning Percentage
These are the all-time worst regular season teams that made the Playoffs and how they performed in the postseason.
Nobody in NBA History qualified to the Playoffs with a worst season record than these teams. Many of them are from the early years of the NBA when only a couple of teams were left out of the postseason.
NBA Teams that Made the Playoffs with the worst Regular Season Records -
Worst 50 by Winning %
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| Season | Playoffs | |||||||
| Rk | Season | Team |
W-L |
WPct | Performance | W-L |
||
| 1. | 1953 | Baltimore Bullets (1st) | 16-54 | .229 | Lost East Div Semis | 0-2 | ||
| 2. | 1960 | Minneapolis Lakers | 25-50 | .333 | Lost West Div Finals | 5-4 | ||
| 3. | 1968 | Chicago Bulls | 29-53 | .354 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-4 | ||
| 4. | 1950 | Sheboygan Red Skins | 22-40 | .355 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 5. | 1986 | Chicago Bulls | 30-52 | .366 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | ||
| 6. | 1988 | San Antonio Spurs | 31-51 | .378 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | ||
| 7. | 1950 | Philadelphia Warriors | 26-42 | .382 | Lost East Div Semis | 0-2 | ||
| 8. | 1959 | Detroit Pistons | 28-44 | .389 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 9. | 1953 | Indianapolis Olympians | 28-43 | .394 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-2 | ||
| 10. | 1960 | Detroit Pistons | 30-45 | .400 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-2 | ||
| Season | Playoffs | |||||||
| Rk | Season | Team |
W-L |
WPct | Performance | W-L |
||
| 11. | 1955 | Rochester Royals | 29-43 | .403 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 12. | 1967 | Chicago Bulls | 33-48 | .407 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-3 | ||
| 13. | 1948 | Boston Celtics | 20-28 | .417 | Lost 1st Rd | 1-2 | ||
| 14. | 1963 | Detroit Pistons | 34-46 | .425 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-3 | ||
| 1964 | Philadelphia 76ers | 34-46 | .425 | Lost East Div Semis | 2-3 | |||
| 16. | 1984 | Washington Bullets | 35-47 | .427 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-3 | ||
| 1986 | San Antonio Spurs | 35-47 | .427 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 1995 | Boston Celtics | 35-47 | .427 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-3 | |||
| 19. | 1961 | Detroit Pistons | 34-45 | .430 | Lost West Div Semis | 2-3 | ||
| 20. | 1971 | Atlanta Hawks | 36-46 | .439 | Lost East Conf Semis | 1-4 | ||
| 1972 | Atlanta Hawks | 36-46 | .439 | Lost East Conf Semis | 2-4 | |||
| 1976 | Detroit Pistons | 36-46 | .439 | Lost West Conf Semis | 4-5 | |||
| 1985 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 36-46 | .439 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-3 | |||
| 1985 | Phoenix Suns | 36-46 | .439 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 1997 | Los Angeles Clippers | 36-46 | .439 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 2004 | Boston Celtics | 36-46 | .439 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 0-4 | |||
| 2022 | New Orleans Pelicans | 36-46 | .439 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 2-4 | |||
| Season | Playoffs | |||||||
| Rk | Season | Team |
W-L |
WPct | Performance | W-L |
||
| 28. | 1952 | Fort Wayne Pistons | 29-37 | .439 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-2 | ||
| 29. | 1967 | Los Angeles Lakers | 36-45 | .444 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-3 | ||
| 1967 | New York Knicks | 36-45 | .444 | Lost East Div Semis | 1-3 | |||
| 31. | 1966 | St. Louis Hawks | 36-44 | .450 | Lost West Div Finals | 6-4 | ||
| 32. | 1969 | San Diego Rockets | 37-45 | .451 | Lost West Div Semis | 2-4 | ||
| 1979 | New Jersey Nets | 37-45 | .451 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 0-2 | |||
| 1986 | Sacramento Kings | 37-45 | .451 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 1987 | Denver Nuggets | 37-45 | .451 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 2008 | Atlanta Hawks | 37-45 | .451 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 3-4 | |||
| 2011 | Indiana Pacers | 37-45 | .451 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-4 | |||
| Season | Playoffs | |||||||
| Rk | Season | Team |
W-L |
WPct | Performance | W-L |
||
| 38. | 2020 | Orlando Magic | 33-40 | .452 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-4 | ||
| 39. | 1950 | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | 29-35 | .453 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 40. | 1961 | Los Angeles Lakers | 36-43 | .456 | Lost West Div Finals | 6-6 | ||
| 41. | 1951 | Indianapolis Olympians | 31-37 | .456 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 42. | 1956 | Minneapolis Lakers | 33-39 | .458 | Lost West Div Semis | 1-2 | ||
| 1956 | St. Louis Hawks | 33-39 | .458 | Lost West Div Finals | 4-4 | |||
| 1958 | Cincinnati Royals | 33-39 | .458 | Lost West Div Semis | 0-2 | |||
| 1958 | Detroit Pistons | 33-39 | .458 | Lost West Div Finals | 3-4 | |||
| 1959 | Minneapolis Lakers | 33-39 | .458 | Lost NBA Finals | 6-7 | |||
| 47. | 1962 | Detroit Pistons | 37-43 | .463 | Lost West Div Finals | 5-5 | ||
| 1965 | Baltimore Bullets | 37-43 | .463 | Lost West Div Finals | 5-5 | |||
| Season | Playoffs | |||||||
| Rk | Season | Team |
W-L |
WPct | Performance | W-L |
||
| 49. | 1972 | Baltimore Bullets | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf Semis | 2-4 | ||
| 1976 | Milwaukee Bucks | 38-44 | .463 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 1-2 | |||
| 1980 | Portland Trail Blazers | 38-44 | .463 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 1-2 | |||
| 1984 | Denver Nuggets | 38-44 | .463 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 2-3 | |||
| 1984 | Kansas City Kings | 38-44 | .463 | Lost West Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 1985 | Chicago Bulls | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-3 | |||
| 1988 | New York Knicks | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 1-3 | |||
| 1988 | Washington Bullets | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 2-3 | |||
| 1992 | Miami Heat | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 0-3 | |||
| 2013 | Milwaukee Bucks | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 0-4 | |||
| 2014 | Atlanta Hawks | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 3-4 | |||
| 2015 | Brooklyn Nets | 38-44 | .463 | Lost East Conf 1st Rd | 2-4 | |||
related: Best 50 Teams in NBA History