LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are going to finish South of .500. However, this is not the first time the King has been on a losing team. He was on one in Cleveland when he came out of high school to the Cavs. Playing on only winners for your entire career isn’t that common. Taj Gibson of the Timberwolves, in fact, has his run at risk this season as Minnesota is sub-.500 with time running out. Tony Parker is in the same situation in Charlotte as Gibson.
So as of now it seems like the only NBA players with 10-plus years of NBA experience without a single losing year are…
JAMES HARDEN (10 seasons)
Winning percentage: 64.8%
A super-duper star of the highest order, James Harden has won with the Thunder and with the Rockets. The reigning NBA MVP and a seven-time All-Star, Harden lights it up virtually every night.
DANNY GREEN (10 seasons)
Winning percentage: 72.1%
Danny Green played one year in Cleveland and spent time with three teams in the then-D League and signed with a team in Greece before sticking with San Antonio in 2011. Green stayed with the Spurs 2018, when he became a member of the Toronto Raptors. Another second-round pick who has had a long career. Green was also a member of the 2014 champion Spurs.
PATRICK MILLS (10 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 69.2%
Patrick Mills continues to be a strong role player on the San Antonio Spurs. He started in Portland and after a couple seasons went to Popovich-land. Mills is a second-round pick who made good. A member of the 2014 NBA championship team.
BONZI WELLS (10 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 60.1%
Bonzi Wells was on five teams in his NBA career and somehow managed to avoid being on a team that had a losing record. A winner, for sure. Wells averaged better than 12 ppg in his career.
JOHN BATTLE (10 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 58.2%
John Battle has to be the most surprising person on the list. He played for the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers and never was on a losing team. He slipped through as the 1989-90 Hawks finished 41-41. Whew. A fourth-round pick in 1985, Battle scored more than 5,300 points in his career.
ANDY PHILLIP (10 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 57.4%
One of the more unfamiliar names on the list, Andy Phillip (pictured No. 14) played on four teams from 1948-59 and managed to avoid a losing season with every one of them.
MARIO ELIE (11 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 63.0%
Mario Elie loved to shoot from long range, long before it was fashionable to take shots from behind the arc. Elie hit 574 3-pointers, including 120 in 1996-97. He’d have a field day in this era.
JULIUS ERVING (11 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 67.3%
The great Dr. J. How about a player who never had a losing season in two leagues. Julius Erving won in the ABA and then won in the NBA. Ervin played a different game than most anyone. He was magical with the ball, able to soar.
SIDNEY MONCRIEF (11 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 63.4%
Sidney Moncrief came out of Arkansas to become one of the all-time greats for the Milwaukee Bucks. Moncrief was a five-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He’s actually the original DPOY and the smallest player to win the award.
GREG OSTERTAG (11 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 62.8%
This one has an asterisk. The lumbering big man thrived when with Stockton and Malone. The asterisk? He played on a losing team in the D-League. Greg Ostertag was a first-round pick out of Kansas. He averaged more rebounds (5.5) than points (4.6).
SAM JONES (12 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 71.6%
A fantastic guard who was one of the vital players that made the Boston Celtics an insurmountable dynasty. He was a 10-time NBA champ and five-time All-Star in a career that saw him average 17.7 ppg.
MICHAEL COOPER (12 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 72.9%
A defensive wizard on some of the great Los Angeles Lakers teams. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and a five-time member of the All-Defensive team. Also a five-time NBA champions.
LARRY BIRD (13 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 73.6%
The Boston Celtcs’ great proves 13 is far from an unlucky number. Larry Bird was a three-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and three-time league MVP. One of the great draft picks of all-time, grabbed as a junior eligible by the Celtics.
MAGIC JOHNSON (13 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 74.0%
Is it any surprise Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are tied with 13 winning seasons without a losing one, apiece? Magic Johnson was the maestro to the Lakers’ Showtime years. A five-time NBA champ and three-time Finals MVP.
KEVIN MCHALE (13 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 69.4%
A low-post monster on the Celtics. Part of one of the more formidable front lines in NBA history with Larry Bird and Robert Parish. Kevin McHale was a two-time Sixth Man of the Year, a three-time champion and seven-time All-Star.
BILL RUSSELL (13 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 71.7%
A legend among legends in the league. All Bill Russell did was win, games, championships and honors. An absolute great. Arguably the biggest defensive force in basketball history. Russell is an 11-time champion, five-time MVP and four-time rebounding champ.
JAMES JONES (14 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 65.0%
James Jones played on 14 winning teams, many of them with LeBron James in Miami and Cleveland. Quietly, Jones won three NBA championships.
MANU GINOBILI (16 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 72.1%
See Duncan, Tim. Manu Ginobili is a four-time NBA champion and two-time All-Star. Mr. Euro Step.
HORACE GRANT (17 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 63.4%
One of the twins with Harvey, Horace Grant benefited from being a Phil Jackson guy. That meant a lot of success in Chicago and Los Angeles. Grant scored nearly 13,000 points in a career that saw him win four championships.
TIM DUNCAN (19 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 71.9%
He won quietly and with a lot of class. Tim Duncan is the centerpiece of the Spurs, who are arguably the best team over the last 20 seasons. Duncan retired as a five-time champ, three-time Finals MVP and two-time league MVP.
KARL MALONE (19 SEASONS)
Winning percentage: 68.8%
The Mailman delivered a lot of victories and points. However, John Stockton and Karl Malone never delivered a championship to Utah. A two-time MVP and 14-time All-Star, Malone finished averaging 25.0 ppg.
JOHN STOCKTON (19 seasons)
Winning percentage: 63.4%
Was part of a 1-2 punch with Karl Malone with the Jazz. Hard to remember but John Stockton started 43 games over his first three seasons. Stockton averaged a double-double in a remarkable career in points and assists. He was a 10-time All-Star and two-time NBA first team player.
