Ranking the Top 10 NBA Players in Winning Percentage

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Sports is all about winning. We define our team by their win-loss record. We define a coach by his career winning percentage.

If a player has a horrible game, but hits the game-winning shot, all is forgotten and he is the hero. If a player has a great game, but misses two free throws in the closing seconds, he has failed.

If a team turns the ball over 25 times but comes away with a win, we are happy. If a team hits 20 three-pointers but loses the game, we are not.

But, for some reason, we don't pay attention to the winning percentage of NBA players. I have never seen any statistics on the matter.

So, I decided to find out which current NBA players have the highest career winning percentage. I calculated the individual winning percentage of every NBA player that has played in at least 500 games.

To qualify for the team's win or loss, the player must have played in the game.

So, lets get to the results...

10) Amare Stoudemire: .621

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Amare Stoudemire starts our top-10 list off with a respectable .621 winning percentage. 

His regular season record stands at 346-204 (.629) and his playoff record is 28-24 (.539).

All those years running and gunning with the Phoenix Suns earned him a lot of wins.

9) LeBron James: .623

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LeBron James currently sits in ninth place with a career winning percentage of .623.

His regular season record is 367-218 (.627), while his playoff record stands at 42-29 (.592).

James' 59 percent playoff winning percentage is the highest of any player (on this list) without a title.

8) Steve Nash: .630

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Steve Nash is eighth among active NBA players with a regular season record of 677-369 (.647), and a playoff record of 57-61 (.483).

He is one of only two players on this list with a losing playoff record. And that is why the two-time MVP is still without a ring.

7) Dirk Nowitzki: .641

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Dirk Nowitzki's combined winning percentage of .641 is good for seventh place. 

Nowitzki has the largest discrepancy between regular season and postseason winning percentage with almost a 20-point difference.

His regular season record is amazing at 627-322 (.661), while his playoff record is a disappointing 48-55 (.466).

Dallas has become known for regularly winning 60 games in the regular season, but not for winning playoff series.

6) Derek Fisher: .656

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Derek Fisher is sixth among active players with a winning percentage of .656.

Teaming up with Kobe Bryant and Shaq has allowed him to compile a 700-364 (.658) regular season record. 

His playoff record of 129-70 (.648) gives him the best playoff winning percentage of anyone on this list.

5) Kobe Bryant: .658

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Kobe Bryant is fifth among current NBA players, winning 65.8 percent of the games he has played in.

His regular season record is 701-356 (.663) and his postseason record is (126-72).

It is not surprising to find the best basketball player of the last decade high up on this list.

4) Shaquille O'Neal: .665

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Completing the Lakers big three is Shaquille O'Neal with a career winning percentage of .665.

His regular season record stands at 810-385 (.678) while his playoff record is 128-86 (.618).

With 938 wins under his belt, no current player has been part of more NBA victories.

3) Tim Duncan: .694

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Tim Duncan, the backbone of the Spurs dynasty, is third among active NBA players with a .694 winning percentage. 

His regular season record is 716-296 (.708) and his playoff record is 105-65 (.618).

2) Tony Parker: .695

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Barely edging out Duncan for the second spot is his teammate Tony Parker, with a career winning percentage of .696.

Parker's regular season record stands at 501-202 (.713) with a playoff record of 79-53 (.695)

Parker benefited from coming to a team that had already established winning ways with Duncan and Popovich.

1) Manu Ginobli: .702

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And the winner is...of course, another Spur.

So the Lakers' trio (at sixth, fifth and fourth) is followed by the Spurs trio (at third, second and first).

Manu Ginobili is the winningest NBA player in the league with a career percentage of (.702).

Ginobili is the only one to break the 700 barrier, with a regular season record of 421-167 (.716) and a playoff record of 74-43 (.633).

Amazingly, more than one out of every 10 games that Ginobili has played in has been a playoff victory.

No NBA player that has played in at least 500 regular season games has lost fewer than 200, except for Ginobili, who has lost just 167.

Congratulations, Manu.