NBA Players Most Wins: A select few NBA players have been intimately linked to success over the years in each decade. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson ruled the 1980s, Michael Jordan became the GOAT in the 1990s, and Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tim Duncan each won four NBA championships in the 2000s. Bill Russell dominated the NBA in the 1960s. Due to their NBA titles, each of the NBA players is connected with the most wins. But are those the players with the most victories throughout the regular season?
In the sections below, we will list and analyse the players who recorded the most victories during the regular season each decade. We will demonstrate how each player contributed to the success of the squad and how their performance influenced future championship campaigns. The players listed below occurred to be a part of some of the most successful NBA teams in history, amassing victories every year as their careers progressed.
The NBA players who have the most wins, according to decade, will now be revealed.
NBA Players by Decade with the Most Wins
1950s – Slater Martin – 418 Wins
Slater Martin led the NBA in victories during the 1950s. Martin played with the Lakers, Hawks, and Knicks over the course of 12 seasons after starting his career with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1950. Martin mostly spent his time between the Lakers and Hawks from 1950 to 1959. Martin would accumulate seven All-Star appearances and five All-NBA selections throughout the course of those ten years.
Martin averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game from 1950 through 1959 while shooting 36.4% from the field. Between 1950 and 1954, Martin played on four Lakers championship teams, contributing 8.2 points and 3.7 assists each game. Martin’s total record throughout this period was 418-263, good for a winning percentage of 62.9%.
With the St. Louis Hawks, Martin would capture his fifth NBA title in 1958. Martin led the Hawks to their title that year while averaging 11.5 points and 5.7 assists per game as the starting point guard.
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1960s – Bill Russell – 563 Wins
Bill Russell was the most dominant NBA player of the 1960s. Over the course of his 13-year career, Russell guided the Boston Celtics to 11 championships, including one after he became a player-coach. As the best defender and rebounder in the NBA, Russell helped Boston win by outmuscling rival big men to more triumphs and accolades than he can count on one hand.
Russell averaged 14.8 points, 22.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game from 1960 to 1969. Russell’s outstanding performance helped the Celtics win nine of ten potential championships during the 1960s. Russell scored 16.5 points and 24.7 rebounds per game on 44.1% shooting during their NBA playoff trips to those nine championships.
Russell’s total record from 1960 to 1969 was 563-213, enough for a winning percentage of 72.5% and a record. During the 1960s, he ended with 26 more victories than his colleague Sam Jones in second place and 61 more victories than Tom “Satch Sanders” in third. In the 1960s, only these three players amassed 500 victories.
1970s – Paul Silas – 516 Wins
The only players to accomplish 500 victories in the 1970s were Paul Silas and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem ended the season with 507 victories, nine more than Silas. Silas played for the Suns, Celtics, Nuggets, and SuperSonics in the 1970s, and he was also selected to two All-Star games during that time.
Silas appeared in 809 games in the 1970s, winning 516 of them for a winning percentage of 63.7%. During this span, he averaged 10.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He would participate in three NBA championship teams, including that of the SuperSonics in 1979 and the Celtics in 1974 and 1976, respectively.
Silas’ statistics were not what you might anticipate from a Hall of Famer, but his effect is undeniable. His role as a defender and rebounder was to keep the opposition at bay in the paint. He was a strong and tough man. He performed his duties as well as any other specialist in the NBA at the time and really benefited from his efforts.
1980s – Michael Cooper – 571 Wins
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would fall just short of the winning record for the second decade in a row. His Lakers colleague Michael Cooper won the decade with four more victories than Kareem, who finished in a close second place with 567. The players that tied for third place in terms of victories over the decade with 540 each were Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish.
Cooper was a defensive guru with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s. He played on each of their five championship teams throughout the course of the decade, earning selection to eight All-Defensive Teams and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. Cooper averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals a game on 47.6% shooting from 1980 to 1989.
Cooper played with the Lakers in 790 games during a ten-year period, winning 571 of them. As a result, he had a winning percentage for the decade of 72.2%. After the 1990 season, Cooper announced his retirement, after a 12-season career that he spent entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers.
1990s – Karl Malone And Scottie Pippen – 539 Wins
The 1990s was the first one in which there was a tie for first place in terms of victories. Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls led the 1990s with 539 victories. Malone’s teammate John Stockton concluded the decade with 529 victories, and Sam Perkins came in third with 507 victories.
During the 1990s, Malone was among the finest players in the world, winning two MVP honours and amassing the most points overall of any player. Despite all of Malone’s individual achievements, he was never able to lead his team to an NBA title. The Bulls, who were headed by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, were responsible for a large portion of it.
Six NBA titles were won by Pippen and the Bulls in the 1990s, including two Finals victories over Malone and the Jazz in 1997 and 1998. Pippen amassed 539 victories in 813 games for a winning percentage of 66.2%. Malone’s winning percentage was 68.6% after 539 victories in 785 games. Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone are two of the most successful players from the 1990s, whether success is gauged by titles, total victories, or overall effect.
2000s – Tim Duncan – 547 Wins
One more of the best No. 1 overall choices in NBA history, and an additional all-time great, led the league in victories during the 2000s. In the ten years from 2000 to 2009, Tim Duncan won 15 more games than Dirk Nowitzki, who finished third, and six more than teammate Bruce Bowen.
During the 2000s, Duncan was one of the best players, earning four of his five NBA titles, two MVP honours in the Finals, and back-to-back MVP trophies in 2002 and 2003. He played in 767 regular season games during this span, averaging 21.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per contest for a winning percentage of 71.3%.
In the 2000s, Duncan’s regular-season domination carried over to the playoffs at a historically high level. Duncan guided the Spurs to four NBA championships in 134 postseason games while averaging 23.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per contest in the 2000s.
2010s – LeBron James – 510 Wins
LeBron James dominated the NBA in the 2010s as few other players have ever done. From 2010 to 2019, James participated in eight straight NBA Finals for two different teams, from 2011 to 2018. Later on, James would guide his teams to three NBA championships, win all three Finals MVP awards, set several Finals and NBA Playoff records, and more.
James amassed 510 victories throughout the regular season. During the 2010s, James Harden finished second with 498 victories, while Serge Ibaka came in third with 496. He was the only player to achieve 500 victories during that time. James would average 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 15 steals per game with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers. He would go on to win three of his four career MVP awards and compile a winning percentage of 70.2% between 2010 and 2019.
LeBron James established his legacy and formally joined the discussion for the best NBA player of all time in the 2010s. His fame and claim to that distinction are greatly strengthened by the fact that he led the decade in individual victories.
2020s – Georges Niang – 192 Wins
Georges Niang enters as the incredibly unexpected leader of the decade in wins, despite the 2020s only having four seasons. Niang leads the 2020s with 192 victories, one more than Mikal Bridges (191) and the current Finals MVP Nikola Jokic (187). The Indiana Pacers selected Niang in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draught from Iowa State.
Before joining with the 76ers as a free agency in 2021, Niang was in his third season with the Utah Jazz in 2020. Niang has had the good fortune to play on some highly successful regular season teams in four seasons during the 2020s without having a significant effect on their records. He played for Utah and Philadelphia in the last four seasons, averaging 7.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 43.9% shooting.
I anticipate a significant shift on this list during the next few years. Given their success in the decade thus far, I would argue that Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum are the three players to keep an eye on to lead the 2020s in victories.
NBA Players by Decade with the Most Wins. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
