10 longest losing streaks in NBA history

9. 1980 Pistons: 21 games

We are back in Detroit.

The 1979-80 Pistons were not completely devoid of talent. They had eight-time All-Star Bob Lanier, former league MVP Bob McAdoo, and talented scoring guard John Long. That trio combined to average 62.2 points per game. However, Lanier was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in February. McAdoo played 58 games, but he then went down with a season-ending injury in early March. That paved the way for the Pistons to lose their final 14 games of the season.

The 1980-81 Pistons were rebuilding. Long paced the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game. They relied heavily on trade acquisition Kent Benson and free agent addition Keith Herron. McAdoo returned, but he appeared in only six games and was waived.

The team lost their first seven games of the season, before breaking the streak with a 112-109 win over the Rockets. The Pistons finished the campaign with an underwhelming 21-61 record, but they landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft, which they used to select Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas.