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5 NBA teams with the highest winning percentage

NBA
NBA

The thirty teams in the NBA feature the greatest basketball players in the world who compete with each other every season for the prestigious Larry O'Brien trophy.

Team success is the ultimate goal in the competition, and some of the most historic NBA franchises have been consistently great through many decades. On that note, let us have a look at the five NBA teams with the highest winning percentage in the history of the league.

Five NBA franchises with the highest winning percentage

Regular-season success does not always tell the whole story, as the NBA postseason is where titles are won or lost. However, in this article, we will only consider the all-time regular-season winning percentages.

It is to be noted that a franchise's record is counted even when the team has shifted bases and has been renamed. For example, the Oklahoma City Thunder were known as the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008.

So, without further ado, let us get going:


#5 Utah Jazz - 54.2%

Karl Malone (#32) and John Stockton (#12) of the Utah Jazz
Karl Malone (#32) and John Stockton (#12) of the Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz initially entered the NBA as the New Orleans Jazz. After spending five years in New Orleans (from 1974 to 1979), they moved to Utah and have been there for 42 seasons now.

The Jazz have played 3736 games in the NBA for a 2025-1711 win-loss record. During Karl Malone and John Stockton's era, the team played in two Finals, doing so in 1997 and 1998, but fell against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls on both occasions.

Their .542 winning percentage is the fifth-best in NBA history and the best among teams who have not won a championship.

The Utah Jazz have made the NBA postseason 29 times, including the last four seasons consecutively. Their record might improve further after the ongoing 2020-21 NBA season, as they currently own the best record in the league.


#4 Oklahoma City Thunder - 54.2%

Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2012 NBA Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2012 NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) have the fourth-best winning record in NBA history. They have won 2336 games and lost 1972. The franchise won 1745 games as the Sonics and 591 as the Thunder.

Their winning percentage of .542 is the fourth-best in NBA history. In 12 full seasons at Oklahoma City, the franchise reached the NBA Playoffs ten times and had only one losing season.

OKC won their only NBA championship in 1979 and have played in 32 postseasons.

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