Basketball is a game where each side has five players, and in order to win, you need every player to perform because it is a team sport. However, there are some players who make winning look too easy. In the history of basketball, there have been several legends who made winning part of their persona and became the leading scorer of their team. Many players in the NBA have accomplished whatever they wanted, and with this, they also became the players with the highest winning percentage. In this article, we will tell you about some players who got great winning percentages just because they were a part of great teams, while others led the group as catalysts for the victories.
Top 10 Players with highest win percentage in NBA history
Bill Russell
Bill Russell, who was a part of the Boston Celtics for 13 seasons and has 11 championship rings, has made it to the top 10 for being one of the players with the highest win percentage. However, Russell never averaged 20 points per game in any season of his career. But he didn’t need to. Russell realized that his team was better off if he worked on one part of his game rather than mastering many, like scoring, which needed to be specialized in the NBA.
As a result, he turned out to be one of the greatest defenders and rebounders in the NBA. Russell led the Celtics to 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons, including eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966. Russell and the team won over 70.0% of their nine games during his career several times. During his career, Russell won five MVP awards, 12 All-Star awards, and more.
Win percentage: 71.7%
Sam Jones
Jones has shared the court with Russell for most of the Celtics Championship runs. He was a great offensive player with an average of 25.0 ppg, and several times he was the first option on defence. During his NBA career, The Celtics finished with a winning percentage less than 60.0% only once and with a winning percentage over 70% eight times in 12 seasons. The only bad record Jones and the Celtics had was a winning percentage of 57.1% in 1969. Most NBA players, even today, yearn to be part of such a team.
Win percentage: 71.8%
Tim Duncan
The Golden period of Duncan’s NBA career was his second season as a youngster, when he won five championships and was the finals MVP. His accomplishments as a defensive player are also very well known, but very few know that he has won over 1000 games in his career and has had fewer than 400 losses over a span of 19 years, which is unbelievable. Duncan has never finished a season with a percentage lower than 60.0% in his entire career. His best season was in 2016, when he was nearing the end of his career. The San Antonio Spurs went 50-11 with Duncan on their side. The worst performance of the Spurs, led by Duncan, was in 2010, when their win-loss ratio was 47-31. But when it comes to winning and success, Tim was a very dominant player in NBA history.
Win percentage: 71.9%
Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili was another key player for the Spurs during the 2000s and 2010. He played 16 seasons for the team from 2003 to 2018 and won four NBA championships while fueling offensive and defensive energy in the lineup. In 2012 and 2016, the Spurs finished with a winning percentage of 80.0%, and both times Ginobili was with them. Overall, there were 10 seasons when the team finished with a winning percentage over 70%. Manu was not a superstar, but his unselfish play on the court made a big impact, which led the team to victories.
Win percentage: 72.1%
Tom Heinsohn
Tom Heinsohn had a short nine-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics, but he and the team still have more wins than any other team in history. When Heinsohn made his debut in 1956, he was the Rookie of the year with an average of 16.2 ppg. He also helped the Celtics clinch the NBA Championship with an average of 22.9 ppg. In 1958, the team lost the NBA finals to the Hawks, and that was the only year in Tom’s career when he didn’t win the NBA title. The Celtics won seven consecutive NBA championships with Tom on the court with them from 1959 to 1965.
Win percentage: 72.6%
Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper is best known for his defence and was even labelled “the toughest defender” by Larry Bird. He was also respected so much by Magic and Kareem because Cooper would get a straight win for the team. In his 12 seasons with the Lakers, Coopers was never on a team with a winning percentage lower than 65.9% in his career. He won the Defensive player of the year award in 1987, and the Lakers finished that year 65-17.
Win percentage: 72.9%
K.C Jones
K.C. Jones is another member of the Celtics whose contributions were not recognized. His numbers were stellar, as he and the team won eight NBA championships in the nine seasons he played. Jones excelled in little things, but they went unnoticed until he came to the fore when he won many championships as a coach. When Jones was on the court, he finished with a winning percentage of less than 70% only twice in his nine-year career, and the best record during his play was in 1960 with 57-16.
Win percentage: 73.1%
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi has won over 460 games in his short NBA career, during which he was a part of the Spurs, Raptors, and Clippers. Despite a short career, he is third on this list because of one of the best winning percentages. From 2012–2018, Leonard was part of the San Antonio Spurs, and that’s also when he had five winning seasons. In 2014, with him on court, the Spurs went 54-12 with a winning percentage of 81.8%. Leonard only finished once with a winning percentage below 60%, and that was in 2018, during which he played only nine games.
Win percentage: 73.6%
Larry Bird
Larry Bird is one of those players who did everything for the team to win. He won three Championships , two final MVPs, and three consecutive MVPs with the Celtics during the 1980s. Larry is definitely a legend in Basketball. He only had one season when he finished with a losing record, and that was in 1989, when Bird’s back was hurt. But he is still the player with the second-highest winning percentage. Larry’s best season with the Celtics was in 1985–86, when he was the MVP and finals MVP of the year. The team’s winning percentage with him on court was 81%. The Celtics only finished three times under 70.0%.
Win percentage: 73.6%
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird’s greatest rival, Magic Johnson, is regarded as the greatest point guard in NBA history. Johnson led the Lakers to five championships between 1980 and 1988. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1980 and later went on to win three MVP awards and three final MVP awards, which also made him the youngest-ever finals MVP. During his 13 healthy seasons with LA, Magic won over 70% of the games, and even in his worst season in 1984, The Lakers went 46-21 with him on court, winning 68.7% of his games. Magic was faster than any other point guard, and because of his versatile defence and selfless play, the team went on to win many matches.
Win percentage: 74%
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