Basketball is usually about the highlight reels, the Step-Back threes, and the chase for a ring. But honestly, there is a weird, morbid fascination with the other end of the spectrum. We talk about the 72-win Bulls or the 73-win Warriors like they're gods. Yet, the teams that couldn't buy a win if they had Jeff Bezos's credit card? They deserve their own kind of immortality.
Bad luck is one thing. Being historically, statistically, and hilariously inept for 82 games is an art form.
When you look at the worst records in NBA history, you aren't just looking at a lack of talent. You’re looking at "The Perfect Storm" of injuries, questionable front-office decisions, and sometimes, a team just losing its will to live on a Tuesday night in February.
The 7-59 Disaster: 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats
If you want to talk about the absolute floor of professional basketball, you have to start in Charlotte. The 2011-12 Bobcats (now the Hornets, because they basically had to change their name to hide from this) finished with a .106 winning percentage.
Yeah. Seven wins.
Now, to be fair, this was a lockout-shortened season. They only played 66 games. But if they had played a full 82? Statistically, they were on pace to win maybe eight or nine games. They ended the season on a 23-game losing streak. They didn't just lose; they got embarrassed. Their point differential was -13.9. Basically, they started every game down by 14 points.
What’s wild is that the roster had Kemba Walker as a rookie. It had Boris Diaw—before he went to the Spurs and became a versatile genius—and Gerald Henderson. But nothing clicked. They ranked dead last in points per game (87.0) and offensive rating. It was basically a layup line for the opposition.
The 9-73 Philadelphia 76ers (1972-73)
For a long time, the 1972-73 Sixers were the gold standard for "how did this happen?" They held the record for the most losses in a full 82-game season for decades.
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They started 0-15. Then they went on a 20-game losing streak later in the year.
The crazy thing about this team is how they fell apart after being a powerhouse just a few years earlier. Wilt Chamberlain was gone. Billy Cunningham jumped to the ABA. The team was left with a rookie coach, Roy Rubin, who had never coached in the pros. He lasted 51 games and won four of them.
Kevin Loughery took over as a player-coach and won five more.
Imagine being a fan and showing up to the Spectrum knowing you had a roughly 11% chance of seeing a win. They averaged 104 points a game, which sounds okay, until you realize they gave up 116. In the 70s, defense was sorta optional, but for these Sixers, it was nonexistent.
The Modern Heartbreak: 2023-24 Detroit Pistons
We can't talk about the worst records in NBA history without mentioning the 2023-24 Detroit Pistons. This wasn't just a bad season; it was a psychological experiment.
They set the record for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history. 28 games in a row. Think about that. They didn't win a game from late October until almost the New Year. They had Cade Cunningham, a legitimate young star, and they still couldn't find the finish line. Every night was a new way to lose. A missed free throw here, a turnover there.
They finished 14-68. While that’s "better" than the 9-win Sixers or 7-win Bobcats, the 28-game slide felt much worse in the social media era. Every night, the "Pistons Loss" tweets were a ritual.
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Why do these teams fail so hard?
It's usually a cocktail of three things:
- The Talent Vacuum: When your best player is a third option on a playoff team, you're in trouble.
- The Injury Bug: The 1996-97 Celtics (15-67) were bad, but they also lost David Wesley, Dino Radja, and Dee Brown to injuries.
- The "Tanking" Factor: Sometimes, losing is the goal. If you want a guy like Victor Wembanyama or LeBron James, you might not be "trying" to go 82-0.
The 1-40 Road Record: 1990-91 Sacramento Kings
Winning on the road is hard. Winning on the road when you’re the 1991 Kings is impossible.
This team actually wasn't the "worst" overall—they finished 25-57. They were actually decent at home (24-17). But on the road? They went 1-40.
It’s one of the most lopsided stats you'll ever see. They were basically Dr. Jekyll at home and Mr. Hyde everywhere else. To put that in perspective, even the 7-win Bobcats won 3 games on the road. The Kings just... forgot how to play basketball the second they stepped onto a plane.
The 2009-10 New Jersey Nets: 0-18 Start
Before the move to Brooklyn, the Nets had a season from hell. They started the year 0-18, setting the record for the worst start to a season.
They eventually finished 12-70.
Brook Lopez was actually playing well, averaging nearly 19 points and 9 rebounds. But the supporting cast was a rotating door of "Who is that?" players. They actually had a chance to be the worst ever, but a late-season surge (if you can call it that) saved them from passing the '73 Sixers.
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Honorable (or Dishonorable) Mentions
- 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks (11-71): A team so bad they were almost "unwatchable." They were outscored by nearly 15 points a game.
- 1997-98 Denver Nuggets (11-71): They had a 23-game losing streak. They were 2-39 on the road.
- 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers (10-72): The peak of "The Process." This was intentional losing at its finest. They started 0-18, tying the Nets' record.
How to Spot a Historically Bad Team Early
If you're watching a season unfold and wondering if you're witnessing history, look at the Net Rating.
Most bad teams hover around -5.0 or -6.0. The "all-time" losers—the 2012 Bobcats and 2024 Pistons—usually sit in the -10.0 to -15.0 range.
Also, watch the body language. When a team loses 15 in a row, the defensive rotations stop happening. Players stop diving for loose balls. The bench gets quiet.
What happens to these teams?
Interestingly, the "rock bottom" often leads to the mountain top. The 1996-97 Spurs went 20-62 because David Robinson got hurt. They got the #1 pick, drafted Tim Duncan, and won five titles.
The 1973 Sixers eventually got Julius Erving and won a title in 1983.
The Bobcats? Well, they’re still the Hornets, and they’re still trying to figure it out.
If you’re a fan of a team currently in the basement, take heart. You can only go up from zero. Unless you're the 2012 Bobcats, in which case, seven is pretty close to zero.
To really understand the context of these seasons, you should check out the Basketball-Reference season summaries for the 1972-73 Sixers and 2011-12 Bobcats. Seeing the game logs—the endless sea of "L" marks—is a sobering reminder of how hard it is to win in the NBA.
Next time your team loses three in a row, just remember: it could be 28.