Fadeaway World breaks down the careers of the NBA players who were the decade-by-decade leaders in total career wins.
Over the years, a handful of NBA players are directly associated with winning in each decade. Bill Russell dominated the 1960s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ruled the 1980s, Michael Jordan became the GOAT in the 90s, and Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tim Duncan each captured four NBA titles in the 2000s. Each one of those players is associated with winning due to their NBA championship wins. However, are those players the ones who won the most games during the regular season?
Below, we will reveal and break down the players who accumulated the most wins during the regular season per decade. We will show how each player affected team success and how their play translated to the postseason and potential championship runs. These players below happened to be a part of some of the most dominant teams in NBA history, racking up wins on a yearly basis as their careers went on.
Now, it is time to reveal the NBA players who won the most games by decade.
1950s – Slater Martin – 418 Wins
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The NBA player with the most wins during the 1950s was Slater Martin. Beginning his career in 1950 with the Minneapolis Lakers, Martin would play 12 seasons with the Lakers, Hawks, and Knicks. From 1950 through 1959, Martin split time with the Lakers and Hawks for the most part. During those 10 years, Martin would become a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player.
From 1950 through 1959, Martin averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 36.4% shooting from the field. Martin would be a part of four Lakers championship teams between 1950 and 1954, averaging 8.2 points and 3.7 assists per game in the playoffs. During this time, Martin accumulated an overall record of 418-263 for a winning percentage of 62.9%.
In 1958, Martin would win a fifth NBA championship with the St. Louis Hawks. As the starting point guard, Martin averaged 11.5 points and 5.7 assists per game for the Hawks on their championship run that season.
1960s – Bill Russell – 563 Wins
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During the 1960s, there was no NBA player more dominant than Bill Russell. As the leader of the Boston Celtics, Russell won a total of 11 championships in his 13-year career, including as a player-coach later on down the road. Russell’s role in Boston’s success was as the best defender and best rebounder in the game, dominating opposing big men to over 560 wins and more hardware than he has fingers.
From 1960 through 1969, Russell averaged 14.8 points, 22.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The Celtics would go on to win nine out of 10 possible championships during the 1960s decade behind Russell’s incredible play. During their runs in the NBA playoffs to those nine championships, Russell averaged 16.5 points and 24.7 rebounds per game on 44.1% shooting.
From 1960 through 1969, Russell accumulated an overall record of 563-213 for a winning percentage of 72.5%. He finished with 26 more wins than teammate Sam Jones in second place during the 1960s and 61 wins ahead of Tom “Satch Sanders” in third place. They were the only three players during the 1960s to reach 500 wins.
1970s – Paul Silas – 516 Wins
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Paul Silas and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the only two players during the 1970s to reach 500 wins in the decade. Silas finished nine wins ahead of Kareem with 516 wins to Kareem’s 507. Silas spent the 1970s with the Suns, Celtics, Nuggets, and SuperSonics with both of his career All-Star selections coming in the 1970s as well.
Silas appeared in 809 games during the 1970s, winning 516 of them for a winning percentage of 63.7%. During this time, he averaged 10.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He would be a part of two NBA championship teams with the Celtics in 1974 and 1976 while adding a third with the SuperSonics in 1979.
Silas’ numbers were not those you would expect from a Hall of Famer but his impact speaks for itself. He was a physical and rugged rebounder and defender whose job it was to keep the opponent at bay in the paint. He did his job as well as any other specialist did in the NBA at the time and reaped the benefits of his labor in tremendous fashion.
1980s – Michael Cooper – 571 Wins
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For the second decade in a row, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would fall just shy of the lead for wins. Michael Cooper, his Lakers teammate, took the decade with four more wins than Kareem who came in a close second with 567. Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish were the players who tied for third in wins during the decade with 540.
Cooper was a defensive specialist during the 1980s for the Showtime Lakers. He was a member of all five of their championship teams during the decade while earning eight All-Defensive Team selections and Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. From 1980 through 1989, Cooper averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 47.6% shooting.
During this 10-year stretch, Cooper appeared in 790 games for the Lakers with 571 wins. This gave him a winning percentage of 72.2% for the entire decade. Cooper would retire after the 1990 season, finishing a career that lasted 12 seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers.
1990s – Karl Malone And Scottie Pippen – 539 Wins
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The 1990s decade is the first one where we find a tie atop the leaderboard for the most wins. Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone and Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen each took home 539 wins, leading the 1990s. John Stockton, Malone’s teammate finished with 529 wins in the decade while Sam Perkins rounded things out with 507 wins.
Malone was one of the best players in the world during the 90s, winning two MVP awards and scoring the most total points of any player during the decade. Despite all of Malone’s individual success, he could never get his team over the proverbial hump to an NBA championship. A lot of that had to do with the Bulls who were led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Pippen and the Bulls dominated the 1990s with six NBA championships including two Finals wins over Malone and the Jazz in the 1997 and 1998 Finals. In 813 games, Pippen earned 539 wins for a winning percentage of 66.2%. As for Malone, he reached 539 wins in 785 games for a winning percentage of 68.6%. Whether measured by championships, total wins, or overall impact, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone are two of the most successful players during the 1990s.
2000s – Tim Duncan – 547 Wins
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Another all-time NBA great and one of the greatest No. 1 overall picks in NBA history led the league in wins for the 2000s. Tim Duncan won six more games than teammate Bruce Bowen during the 10-year stretch from 2000 through 2009 and 15 more wins than the player in third place, Dirk Nowitzki.
Duncan was one of the premier players during the 2000s, winning four of his five NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and back-to-back MVP awards in 2002 and 2003. During this time, he averaged 21.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game during the regular season in 767 games, giving him a winning percentage of 71.3%.
Duncan’s dominance during the regular season translated to the playoffs on an all-time great level during the 2000s. In 134 playoff games, Duncan led the Spurs to four NBA titles averaging 23.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game during the 2000s.
2010s – LeBron James – 510 Wins
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There have been very few players in NBA history to dominate a decade like LeBron James did in the 2010s. From 2010 through 2019, James made eight straight NBA Finals appearances from 2011 through 2018 with two different franchises. James would go on to lead his teams to three NBA championships, winning all three Finals MVP awards and breaking all sorts of NBA playoff and Finals records.
During the regular season, James won 510 regular season games. He was the only player to reach 500 wins during the 2010s with James Harden finishing second with 498 wins and Serge Ibaka finishing third with 496. With the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers, James would average 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 15 steals per game. He would win three of his four career MVP awards as well and accumulate a 70.2% winning percentage from 2010 through 2019.
The 2010s was the decade that LeBron James cemented his legacy and officially entered the conversation for the greatest NBA player of all time. The fact that he led the decade in individual wins only adds to his legacy and case for that title.
2020s – Georges Niang – 192 Wins
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With the 2020s only being four seasons long, Georges Niang comes in as the very unexpected leader of the decade in wins. Niang leads the 2020s with 192 wins, one win ahead of Mikal Bridges who has 191, and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic with 187. Niang was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers out of Iowa State.
In 2020, Niang was in his third season with the Utah Jazz before signing with the 76ers as a free agent in 2021. In four seasons during the 2020s, Niang has been fortunate enough to be on some really successful regular season teams with a minimal impact on their records. In the last four seasons, he averaged 7.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 43.9% shooting with Utah and Philadelphia.
In the coming years, I expect this list to change drastically. Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum are the three names I would say to watch out for to lead the 2020s in wins given their success in the decade so far.
