This NBA season made rare history: Three winning teams missed playoffs
Three NBA teams finished above .500 and still missed the playoffs in 2025-26, a combination that had happened only twice before in league history.
For just the third year in NBA history, three teams failed to make the playoffs despite finishing the regular season with a winning record. The previous two seasons with three teams missing the playoffs were 1970-71 and 2021-22. In all seasons prior to 1970, every winning team qualified for the playoffs.
In total, 43 teams in NBA history have finished the regular season with a record above . 500 but didn’t make the playoffs. That means teams with winning records make the playoffs 95.
1% of the time. In 2025-26, Charlotte finished 44-38, Miami 43-39, and the Los Angeles Clippers 42-40 — but all three missed out on the playoffs after losing in the play-in tournament. Despite all three teams this year posting winning records, none are close to the all-time highest winning percentage for a non-playoff team.
That honor goes to the 1971-72 Phoenix Suns , who finished 49-33 — a . 598 clip — but missed out on the playoffs in a Western Conference led by the 69-win Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns have three of the best non-playoff records — in 1970-71 and 2013-14 the franchise posted identical 48-34 marks (Golden State also equaled that record in 2007-08).