Who Has the Worst Record in the NBA?

The NBA is full of surprises. Teams that were expected to do well often tank, while teams that were expected to struggle sometimes find themselves atop the standings.

One thing that isn’t a surprise, though, is which team has the worst record in the NBA. That distinction belongs to the New York Knicks, who have gone just 17-65 this season.

The Knicks have been a laughingstock for much of the past two decades, and this season has been no different.

The Worst Record in the NBA

The team with the worst record in the NBA this season is the Charlotte Hornets. They have a record of 13-47. The Hornets have lost 27 games in a row and have only won four games since December. They are currently on pace to finish with the worst record in NBA history.

The Los Angeles Lakers

This season has been tough for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have had injuries to key players, and they have struggled to gel as a team. As a result, they currently have the worst record in the NBA.

This is not a position that the Lakers are accustomed to being in. They are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history, with 16 championships to their name. They have also had some of the greatest players in basketball history, such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.

Despite their rich history, the Lakers are facing some challenges. Their current star player, LeBron James, is getting older and may not be able to carry the team like he has in the past. The team also has a lot of young talent that is still developing.

The Lakers will need to make some changes if they want to get back to being one of the top teams in the NBA. It will be interesting to see how they fares over the next few seasons.

The New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have had the worst record in the NBA over the past few years. The Knicks have not made the playoffs since 2013, and they have not won a playoff series since 2000. The Knicks have been through a lot of changes in recent years, firing head coaches and trading away star players. However, the Knicks have not been able to turn things around, and they continue to struggle.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the worst record in the NBA. They are currently 9-32. They have lost 19 games in a row. The Cavaliers have not made the playoffs since 2010. They are currently in last place in the Central Division.

The Worst Record in the NBA by Year

The NBA is a professional basketball league in North America. The league was founded in 1946 and consists of 30 teams. The teams are divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference has three divisions. The league plays an 82-game regular season from October to April.

2017-2018

The Phoenix Suns had the worst record in the NBA in the 2017-2018 season with a 21-61 win-loss record. The Suns finished the season with the second-worst offense and the third-worst defense in the league. The Suns’ struggles continued into the 2018-19 season as they once again had the worst record in the NBA, this time with a 19-63 record.

2016-2017

The 2016-17 season was one of the worst in Los Angeles Lakers history. They finished the season with a record of 26-56, which was the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst in the NBA. It was also their worst record since they moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

2015-2016

The 2015–16 NBA season was the 70th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 27, 2015, with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the first game against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who defeated them 106–99. The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 14, 2016 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Toronto Raptors. The regular season ended on April 13, 2016. The 2016 playoffs began on April 16 and ended on June 19 with the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the Golden State Warriors 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

The Worst Record in the NBA by Decade

The worst record in the NBA doesn’t just belong to one team. In fact, over the course of the last decade, there have been a number of teams that have held the title. Here’s a look at the worst record in the NBA by decade.

2000-2010

The Philadelphia 76ers have the worst record in the NBA for the 2000-2010 decade. They finished with a record of 215-345, a winning percentage of .382. The team made the playoffs just once during this time period, in 2002-03, when they lost in the first round.

1990-2000

The 1990s were dominated by two teams, the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the decade, the Bulls won six championships while the Lakers won five. The two teams faced each other in the NBA Finals three times, with the Lakers winning twice. The Houston Rockets also won two championships in the 1990s.

The New York Knicks had the worst record in the NBA in 1990-91, going 17-65. The Dallas Mavericks had the worst record in 1991-92, going 11-71. The Mavericks also had the worst record in 1992-93, going 13-69. In 1993-94, the Mavs improved slightly, going 14-68. The Minnesota Timberwolves had the worst record in 1994-95, going 15-67.

The Nets had the worst record in 1995-96, going 30-52. New Jersey again had the league’s worst mark in 1996-97, this time going 31-51. In 1997-98, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning led Charlotte to a much improved 50 win season; however it was still good enough for just fourth place in the Central Division and out of the playoffs. After starting out 0-13 during 1998–99 lockout shortened season, Charlotte went on to win just 13 games overall; finishing with an appalling .106 win percentage which is still an NBA single season record for futility.

1999 was bottoming out time for Vancouver as they recorded just eight victories all season en route to a leagueworst mark of 8–42 (.160). They were almost as bad during 2000–01 when they finished with a 9–41 (.180) slate; however that would prove to be Kevin O’Neill’s only full season as head coach as he was fired during December 2001 with Vancouver holding a 3–17 record at that point of the campaign.

1980-1990

During the 1980s, the worst team in the NBA was the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks finished with a record of 20-62 in 1980-1981, which is the second-worst record in NBA history. The Mavericks also had the worst record in the league in 1982-1983 (24-58) and 1987-1988 (11-71). In total, the Mavericks had three seasons with a winning percentage below .300 during the 1980s.

The Worst Record in the NBA All-Time

The worst record in the NBA all-time goes to the 1972-73 Philadelphia ers. They finished the season with a 9-73 record. It’s a wonder how they even won nine games. The ers made history that year, but not the kind of history they wanted to make.

The Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have the dubious distinction of having the worst record in the NBA all-time. The team went 9-73 in the 1972-73 season, a winning percentage of just .110. That year, they lost an astounding 68 games by double digits.

The Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers were founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, the franchise moved to Los Angeles.

The Clippers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The franchise has qualified for six playoff appearances, one via a divisional title, but have never advanced past the second round of playoffs. They are one of only three teams without a win in a playoff series (along with Charlotte and New Orleans). They finished last season with an 32–50 record, which is their worst record all-time.

The Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have the worst record in the NBA all-time. They have a record of 13-68. The Bucks have only made the playoffs twice in their history and have never won a championship.