The Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to make a rather unusual piece of NBA history on Sunday night. And for once, the achievement would involve getting rid of a record rather than setting one.
For more than a decade, Minnesota has carried the unfortunate distinction of having the lowest all-time regular-season winning percentage among active NBA franchises. However, a victory against the Toronto Raptors, combined with a Brooklyn Nets loss to the Indiana Pacers, would finally change that.
Entering Sunday’s games, the Timberwolves have won just 42.13% of their 2,960 regular-season contests since joining the NBA in 1989, compiling a record of 1,247 wins and 1,713 losses.
Brooklyn sits only marginally ahead at 42.14%, having accumulated 1,700 victories and 2,334 defeats since entering the NBA in 1976. The figures exclude the franchise’s earlier ABA history.
Should both results go Minnesota’s way, the Timberwolves would improve their all-time winning percentage to approximately 42.15%, while Brooklyn would fall to 42.13%, officially replacing Minnesota at the bottom of the historical rankings.
The potential change reflects the very different directions the two organizations have taken in recent years. Led by Anthony Edwards, Minnesota has transformed from a perennial lottery team into a legitimate Western Conference contender, reaching consecutive conference finals in 2024 and 2025 while continuing to build a competitive roster.
The Timberwolves have also opened the 2026-27 campaign with two impressive victories, defeating Miami 131-106 and Orlando 115-93.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has endured several difficult rebuilding seasons. After finishing the previous campaign with just 20 victories, the Nets have begun the new season 0-2.
Of course, escaping the bottom of the all-time standings won’t earn Minnesota a trophy or a championship banner. But for a franchise that spent so much of its existence struggling to establish a winning culture, the statistical milestone would represent a small yet meaningful indication of how far it has come.
