The overall win percentage of NBA players is difficult to calculate accurately. It depends on many factors such as the length of a player’s career, the number of games played, and the teams they have played for. However, we have listed the top 10 NBA players who have played 500+ games according to their winning percentage.
Top 10 NBA Players With the Highest Winning Percentage
10. Bill Russell- 71.7%
Bill Russell’s name has gone down in history due to his incredible feat of winning 11 championships during his career, a feat that will likely never be matched. He was also the first black head coach in the NBA, and he was a tenacious defender who made his teammates better. Despite being undersized, he was a dominant rebounder, leading the league in rebounding four times.
9. Sam Jones- 71.8%
Sam Jones played for the Boston Celtics from 1957 to 1969. He was an 11-time NBA Champion, a five-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA First Team selection, and a three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP. Jones was known for his clutch shooting, especially in the playoffs. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1968. He scored 15,411 career points and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. Jones was also inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
8. Tim Duncan – 71.9%
Tim Duncan, the heart of the Spurs dynasty, has one of the highest winning percentages among NBA players. Duncan was a five-time NBA champion, winning titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. He was a member of the Spurs’ “Big Three” along with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
7. Manu Ginobili – 72.1%
Manu Ginobili had a successful NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs. He was drafted by the Spurs in the 1999 NBA draft and was part of their championship-winning teams in 2003, 2005, and 2007. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star and a 4-time All-NBA Third Team selection during his career. He also won the EuroLeague title with Kinder Bologna in 2001 and two gold medals with Argentina in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. He retired from the Spurs in 2018, after 16 seasons with the team.
6. Tom Heinsohn – 72.6%
Tom Heinsohn had a successful NBA career, playing nine seasons with the Boston Celtics from 1956-1965. He was a six-time All-Star and was named Rookie of the Year in 1957. Heinsohn was also a two-time champion, winning eight total championships during his tenure with the Celtics, including seven as a player and one as a head coach. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
5. Michael Cooper – 72.9%
Michael Cooper spent 12 seasons in the NBA, from 1978-90. He is best remembered for his time spent with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five championships. A three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, Cooper was named to the All-Defensive Second Team twice and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1986. He was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in Los Angeles. Cooper was also named one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
4. K.C. Jones- 73.1%
K.C. Jones had a long and successful career in the NBA. He played for the Boston Celtics from 1958 to 1967, helping them to eight consecutive NBA championships. He averaged 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game during his career. He also tallied 1,326 steals and 1,378 personal fouls. He was a seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP. Jones also coached the Celtics to two more championships in 1984 and 1986.
3. Kawhi Leonard- 73.6%
Kawhi Leonard is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Leonard was traded to the San Antonio Spurs during the 2011–12 season and later became one of the most successful NBA players, winning two NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, and four All-Star selections. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2019. In July 2019, he signed with the Clippers. Leonard has the third-highest winning percentage among all-time NBA players.
2. Larry Bird- 73.6%
Larry Bird played in the NBA from 1979 to 1992. During his career, he was a 12-time All-Star, a 3-time MVP, a 3-time NBA champion, and a 2-time Finals MVP. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Bird was known for his shooting ability, his tenacity on defence, and his clutch play. He played in 897 games throughout his career, averaging 6.3 assists per game, 24.3 points per game, and 10 rebounds per game.
1. Magic Johnson- 74%
Magic Johnson is widely known as one of the most successful NBA players in history. His impressive career was marked by five championships, three MVPs, three NBA Finals MVPs, and two Hall of Fame inductions, making him a rival of Larry Bird in the winning game. According to Statmuse, Johnson has the highest winning percentage among all NBA players.
Johnson was a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers for 13 seasons, winning five NBA championships, three MVP awards, and three Finals MVP awards. He was also a 12-time All-Star and a nine-time All-NBA First Team member. Johnson is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time and is remembered for his flashy style of play and trademark no-look passes. He played over 900 games throughout his NBA career and averaged 11.2 assists per game with 19.5 points per game.