Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were two of the winningest players in the NBA until The Terminator showed up
The superstars of the 80s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had the highest win percentages in the NBA before Kawhi Leonard took over.
Bill Russell in the 60s and Michael Jordan in the 90s might have been the two most dominant players when it came to wins in Playoffs and championship games. Russell won 11 championships in his 13-year NBA career, whereas Jordan won all the six Finals he appeared in.
But even they didn’t come close to the superstars of the 80s — Larry Bird and Magic Johnson when it came to winning throughout the season.
We all remember the mesmerizing duo for taking the Lakers-Celtics rivalry and the NBA as a whole to greater heights, but they also did have a hunger for winning which made them who they were.
While creating the greatest rivalry of all time as they went at each other as the top teams from the East and West, Bird and Magic established themselves as two of the winningest players of all time. But there is a man who beat them both to it.
Kawhi Leonard has the highest win percentage, higher than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Winning almost 3/4th of the games they appear in, Magic and Bird are the #2 and #3 ranked players among the NBA players with the highest win percentage (min. 500 games). StatMuse revealed the player with the highest win percentage, and it’s The Claw who leads the list.
Highest career win percentage (min 500 games):
.745 — Kawhi
.740 — Magic
.736 — Bird@HoopMuse pic.twitter.com/UOF9x12tFM— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 18, 2022
We all know that there is no beating a fit and healthy Kawhi Leonard who has played with another top winner, Tim Duncan and has won championships against the best of the game of the last decade – LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Leonard is as offensively skilled as Bird and Magic and is an All-Defensive First team and DPOY level defender when he is not dealing with injuries. But for the past few seasons, he has been dealing with them more often than not.
Also read: Phil Jackson would have to flip a coin if he had to pick between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Let us hope he is all ready this year because the Clippers clearly will be among the championship contenders with him on the team. Without him fully available, though, they will be in shambles like last season.
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