LeBron James has rewritten the NBA record books with his longevity. He’s played in 292 playoff games across 18 different postseason runs, an unreal level of consistency that few athletes in any sport can match. So, it’s no surprise that he now holds the record for the most playoff losses in NBA history: 108.
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Shaquille O’Neal put that number on blast by posting a graphic on his Instagram story that listed the top 10 players with the most playoff losses. It featured some big names, Derek Fisher (98), Karl Malone (95), Tim Duncan (94), John Stockton (93), and Shaq himself (87).
LeBron sits at the top, but context is key. It’s easy to see 108 and think it’s a blot on his resume. But in reality, it just speaks to how many games he’s played. His playoff win percentage is actually better than most of the names below him.
LeBron has a 63% winning record in the NBA playoffs. Compare that to some of the other greats of the game, Shaq won 59.7 percent of the time in the playoffs in his career. The late, great Kobe Bryant won 61.4% of the playoff games in his Hall of Fame career. Kobe played 220 playoff games across 15 different postseason runs.
Shaq on IG pic.twitter.com/v9KSgKLbPD
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) May 15, 2025
From 2011 to 2020, excluding 2019, LeBron made the NBA Finals every single year. His grip on the Eastern Conference was absolute. The only way to rack up that many playoff losses is by being in the playoffs every year. LeBron isn’t just losing more; he’s winning more than almost anyone ever has.
Now, one might look at Shaq’s story and assume that he’s throwing shade at LeBron. There’s not enough in this scenario to claim otherwise.
It should be noted that the big fella has always been appreciative of LBJ and their time together as teammates. On The Big Podcast last year, Shaq talked about LeBron’s leadership quality and why it was easy for him to let LBJ be the alpha.
Shaq said, “He was actually really good at it [being a leader]…The way he rules is actually perfect, and again, he had so much power in that organization, power that I never had.” Shaq heaped praise on LeBron for being unselfish and giving great opportunities to his teammates as well. So, it’s unclear why the big fella posted the graphic. Regardless, it’s safe to assume that he isn’t hating on his former teammate.
