Study: LeBron James tops every NBA team in playoff wins during his career, Pippen sole predecessor

One argument often used against LeBron James' GOAT case is that he didn't have the same playoff success as Michael Jordan (six titles in 15 seasons), or Bill Russell (11 in 13). But delve deeper and you can see that that argument may not be airtight.

Only two NBA75 players in league history had more playoff wins than any team during their eras, one of them by a landslide and one narrowly.

The former is James, and the latter is Scottie Pippen.

During James’ time in the NBA, the team with the most playoff wins is the Boston Celtics with 144. James’ individual playoff wins during that same span of time? 184. Oh, and he’s tied with the dynastic Golden State Warriors for championships won with four apiece.

Pippen, on the other hand, won 136 playoff games during his years in the NBA, besting the Los Angeles Lakers’ 129 playoff wins during that same period.

These stats aren’t all that surprising when you really think about it, as James is the only All-Star in league history to win a championship with three different teams. And whenever he’s left a team to join another, his previous team usually nosedived for a bit before recovering, making it easier for James to continue to amass more playoff wins than any team trying to keep up.

It also checks out for Pippen, who left the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan retired in ‘98, and made the playoffs every year of his career afterwards, except for in the 2003-04 season, when he played 23 games for a 23-win Bulls team before retiring. In that period following Jordan and Pippen’s departures, the Bulls naturally fell apart, allowing Pippen to surpass his former team in playoff wins once he left.

What’s more, James’ three teams - Cleveland (108 playoff wins during James’ time in the NBA), Miami (143) and Los Angeles (100) - combined for 351 playoff wins during James’ era. That means 52 percent of their playoff wins came with James on their rosters, i.e., more than half of three proud franchises’ playoff success over a long stretch of time is on the back of one player.

That level of multi-team carrying is eye-opening, and a credit to James’ greatness.

(At the same time, James has always been savvy about knowing when to abandon a sinking ship, so he was smart enough to leave Cleveland the first time when it was clear he didn’t have enough talent around him to win a championship; wise enough to leave Miami when it was obvious Dwyane Wade would never be his peak self again; and then again had the foresight to leave Cleveland a year after Kyrie Irving had left for Boston, knowing he’d have to carry way too much of the load to win another title in Cleveland.)

(So, yes, James carried three franchises to otherworldly heights, but he also wasn’t sticking around if he felt the talent around him was lacking, leading to him having more playoff wins after he had set himself up to continue playing on stacked teams. That was totally within his right to do, of course, but it’s something that should be noted.)

And if we are talking so much about James, it’s only right we delve deeper into how his main competition in the GOAT debate, Jordan, fared in this exercise. During his time in the NBA, Jordan had 119 playoff wins, tied with the Bulls for the second-most in his era (Jordan had fantastic health luck in the playoffs), but still trailing the Lakers (121) for most playoff wins during his time in the league by two wins.

Those early years of Jordan’s career, in which he’d get bounced from the playoffs in the first round (it took until his fourth season for MJ to lead Chicago past the first round of the postseason, something that his fans often forget to mention when engaged in GOAT debates), hurt him in this exercise.

So, although Jordan gets credit for having the better championship resume than others, primarily James, in the GOAT debate, he does lag far behind in total playoff wins, at least.

Another interesting note from our study is that it further cements Karl Malone’s case for greatest player to never win a ring. He had to play during the end of the Showtime Lakers dynasty, and during Jordan’s two three-peat peaks, and yet still ranks third in playoff wins (98) during his time in the NBA, behind just the two aforementioned super teams. Malone still had more playoff wins than the Rockets (two championships) and Detroit Pistons (three championships) during his 19 years in the league. Malone would make consistent deep playoff runs, despite his inability to finish the job.

Also interesting: Stephen Curry, known for his four championships in the NBA, would be fourth in playoff wins (104) during his time in the NBA, behind the Celtics (118), Warriors (113; Curry missing postseason time due to injuries hurt him here) and… Miami Heat. (Credit to LeBron and Jimmy Butler here.)

Kobe Bryant (135 playoff wins), blessed with a ridiculous peak and crazy longevity, trails both his own Lakers (137) and the Spurs (158) in playoff wins during his time in the NBA. Tim Duncan: still somehow underrated.

Bryant's top rival for the distinction of being the top 2-guard of the '00s, Dwyane Wade (105 playoff wins), sneakily only trailed the Spurs (123) in playoff wins during his time in the NBA, and won as many championships (three) as any team in that time span.

And Bryant’s former super teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, impressively ranks second in playoff wins (129) during his time in the NBA, trailing only his own Los Angeles Lakers (140). Los Angeles’ post-Shaq resurgence behind Bryant and Pau Gasol swung this race back in L.A’s favor late in O’Neal’s career.

Oh, and finally, Magic Johnson remains so underrated in all-time ranking debates, as he was tied with his own team, the Lakers, for most playoff wins in his era with 128.

Below, check out how some of the NBA’s biggest stars ever fared in total playoff wins vs. every team in the NBA during their respective times in the league.

Note: Seasons in which players were sidelined due to injury, say Kevin Durant in 2019-20, or didn't play for some other reason, like retirement, say Michael Jordan in 1993-94, were not factored in for this exercise.

LeBron James era

LeBron James: 184 playoff wins (4 titles)

Celtics: 144 (2)

Heat 143 (3)

Spurs: 123 (3)

Warriors 118 (4)

Cavaliers: 108 (1)

Lakers: 100 (3)

Thunder: 85 (1)

Mavericks: 79 (1)

Pacers: 75

Nuggets: 73 (1)

Pistons: 63 (1)

Suns: 63

Rockets: 61

Clippers: 56

Bucks: 54 (1)

Hawks: 51

Raptors: 49 (1)

76ers: 47

Jazz: 41

Bulls: 40

Grizzlies: 38

Magic: 37

Nets: 36

Timberwolves: 32

Knicks: 31

Wizards: 30

Trail Blazers: 28

Pelicans: 20

Kings: 13

Hornets: 3

Michael Jordan era

Lakers: 121 (4 titles)

Michael Jordan: 119 (6)

Bulls: 119 (6)

Pistons: 83 (2)

Celtics: 78 (1)

Jazz: 70

Rockets: 58 (1)

SuperSonics: 54

Spurs: 52 (1)

Trail Blazers: 49

Suns: 46

Knicks: 45

76ers: 32

Mavericks: 31

Pacers: 30

Nets: 28

Hawks: 27

Bucks: 24

Magic: 24

Cavaliers: 21

Nuggets: 18

Kings: 18

Hornets: 13

Warriors 13

Heat 10

Bullets: 5

Clippers: 4

Timberwolves: 4

Pelicans: 2

Raptors: 2

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era

Lakers: 157 (6 titles)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 154 (6)

Celtics: 138 (5)

76ers: 89 (1)

Bucks: 84 (1)

Bullets: 64 (1)

Knicks: 62 (2)

Pistons: 56 (1)

SuperSonics: 55 (1)

Suns: 47

Rockets: 46

Warriors 39 (1)

Bulls: 35

Hawks: 34

Nuggets: 33

Trail Blazers: 31 (1)

Spurs: 25

Mavericks: 21

Jazz: 18

Cavaliers: 12

Kings: 11

Clippers: 9

Nets: 5

Pacers: 1

Magic Johnson era

Magic Johnson: 128 (5 titles)

Lakers: 128 (5)

Celtics: 98 (3)

76ers: 71 (1)

Pistons: 69 (2)

Bulls: 56 (2)

Bucks: 43

Rockets: 41

SuperSonics: 39

Trail Blazers: 37

Suns: 36

Jazz: 34

Spurs: 28

Hawks: 26

Nuggets: 24

Knicks: 22

Mavericks: 21

Warriors 12

Kings: 9

Bullets: 9

Cavaliers: 7

Magic: 7

Nets: 5

Pacers: 5

Bill Russell era

Celtics: 108 (11 titles)

Bill Russell: 107 (11)

Lakers: 67

Hawks: 59 (1)

76ers: 45 (1)

Warriors 33

Royals: 15

Pistons: 14

Knicks: 9

Bullets: 5

Rockets: 2

Bulls: 1

Wilt Chamberlain era

Celtics: 99 (9 titles)

Lakers: 96 (1)

Wilt Chamberlain: 88 (2)

Hawks: 52

Knicks: 49 (2)

76ers: 41 (1)

Warriors 37

Bucks: 25 (1)

Bullets: 19

Royals: 15

Pistons: 10

Bulls: 8

Suns: 3

Rockets: 2

Larry Bird era

Lakers: 128 (5 titles)

Celtics: 104 (3)

Larry Bird: 99 (3)

Pistons: 71 (2)

76ers: 71 (1)

Bulls: 56 (2)

Trail Blazers: 48

Bucks: 43

Suns: 39

Rockets: 38

Jazz: 33

SuperSonics: 30

Nuggets: 24

Knicks: 24

Spurs: 23

Hawks: 22

Mavericks: 21

Cavaliers: 16

Warriors 13

Bullets: 9

Kings: 8

Nets: 6

Pacers: 3

Braves: 2

Kobe Bryant era

Spurs: 158 (5 titles)

Lakers: 137 (5)

Kobe Bryant: 135 (5)

Heat 121 (3)

Pacers: 86

Pistons: 77 (1)

Celtics: 74 (1)

Cavaliers: 73 (1)

Mavericks: 70 (1)

SuperSonics: 70

Bulls: 67 (2)

Jazz: 59

Nets: 53

Suns: 46

Warriors 45 (1)

Hawks: 44

Rockets: 42

76ers: 41

Knicks: 40

Magic: 39

Trail Blazers: 39

Kings: 34

Clippers: 28

Grizzlies: 27

Raptors: 24

Nuggets: 22

Bucks: 21

Wizards: 20

Hornets: 18

Timberwolves: 17

Pelicans: 15

Shaquille O'Neal era

Lakers: 140 (5 titles)

Shaquille O’Neal: 129 (4)

Spurs: 128 (4)

Bulls: 94 (4)

Jazz: 81

Pacers: 79

Pistons: 77 (1)

Suns: 72

Heat 71 (1)

Rockets: 67 (2)

Knicks: 66

Mavericks: 65 (1)

Celtics: 61 (1)

SuperSonics: 57

Magic: 56

Cavaliers: 47

Nets: 46

Kings: 35

Hawks: 34

76ers: 34

Trail Blazers: 32

Nuggets: 23

Hornets: 20

Bucks: 19

Timberwolves: 17

Pelicans: 15

Raptors: 11

Clippers: 9

Wizards: 8

Grizzlies: 7

Warriors 5

Tim Duncan era

Spurs: 158 (5 titles)

Tim Duncan: 157 (5)

Lakers: 133 (5)

Heat 113 (3)

Pacers: 86

Pistons: 75 (1)

Celtics: 74 (1)

Cavaliers: 73 (1)

Mavericks: 70 (1)

SuperSonics: 64

Nets: 53

Bulls: 52 (1)

Jazz: 46

Warriors 45 (1)

Suns: 44

76ers: 41

Hawks: 40

Trail Blazers: 38

Magic: 37

Knicks: 34

Kings: 34

Rockets: 33

Clippers: 28

Grizzlies: 27

Raptors: 24

Nuggets: 22

Bucks: 21

Wizards: 20

Hornets: 18

Timberwolves: 17

Pelicans: 15

Hakeem Olajuwon era

Lakers: 148 (6 titles)

Bulls: 125 (6)

Jazz: 88

Knicks: 82

Pistons: 77 (2)

Hakeem Olajuwon: 76 (2)

Celtics: 74 (1)

Rockets: 74 (2)

Trail Blazers: 64

Pacers: 61

Spurs: 60 (1)

SuperSonics: 58

Suns: 55

76ers: 46

Hawks: 35

Bucks: 34

Mavericks: 25

Nuggets: 24

Magic: 23

Cavaliers: 21

Hornets: 20

Heat 20

Kings: 18

Nets: 15

Warriors 13

Raptors: 8

Timberwolves: 5

Bullets: 5

Clippers: 4

Kevin Durant era

Celtics: 131 (2 titles)

Warriors 113 (4)

Kevin Durant: 101 (2)

Heat 96 (2)

Cavaliers: 89 (1)

Spurs: 78 (1)

Thunder: 76 (1)

Lakers: 67 (2)

Nuggets: 60 (1)

Pacers: 57

Mavericks: 54 (1)

Hawks: 51

Rockets: 49

Bucks: 47 (1)

76ers: 46

Clippers: 42

Raptors: 40 (1)

Grizzlies: 38

Suns: 38

Magic: 36

Knicks: 31

Bulls: 30

Jazz: 29

Trail Blazers: 27

Wizards: 24

Timberwolves: 22

Nets: 18

Pelicans: 17

Pistons: 12

Hornets: 3

Kings: 3

Stephen Curry era

Celtics: 118 (1 title)

Warriors 113 (4)

Heat 107 (2)

Stephen Curry: 104 (4)

Thunder: 79 (1)

Cavaliers: 72 (1)

Spurs: 68 (1)

Nuggets: 59 (1)

Pacers: 57

Lakers: 53 (2)

Bucks: 52 (1)

Mavericks: 50 (1)

Clippers: 49

Raptors: 46 (1)

Rockets: 45

Hawks: 44

76ers: 42

Grizzlies: 38

Suns: 37

Knicks: 31

Bulls: 27

Trail Blazers: 26

Jazz: 25

Timberwolves: 22

Wizards: 22

Magic: 19

Nets: 18

Pelicans: 9

Hornets: 3

Kings: 3

Pistons: 2

Oscar Robertson era

Celtics: 103 (9 titles)

Lakers: 92 (1)

Knicks: 54 (2)

Oscar Robertson: 46 (1)

Hawks: 45

76ers: 40 (1)

Bucks: 36 (1)

Warriors 33

Bullets: 22

Royals: 15

Pistons: 13

Bulls: 12

Suns: 3

Rockets: 2

Braves: 2

Karl Malone era

Lakers: 152 (5 titles)

Bulls: 124 (6)

Karl Malone: 98 (0)

Pistons: 96 (3)

Jazz: 85

Knicks: 82

Spurs: 80 (2)

Rockets: 73 (2)

Pacers: 73

Celtics: 65 (1)

Trail Blazers: 63

SuperSonics: 58

Suns: 57

76ers: 44

Nets: 36

Hawks: 35

Mavericks: 35

Bucks: 34

Kings: 32

Heat 26

Magic: 26

Hornets: 20

Cavaliers: 20

Nuggets: 17

Timberwolves: 17

Warriors 13

Raptors: 8

Pelicans: 5

Clippers: 4

Bullets: 4

Moses Malone era

Lakers: 143 (5 titles)

Celtics: 111 (3)

76ers: 92 (1)

Bulls: 83 (3)

Rockets: 80 (2)

Suns: 73

Pistons: 72 (2)

SuperSonics: 68 (1)

Trail Blazers: 67 (1)

Knicks: 55

Moses Malone: 49 (1)

Bucks: 48

Spurs: 47

Jazz: 45

Nuggets: 39

Bullets: 36 (1)

Hawks: 32

Pacers: 24

Cavaliers: 21

Mavericks: 21

Warriors 18

Magic: 11

Nets: 9

Kings: 9

Hornets: 5

Clippers: 4

Heat: 2

Kevin Garnett era

Spurs: 163 (5 titles)

Lakers: 138 (5)

Heat 121 (3)

Pacers: 88

SuperSonics: 83

Bulls: 82 (3)

Pistons: 77 (1)

Celtics: 74 (1)

Cavaliers: 73 (1)

Kevin Garnett: 70 (1)

Mavericks: 70

Jazz: 69

Nets: 53

Hawks: 48

Suns: 47

Magic: 46

Warriors 45 (1)

Rockets: 45

Knicks: 44

76ers: 41

Trail Blazers: 41

Kings: 35

Clippers: 28

Grizzlies: 27

Raptors: 24

Nuggets: 22

Bucks: 21

Wizards: 20

Hornets: 18

Timberwolves: 17

Pelicans: 15

Jerry West era

Celtics: 103 (9 titles)

Lakers: 92 (1)

Jerry West: 87 (1)

Knicks: 54 (2)

Hawks: 45

76ers: 40 (1)

Bucks: 36 (1)

Warriors 33

Bullets: 22

Royals: 15

Pistons: 13

Bulls: 12

Suns: 3

Rockets: 2

Braves: 2

Dirk Nowitzki era

Spurs: 166 (5 titles)

Lakers: 126 (5)

Heat 112 (3)

Celtics: 99 (1)

Cavaliers: 97 (1)

Warriors 91 (3)

Pacers: 79

Pistons: 75 (1)

Mavericks: 70 (1)

Dirk Nowitzki: 69 (1)

Thunder: 64

Nets: 54

Rockets: 54

76ers: 53

Raptors: 48 (1)

Trail Blazers: 45

Suns: 43

Jazz: 43

Hawks: 41

Bulls: 39

Magic: 38

Bucks: 36

Kings: 34

Clippers: 33

Knicks: 30

Nuggets: 29

Grizzlies: 29

Wizards: 29

Pelicans: 20

Timberwolves: 16

Hornets: 14

Julius Erving era

Lakers: 93 (4)

Celtics: 87 (3)

Julius Erving: 84 (1)

76ers: 84 (1)

SuperSonics: 44 (1)

Bucks: 42

Rockets: 41

Bullets: 34 (1)

Trail Blazers: 30 (1)

Nuggets: 28

Suns: 27

Spurs: 25

Pistons: 19

Hawks: 17

Jazz: 12

Mavericks: 11

Knicks: 10

Warriors 9

Kings: 9

Nets: 5

Bulls: 4

Cavaliers: 2

Pacers: 1

Elgin Baylor era

Celtics: 100 (10 titles)

Lakers: 93 (1)

Elgin Baylor: 72 (0)

Hawks: 52

76ers: 46 (1)

Knicks: 37 (1)

Warriors 32

Bucks: 23 (1)

Bullets: 18

Royals: 15

Pistons: 11

Bulls: 5

Suns: 3

Rockets: 2

Giannis Antetokounmpo era

Warriors 107 (4 titles)

Celtics: 85 (1)

Cavaliers: 66 (1)

Heat 60

Nuggets: 51 (1)

Thunder: 50 (1)

Bucks: 49 (1)

Raptors: 46 (1)

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 44 (1)

Rockets: 43

Clippers: 43

Pacers: 39

Spurs: 37 (1)

76ers: 34

Mavericks: 32

Hawks: 30

Lakers: 28 (1)

Suns: 27

Knicks: 24

Timberwolves: 22

Trail Blazers: 22

Wizards: 22

Jazz: 21

Grizzlies: 20

Nets: 15

Bulls: 10

Pelicans: 7

Magic: 6

Hornets: 3

Kings: 3

Pistons: 2

Nikola Jokic era

Warriors 88 (3 titles)

Celtics: 85 (1)

Cavaliers: 52 (1)

Nikola Jokic: 51 (1)

Nuggets: 51 (1)

Heat 47

Bucks: 47 (1)

Raptors: 43 (1)

Thunder: 40 (1)

76ers: 34

Rockets: 32

Clippers: 30

Pacers: 29

Mavericks: 28

Lakers: 28 (1)

Suns: 27

Knicks: 24

Timberwolves: 22

Jazz: 21

Hawks: 19

Spurs: 18

Trail Blazers: 16

Grizzlies: 11

Wizards: 10

Nets: 8

Pelicans: 7

Magic: 6

Hornets: 3

Bulls: 3

Kings: 3

Pistons: 2

Dwyane Wade era

Spurs: 123 (3 titles)

Dwyane Wade: 105 (3)

Heat 104 (3)

Cavaliers: 97 (1)

Warriors 91 (3)

Celtics: 86 (1)

Lakers: 72 (2)

Pistons: 61 (1)

Thunder: 60

Rockets: 53

Mavericks: 52 (1)

Pacers: 52

Raptors: 40 (1)

Bulls: 39

Hawks: 38

Suns: 36

Clippers: 33

Magic: 32

Jazz: 30

Nets: 29

Nuggets: 29

Grizzlies: 29

Wizards: 29

76ers: 25

Trail Blazers: 25

Bucks: 22

Pelicans: 18

Timberwolves: 11

Kings: 10

Knicks: 7

Hornets: 3

David Robinson era

Bulls: 111 (6 titles)

Lakers: 90 (3)

Knicks: 76

Jazz: 76

Spurs: 74 (2)

David Robinson 70 (2)

Pacers: 62

Trail Blazers: 60

Rockets: 52 (2)

Suns: 50

SuperSonics: 46

Pistons: 40 (1)

76ers: 36

Nets: 29

Celtics: 28

Magic: 26

Kings: 25

Hornets: 20

Heat 20

Hawks: 19

Mavericks: 18

Cavaliers: 16

Bucks: 15

Raptors: 8

Timberwolves: 7

Nuggets: 6

Warriors 5

Clippers: 4

Pelicans: 2

Charles Barkley era

Bulls: 125 (6 titles)

Lakers: 118 (4)

Jazz: 85

Knicks: 80

Rockets: 74 (2)

Pistons: 73 (2)

Celtics: 65 (1)

Trail Blazers: 64

Charles Barkley: 62 (0)

Pacers: 58

SuperSonics: 56

Suns: 54

Spurs: 49 (1)

Hawks: 35

76ers: 32

Nuggets: 24

Bucks: 24

Cavaliers: 21

Magic: 21

Heat 20

Mavericks: 17

Warriors 13

Hornets: 10

Kings: 5

Bullets: 5

Nets: 4

Clippers: 4

Timberwolves: 4

Isiah Thomas era

Lakers: 117 (4 titles)

Celtics: 88 (2)

Bulls: 75 (3)

Pistons: 71 (2)

Isiah Thomas: 70 (2)

Suns: 52

76ers: 50 (1)

Trail Blazers: 48

Knicks: 47

Rockets: 45 (1)

Jazz: 43

Bucks: 37

SuperSonics: 35

Nuggets: 30

Hawks: 26

Spurs: 25

Mavericks: 21

Cavaliers: 19

Pacers: 14

Warriors 13

Nets: 9

Bullets: 9

Hornets: 4

Clippers: 4

Heat: 2

Scottie Pippen era

Scottie Pippen: 136 (6 titles)

Lakers: 129 (4)

Bulls: 124 (6)

Pistons: 85 (3)

Knicks: 82

Jazz: 82

Spurs: 80 (2)

Pacers: 72

Trail Blazers: 61

Suns: 57

Rockets: 55 (2)

SuperSonics: 51

Celtics: 37

Nets: 36

76ers: 36

Kings: 32

Mavericks: 29

Hawks: 27

Heat 26

Magic: 26

Bucks: 21

Hornets: 20

Cavaliers: 20

Timberwolves: 17

Nuggets: 12

Warriors 9

Raptors: 8

Pelicans: 5

Clippers: 4

Bullets: 2

Chris Paul era

Celtics: 141 (2 titles)

Heat 126 (3)

Warriors 118 (4)

Cavaliers: 108 (1)

Spurs: 101 (2)

Lakers: 87 (3)

Thunder: 79 (1)

Chris Paul: 76 (0)

Mavericks: 72 (1)

Nuggets: 71 (1)

Pacers: 59

Rockets: 57

Clippers: 56

Suns: 54

Bucks: 53 (1)

Hawks: 51

Raptors: 49 (1)

76ers: 46

Jazz: 41

Bulls: 38

Grizzlies: 38

Magic: 37

Pistons: 32

Knicks: 31

Nets: 29

Trail Blazers: 28

Wizards: 26

Timberwolves: 22

Pelicans: 17

Kings: 5

Hornets: 3

John Havlicek era

Celtics: 110 (8 titles)

John Havlicek: 108 (8)

Lakers: 84 (1)

Knicks: 57 (2)

Warriors 51 (1)

76ers: 51 (1)

Bullets: 51 (1)

Bucks: 42 (1)

Hawks: 40

Bulls: 20

SuperSonics: 19

Trail Blazers: 16 (1)

Royals: 16

Suns: 13

Pistons: 12

Rockets: 11

Braves: 9

Nuggets: 8

Cavaliers: 7

Spurs: 2

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Study: LeBron James tops every NBA team in playoff wins during his career, Pippen sole predecessor

Reporting by Frank Urbina, Hoops Hype / Hoops Hype

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