Taking a trip down memory lane to break down some of the longest regular season losing streaks in NBA history.
As much as we romanticize winning in the NBA, the one thing we must understand is that there's always the other end of the spectrum that is much less desired. For every winner there is in the Association, there's always a loser as well. One team can't win without one team losing. While we constantly celebrate champions, it's always interesting to look back at some of the bigger losers in league history.
In this article, we'll take a trip down memory lane in breaking down the longest-losing streaks in the NBA's regular season.
Longest NBA losing streaks (Honorable mentions)
As we get to the honorable mentions on this list, I believe you have to include or mention any team in history that managed to string together 20 straight losses in a row. That's impressive for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, before we get to the "top 5" of this list, there are nine teams in the history of the league who lost 20 games in a row.
The teams atop that honorable mention list are the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1997-98), and Charlotte Bobcats (2011-12) who each lose 23 straight games. The Detroit Pistons lost 21 straight games during the 1979-81 seasons. To round out our list of teams that have lost 20-plus straight games in the regular season, we have the Philadelphia 76ers (1972-73), Dallas Mavericks (1993-94), Houston Rockets (2020-21), New York Knicks (1984-86), and LA Clippers (1993-94).
Now let's get to the list of the longest losing streaks in NBA history.