The NBA Finals are the crucible within which players, coaches and teams face the ultimate pressure. Winning a championship forever changes the legacy of a player or a coach because "NBA champion" will forever be added before their name (and they get a spiffy piece of jewelry to commemorate the event).
But losing in the NBA Finals can tarnish the legacy of a player. One need look no further than the endless GOAT debates over Michael Jordan or LeBron James to see how often 6-0 (Jordan's record in the NBA Finals) is used as a cudgel against James' 4-6 mark.
So which players, coaches and teams have had the most trouble finishing off title runs in the NBA Finals?
Which players have the most NBA FInals losses?
Four players have lost at least five times in the NBA Finals, with 1950s NBA pioneer Larry Foust the first to do so. Foust was a two-time All-NBA player and an eight-time All-Star in his 12-year career from 1950-62, but was on the losing end of NBA Finals twice with the Fort Wayne Pistons and St. Louis Hawks and dropped one as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers, as well.
All-time scoring leader LeBron James is 4-6 in 10 trips to the NBA Finals and Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor has the most Finals appearances without a win with seven.
Few people in NBA history carved as deep a legacy as Jerry West. A Hall of Famer and known as the inspiration for the Association's logo that was introduced in 1971, West played in nine NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers during a 14-year career that included 12 All-NBA selections, five All-Defensive nods, scoring and assist titles and All-Star selections every season he played.
Even though he won the first NBA Finals MVP award in 1969, he did so as a member of the losing squad — the only player in history to do so — and lost in each of his first eight trips to the NBA Finals before finally getting his elusive ring in 1972.
He later assembled four championship teams as general manager of the Lakers from 1982-2000, built the Memphis Grizzlies into a playoff team for the first time during his five seasons as GM from 2002-07 and was a consultant for the Warriors for three of their recent titles as well.
Which teams have the most NBA Finals losses?
The Lakers share the all-time record with the Boston Celtics with 17 NBA championships, catching Boston with their bubble title in 2020. But the franchise is also the runaway leader for the most losses in the NBA Finals.
The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have each lost six times in the Finals, but the Lakers have topped that total by more than double.
In the early days of the NBA, the Minneapolis Lakers emerged as the first dynasty, winning five titles in six years from 1949-54. The introduction of the shot clock and the retirement of George Mikan spelled a dramatic turn for the franchise, however, as the Lakers — who left Minnesota for Hollywood in 1960 — lost in their next eight NBA Finals appearances.
In all, the Lakers have lost 15 times in the big series at the end. Their 32 appearances in the Finals is far and away the most in league history, 10 more than the Celtics.
Which coaches have the most NBA Finals losses?
Coaches are hired to be fired and even successful ones will be shown the door if they fail too often on the big stage. So it's not a surprise that the record for coaching losses in the NBA Finals is just four, shared by three coaches from different eras.
Fred Schaus coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-67, losing four times to the Boston Celtics dynasty during that stretch before being kicked upstairs to the general manager post in 1967. Schaus took the Lakers to Game 7 twice, losing 110-107 in 1962 and 95-93 in 1966.
Another former Laker coach, Pat Riley, has also lost four times in the NBA Finals. Three of those came with Los Angeles, back-to-back in 1983 and 1984 and again in 1989. In 1994, Riley got the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals before losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets. But he is also tied for second among coaches with Red Auerbach, winning nine titles.
In June, Erik Spoelstra joined the list with his fourth NBA Finals loss as his seventh-seeded Miami Heat ran out of magic against the Denver Nuggets. In 15 seasons, Spoelstra has led Miami to six NBA Finals, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 but also losing in 2011, 2014 and 2020.
