The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers won 33 games in a row to set the NBA record for most consecutive victories. The winning streak set the standard for sustained in-season success and is one of the more hallowed achievements in league history.
The NBA record book also includes the flip side of the magnificence of the 1971-72 Lakers.
In basketball, there's always a winner and a loser. And there are teams that unfortunately made their own history for falling short on the scoreboard.
Understanding Losing Streaks in the NBA
The longest losing streaks in NBA history didn't occur because of constant bad bounces or stretches of unfortunate luck. There were reasons behind the circumstances, which help explain why the losses kept piling up.
As with any sport, epic losing can simply be the result of bad performance by the players and even worse decision-making by team leaders and ownership. Generally, though, the historic skids fall into three categories.
The first scenario is the fallout from a franchise star's departure. The team was so dependent on the player that his absence left a void too difficult to immediately overcome.
The second instance sounds illogical but is in fact true—purposeful losing. That's right: A franchise actually wants to lose. This tactic, while difficult for a fan base to stomach, is employed to improve a team's draft lottery chances in hopes of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick of the NBA draft.
The final situation falls under difficult lessons while learning how to win. Effort wasn't the issue. Inexperience was the culprit.
The Longest Losing Streaks in NBA History
Two teams share the NBA record for the longest losing streak of 28 consecutive defeats—the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons.
The 76ers' historic struggles occurred over two seasons—the end of the 2014-15 campaign and the beginning of 2015-16. The Pistons tied Philadelphia's winless stretch during the 2023-24 season.
The second-longest skid also belongs to the 76ers. They equalled the old record in 2013-14 when they went 26 straight games without a victory to match the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fallout of the Franchise Star's Departure
Remove any superstar and a basketball team is sure to struggle. The emergence of player power in the modern-day NBA—in which the biggest names dictate where they want to play next—can relegate a franchise to a lost season.
"The Decision" by LeBron James in 2010 to "take my talents to South Beach" and join the Miami Heat remains the most celebrated signing in NBA free agency history. The Heat's gain was a crushing loss for the Cavaliers, who went from the league's best record in 2009-2010 (61-21) to its second-worst mark in 2010-2011 (19-63).
James, the Akron native who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavs in 2003 and led them to their first-ever NBA Finals in 2007, joined a super team in Miami with fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Cleveland was left with a star-less group under a new regime that suffered a then-record 26 consecutive defeats.
Houston's 20-game losing streak in 2020-21 was also the result of a franchise star seeking happiness elsewhere. James Harden, who led the Rockets to an NBA-best 65-17 record in 2017-2018 as the league's Most Valuable Player, requested a trade in January 2021 and was dealt one day later to the Brooklyn Nets.
The 'Process' of Losing to Build a Winner
Taking two steps backward to make one giant leap forward is the best way to describe how the 76ers approached roster building in the mid-2010s.
"Tanking," or losing games on purpose to win the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA draft, was nothing new. General manager Sam Hinkie took the the strategy to a new level, making it the cornerstone of the most radical blueprint to achieve future success.
Hinkie's master plan was labeled "The Process," and when the losses piled up by design, the Sixers fan base and league observers were told to dutifully "trust" it. Most importantly, Philly's players and coaches had to have complete buy-in.
"They tell us every game, every day, 'Trust the Process,' " guard Tony Wroten famously told ESPN's Pablo Torre in 2015. "Just continue to build."
Head coach Brett Brown said the incessant losing was endured with one goal in mind. "It's always a championship. Why else would I do this?" Brown told Torre.
The Process was painful, but it successfully produced high draft picks. The 2013-2014 Sixers, losers of 26 games in a row, finished with the second-worst record (19-63) and ended up with the 2014 draft's No. 3 pick, which they used to select center Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP.
Philadelphia's persistent losing in 2014-2015 (18-64) and 2015-2016 (10-72)—which included the record 28 straight defeats—resulted in the 2015 No. 3 overall selection of Jahlil Okafor and the 2016 No. 1 overall choice of Ben Simmons. Both Okafor and Simmons earned all-rookie team honors but combined for only three All-Star appearances with the 76ers.
Hard Lessons in Learning How to Win
The adage of learning how to walk before you can run applies to the NBA, where success typically requires years of hard work, patience and, unfortunately for most, plenty of painful teaching moments with a young core of players.
Even the most talented teams have to learn how to consistently win basketball games. As odd as it may sound, taking your lumps amid mounting losses can serve as the foundation for the construction of a consistent winner.
In the 2023-2024 season, Detroit had accrued several talented pieces through the draft, including 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. It hired Monty Williams, the NBA's 2022 Coach of the Year, to elevate the young Pistons. The franchise's first playoff berth since 2019 wasn't a far-fetched expectation.
However, after a 2-1 start, Detroit dropped its next 28 games to tie Philadelphia's record for futility. The Pistons hit rock bottom in a 146-114 road blowout by the Milwaukee Bucks for a 23rd consecutive loss. They battled in their next five games, all single-digit defeats, before finally ending their losing streak in a 129-127 home victory against the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit avoided a record-setting 29th consecutive loss, and the fans celebrated as if the Pistons had won the NBA championship.
“It's been a long stretch, all these losses," Cunningham told reporters, "but I'm just happy to be part of a group of guys who don't quit.”
Final: Pistons 129, Raptors 127.
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) December 31, 2023
Detroit finally snaps the longest overall losing streak in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/GaAdFQZWxh
Detroit finished 14-68, three fewer victories than the previous season. Williams was fired with five years left on his record-setting $78.5 million contract.
Under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Pistons finally tapped into their potential. In the 2024-2025 campaign, they posted the franchise's first winning season since 2016 and clinched its first playoff berth since 2019.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Longest Losing Streaks in NBA History.
