The Celtics are back on top of the NBA’s all-time win percentage leaderboard.
Celtics own NBA’s best all-time win percentage for first time since 1998 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics own many NBA team records, and they just added another one to that long list.
With a 28-11 record so far this season, the Celtics have moved ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the best win percentage in league history (among teams that have played 1,000-plus games).
Boston has an all-time record of 3,662 wins and 2,491 losses, giving it a .59515 win percentage. The Spurs have an all-time record of 2,324 wins and 1,581 losses for a .59513 win percentage. So, as you can see, it’s an extremely small lead for the C’s in all-time win percentage.
The Celtics had this win percentage record for a long time given their immense success in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s — a period in which they won a record 16 championships. But lackluster success in the 1990s resulted in the Celtics losing this record to the rival Los Angeles Lakers in 1998, per SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Justin Termine.
Celtics just passed Spurs for best WP% in NBA History… & now hold title for first time since they gave it up to Lakers in 1998.
So Boston now has the most wins, most titles, & highest WP% in NBA History.
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) January 15, 2025
Ironically, 1998 was around the time the Spurs embarked on one of the most impressive dynastes of the 21st century with five championships from 1999 through 2014. Beginning with the 1997-98 campaign, the Spurs won 50-plus games in 17 consecutive non-lockout seasons. And in the two lockout seasons (1998-99 and 2011-12) during that span, the Spurs had a 87-29 combined record.
The Spurs lost ground over the last five years. They haven’t won more than 34 games in a season since 2018-19, and they have finished at 22-60 in each of the last two seasons. But at 19-19 entering Wednesday, the Spurs could hit the 40-win mark or better.
Thanks to the Celtics’ success over the last 10 years, plus some bad years by the Lakers and Spurs during that span, Boston once again owns the league’s trifecta — most championships, most wins and best win percentage. Not bad, right?
