Magic Johnson holds the best career winning percentage in NBA history as Kawhi Leonard dropped after the 2020-21 NBA season.
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Leonard had the top spot locked up, but in a somewhat lower year, Leonard went 42-21 this past season (works out to a 66.67% winning percentage this year), sliding him down to number two on the list.
Leonard still holds the highest active winning percentage among active players at 72.43% clip while the next highest is his former teammate Danny Green at 70.55%.
Magic Johnson And His Domination Of The 1980s Puts Him Ahead Of Kawhi Leonard
Johnson’s incredible run during the 1980s really solidified his place in NBA history as an all time great. Johnson was the first overall pick in the 1979, and from his first year in the NBA you could tell there was something special about him.
During the 1980 NBA Finals, Magic took home Finals MVP as a rookie, and he also showed off his versatility as he filled in at center while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured, posting a ridiculous stat line of 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists to clinch the series.
No Kareem, no problem.#OTD in 1980, Magic Johnson filled in at center and put up 42 PTS, 15 REB & 7 AST to lead the Lakers to the NBA title. pic.twitter.com/mko1nps2cn
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2019
During the 1980s, there was simply nobody else who combined winning with on-the-court production like Magic did. Sure, you had Michael Jordan coming into his own and averaging 37 points a game in just his third year, and you had Larry Bird who could score at every level of the floor, but Magic simply did it all.
He edged out Bird in several ways too, winning five titles compared to Bird’s three, while also beating him two times in three finals matchups featuring the Lakers and Celtics.
Over the 80s, Johnson averaged 9.6 PPG, 11.1 APG, 7.4 RPG, on 53.2 FG% while making the NBA All Star game nine times and being selected to the All NBA First Team seven times. Simply put, he was ridiculous. All that winning definitely boosted his winning percentage.
Meanwhile, Kawhi didn’t have the same blistering start to his career that Johnson did. He didn’t really become a star in the league until his fifth year, but he did pick up a Finals MVP in his fourth when he took down the famous Miami Heat big three along with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili.
The fact that Leonard was picked up by the Spurs gave him an incredible winning percentage as no team was more consistent than San Antonio throughout the 2000s.
