The Most Successful “Tanking” Moments In NBA History

These are some of the most successful tanking moments in NBA history. Hope you enjoy!
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#nba

[@justicestyles]

Spurs tanked for Duncan and got 5 rings .. no question the best tank EVER!!!!

[@GHOST91141]

😂😂 facts

[@kostastube2010]

Greg Popovic is the GOAT of TANKING and it is not even close.

[@noahstancil4884]

@@kostastube2010Pop is the most efficient with his tanks

[@rudyardganuelas6254]

One year tank and a ring 2 years later

[@NazriBuang-w9v]

Lies again? True Anal USD SGD

[@andycanoy863]

Safe to say the Spurs had the best tank ever after drafting Timmy D. 20+ straight seasons of making the playoffs, over 50 wins for most of the seasons in that timespan with 5 rings in the end. Incredible!

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

Truth. One of the highest win percentages of all-time too...

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

_Here’s a topic I never see mentioned but should be:_ The Celtics in 2007 had the chance to draft number 1 overall or even number 2, but only won the 5th overall pick in the lottery that year and ended up making those franchise-defining trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen because of that.

[@Therealtre]

As a Celtics fan. Man imagine KD alongside Pierce. Although we probably wouldn’t of got KG that year so everything happens for a reason

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

⁠​⁠@@TherealtreKnowing Danny Ainge I guess he would have traded Pierce for a war chest once the Celtics drafted KD

[@daniellelightly2815]

Thats happened to the Pistons 3 years in a row now. Just no franchise defining trade...

[@NotMeNaNaNa]

Yes and they could’ve been the ones who got “can’t miss” Greg Oden only to watch his body give out on him despite being a well built 7 footer while KD the string bean with durability and position questions is still going strong 18 seasons in(albeit with a few injuries). Also poor Blazers had the ultimate “what coulda been” core in Oden-Roy-Aldridge only to see Aldridge be the only one to last beyond 5yrs.

[@INVINCIBLE-qs7no]

@@Therealtre You could've had KD Pierce and KG still, their pick that year was traded for Allen.

[@SuperNASCARrocks]

When the spurs tanked they always got a franchise changing player out of it: 1987 with David Robinson, 1997 with Tim Duncan, and 2023 with Victor Wembanyama. The player development with the Spurs is second to none. They always seem to draft and develop franchise changing players so well.

[@kylejohns6196]

Between Tim Duncan and Wemby they got prideful and decided they didn't need to tank. They said they could find steals like manu, parker and kawhi. But they just overestimated their ability to find steals and all it did was end up delaying a rebuild with noncompetitive teams when they couldn't get players like them. But then again who knows if they would have gotten wemby if they tanked earlier and became an average team with a lower chance of selecting him. even though the spurs dynasty started with tanking, many of their fans mock and look down on tanking as something so low they wouldnt do it

[@vibeinparadise9821]

Real prideful it’s not like Kawhi left outta no where and messed it all up

[@shorewall]

@@vibeinparadise9821 Yeah, if Kawhi stayed, they would have just kept rolling, but he wanted out. The Spurs messed up by not tanking after he left though.

[@vibeinparadise9821]

@@shorewall how could they realistically tank tho they had demar Aldridge Murray white and was in the playoffs 2 years after Kawhi left and couple playin spots then started tanking

[@MrBubblecake]

A lot of it is luck, the spurs didn’t control when they ended up with those picks, it’s called a draft “lottery” for a reason. Winning the lottery isn’t a talent.

[@lmchankins]

1:33 She was on that good 80s coke 😂

[@Manizalest0v4r]

tf is wrong with her lmao

[@2girls1up]

good eye

[@chicityvetIckes079]

😂😂😂

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

@@lmchankins On Pablo’s finest

[@lmchankins]

@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly she was probably the plug 🤣

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

One thing I’ve learned from NBA history (even before watching this video): When it comes to tanking, *NOBODY* does it bigger than Texas!

[@kostastube2010]

Greg Popovic is the GOAT of TANKING.

[@kevinscott9242]

The Spurs should be ranked 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Everytime there is a Generational Franchise Center in the Draft, they magically end up on the Spurs.

[@PabloSkawer]

None of the times they had the worst record

[@meowarfmoo]

Enough godly luck that people can make wild theories about fixing! And it would seem plausible...

[@ryu-ken]

Spurs have tanked 3 times in their history and got david, tim, wemby out of that. Crazy

[@davidcovington1046]

Facts

[@surenick3460]

I think it says something though about tanking, you do it once and hopefully get your guy, then go back to trying to win. You can be bad after like they are with Wemby now, but clearly theyre aiming at improving and getting out of the lottery soon. Something like "The Process" tanking for years on end ruins the teams culture and makes success harder in the long run.

[@ghostamity5116]

When you have a good smart front office that scouts years in advance. That happens.

[@Ihopeyaslipoabannanaclip]

Who you telling lol

[@leetorry]

Honestly, id love to see Andy talk about how Chinese basketball fumbled the ball during and after Yao.

[@YuShawStang]

And Japanese surpasses Chinese in recent year.

[@tobznoobs]

my country even beat china recently and yao was furious with their basketball program

[@Mdksupreme1]

How?, explain

[@Mdksupreme1]

​japan has surpassed NOTHING, stop the degenerate lies

[@CAGAT25]

​@@tobznoobsif you're talking about the Philippines. They are powerhouses since the 60s and probably the 2nd greatest Asian team behind China

[@ItsWill21]

Besides Robinson’s foot injury.. Sean Elliott was also out for the majority of the 1997 season.

[@shauncameron8390]

And they had Dominique Wilkins who was at the tail end of his career.

[@ItsWill21]

@@shauncameron8390 and the last guy to wear number 21 for the Spurs before Tim Duncan.

[@highlightboy23]

Alvin Robertson and Elvin Hayes were so massively underrated. Thanks for showing them in this video, Andy.

[@RVered]

I'm glad The Process failed, and the 76ers blundered it. If you're playing to lose, make the games free. The NBA has done nothing to combat this; suspend team revenue, create a committee to collect inside evidence of tanking, etc. Fans supporting a team that goes, "We're incompetent and have given up trying" is insane.

[@Mdksupreme1]

Why the hell aren't you proposing the same for the spurs, and other teams that tanked, there's nothing wrong with tanking whatsoever, stop the bs talk

[@RVered]

@@Mdksupreme1 I am proposing the same for the Spurs and every other team trying it. Do you expect me to list every single team in a KZbin comment?

[@Thiago-vk8kx]

The only way to combat this is create a relegation in NBA

[@alexescutia4805]

@@Thiago-vk8kxterrible idea

[@RVered]

@@Thiago-vk8kx Relegation is possible in UK soccer because there are literally over a hundred pro teams (and hundreds more semi-pro) with long histories and dedicated fanbases who support them religiously (sometimes literally), no matter how bad or small. The balance of power between teams was organically established over 100+ years (modern Premier League aside because that's all dirty money dominance), with every league being better than a lower-ranked one.

[@do3807]

1984 Draft, Jordan, Hakeem, Barkley, Stockton... Good lord, what a collection

[@AlexHernandez99220]

Spurs always knew when they needed to tank. 3 times they tanked= 3 franchise players

[@theophilusjones6024]

To be fair, Matt Barnes turned out to be pretty good, a great role player

[@cdeleon3494]

Spurs do know when to tank and get them goat bigmans. 🔥

[@marioaustin9312]

So apparently the pistons have been tanking for almost 20+ years now

[@NotMeNaNaNa]

Ah yes after they drafted Darko over Melo, Bosh and Wade and still won a ring that year 😂

[@JayTeeAyy]

1:33 ouuu, she coked out of her mind right there

[@kostastube2010]

Greg Popovic, the GOAT of TANKING.

[@jshep8902]

3:34 my poor ears😭

[@andresgirardo8481]

NBA finals mvp from 91'-98': Jordan x3 Olajuwon x2 Jordan x3. Stockton (all time leader in assists and steals) and Barkley were drafted in 84' also.

[@shauncameron8390]

Also Barkley = '93 season MVP and a Finals appearance.

[@rocker5D]

My guy. Robinson suffered a back injury from a scrimmage olympics. This affected him for the rest of his career. When he came back, he broke his foot. Not to mention their second best player Sean Elliot suffered from kidney disease and sat out all year as well. How is this a tank job. They literally had only 1 decent player on the court who was in his twilight years….And still the only had THE 3rd worst record. Celtics that year were the favorites for the #1 Don’t want to hear anymore about this tanking business. It’s like when Dame and McCollum played together. Playoff contenders easily. You subtracts both of them and look where they are now

[@mrmacross]

As said in the video, Robinson was supposedly physically ready to return, but the Spurs (wisely) figured it wasn't worth bringing him back and let him recuperate the rest of the season. It's not super egregious. There are times where you just have to cut your losses and play again for another day, and it was definitely the right call for the long term. But in the short term, it was pretty frustrating. As a fan, my general attitude is if the team's not trying to win the game, then the team's not earning our money. Now what was super egregious? Bob Hill getting fired for the team's 3-15 start. I generally have great respect for Popovich, but I think he didn't handle the Bob Hill situation with great professionalism. You can't say the Spurs had no chance because their best players were hurt but simultaneously say the coach should take the blame for the team's struggles, especially since he just won 62 and 59 games in the prior two seasons. Now was the firing good for the Spurs in the long run? Sure.

[@rocker5D]

As in my comment. He broke his foot as well so even after the surgery even if he was medically cleared. He. Broke. His. Foot

[@mrmacross]

@@rocker5D I don't entirely remember the timeline, so I had to Google it. He missed the first 18 games (Spurs went 3-15), then he played six consecutive games from December 10 - December 23, and that was his season. He was supposed to be out 6 weeks according to news reports from 12/96, but the Spurs shut him down. Now if the video is correct in saying he was participating in practices by February, then the Spurs elected to be non-competitive to close out the last two months. To be clear, it was the right decision for long term success. Even with a healthy Robinson in the last two months, do you have a chance to climb the standings to get into the playoffs? Why rush back your Hall of Fame center in that case? You're better off taking your chances in the lotto and get that asset. I don't think they were actively tanking for Duncan, but they also weren't prioritizing competing for the 8th seed (not that they necessarily should).

[@JoshuaWSiegel]

The Spurs don't normally tank, but when they do, they get the first pick.

[@zain23r]

Competing to lose. In order to win again in the future. Funny how that works.

[@lezzyy1165]

Need my wizards to tank as much as they can this season😭adding Flagg to this young core and we up

[@charlottecorday8494]

Trash franchise, they'd just ruin Flagg and drive him out of the league in a few years.

[@lezzyy1165]

@@charlottecorday8494 🤫just wait for the come up

[@MoralesCorner]

It must be hard being a Wizards fan at times, kudos to you my friend lol Y'all definitely need a fresh start

[@2_Ztacs]

sarr just pulled a klay thompson and went 0-15 from the field, how are you feeling right now?

[@lezzyy1165]

@@2_Ztacs it’s not looking good brev…

[@windigocollector3240]

1:32 bro look at girl’s eyes 😂 people were fr coked up back then

[@DROSEHISTORY]

Andy Hoops Posted 🔥🔥💯

[@EssentialClassic]

You also forgot the Bulls tanking in '83-'84 that they benched, then traded Reggie Theus to Kansas City.

[@Maxjuliann]

Spurs did it again and got wenby

[@alexmonteiro166]

FILL UP THE TANK‼️‼️

[@JakeStevyson]

Or it will explode

[@alexmonteiro166]

​@@JakeStevysonReal

[@DROSEHISTORY]

2nd Andy hoops posted again !!🔥💯

[@AirRusher1992]

5th

[@wakkawakkagaming3710]

Players don't tank, front offices do.

[@0maxk_]

0:17 goddamn who tf are they lol

[@LouieBaLLz]

So back then Sam Hinkie got punished for tanking and the draft was revamped. Now teams are punished for throwing bags of money at players because they want to win. You can't make this up.

[@lakerskid2013]

It’s like at this point they’re screwed either way

[@switchpp1266]

Andy can you made video about How Bad Was Celtic Shaq and MJ Wizard

[@RodMzi]

Mj was a beast still

[@AngelMejia559]

MJ wasn’t bad and Shaq was just old and washed

[@Spawn3582]

You should check out Johnny Arnett's video on Wizards MJ. Believe me when I say he wasn't bad like everyone says he was

[@SBDs-_-LSPr]

@@AngelMejia559Shaq wasn’t washed, you just got injured and the Celtics didn’t wanna continue starting an injury prone player.

[@AmiriHipHop]

​@@SBDs-_-LSPr This is how you know someone is a super casual who is just talking to talk. Michael Jordan when he was on the Wizards was never a bad player 😂😂.

[@DiabloBiscuit]

I'm a life long spurs fan (san antonio is my hometown), the Spurs tank jobs have been masterful.

[@AirRusher1992]

Tanking can be bad for the most but it does work.

[@bigrule28]

Tanking Has Changed Now U Have a 14.0 Percent Chance of getting the no.1 pick, my Knicks had a chance to get Zion but we got screwed to no. 3 with RJ, i don't trust the draft lottery, the hawks had a 3.0 chance and they got the 1sr pick I don't trust it

[@tomdemay6147]

it's rigged. they rigged it for knicks 1 time for ewing but they wont do it now. league needs to reward knicks with #1 pick again for sure. long overdue.

[@bigrule28]

@@tomdemay6147 agreed

[@jeromelucas2064]

@@tomdemay6147it’s rigged when you don’t win it haha

[@raynandmarley9380]

andy banger as always

[@nbapbaupdate8338]

Detriot Pistons waiving 😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😅😂😅😅😅😅😂😂😅😅😂😂😅😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂

[@geirfuglinn2213]

A small, but smart move (from a tanking perspective, that was similar to the trades the Cavs made in 02/03) that the Spurs made in 87 was trading away Mychal Thompson to the Lakers for Pétur Guðmundsson (who was injured that whole season), Frank Brickowski (who only played 7 games for them that year) and some draft picks. A rare trade that worked out for everyone, since it got the Lakers the backup for Kareem that they needed and the Spurs got worse and were able to successfully tank for Robinson

[@ericveneto1593]

In 97, SA basically told Robinson “don’t hurry back.”

[@MumrikDK]

The Bulls only lost one game more than the season before. Their last 3 seasons before that draft were 34, 28 and 27 wins. Maybe they tanked for '84, but it can't have been that much.

[@MaxAndersonn]

Bronny James is going to be a future nba star he just saving his greatness for the regular season mark my words!!!

[@Victor14Marques]

😂😂😂 good hot take boy

[@KenDAKL4ever]

No .. he is what he is... 5.5 points per game

[@robg643]

he can be a fine roleplayer. Gary Harris post injury.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Bronny James can be the next Davion Mitchell AT BEST

[@do3807]

That coin flip at 3 minutes was like cymbals in my ears 😭

[@EdmandoMarquez]

Na bro: the shorty in the pink dress when they were talkin about David Robinson was definitely on something, wth lmao

[@alvin081988]

They should do a Play-in for the Teams that are in the Bottom 4 of the standings for Both Conference where the winner will get the first pick instead of the lottery

[@denzelminimo1883]

Yes

[@sethspace5207]

Denver also tried to tank for LeBron, trading Antonio McDyess and playing some pretty bad players that year. They got Carmelo, so the tank did work.

[@misterkhaya]

I pounced on this vid 👀

[@OreruOfficial]

1:32 was onto something

[@homerthompson416]

The Spurs did not tank in 86-87. Their point guard Johnny Moore almost died of meningitis in 1985-86, missed the season, and was never a meaningful NBA player again. The 85-86 team was 17-12 when Moore got sick, and then 18-35 after, which would be the exact same 28 win pace over 82 games that the Spurs put up in the 1986-87 season. There wasn't even a reason to tank in 86-87 since the lottery odds were completely flattened at that point, eg equal odds for every team for every lottery pick. It's not like today where you can assure yourself a top 5 pick by having the worst record.

[@jonnykilroy9762]

When Dereck Lively helps lead the Mavs to a title in the future, the end of the 2023 season instantly jumps up into at least an honorable mention

[@marlowencna]

Lottery Games: Participant: Bottom 8 Teams (23rd to 30th) Format: Single round robin - 23-24: 5 Home 2 Away - 25-26: 4 H 3 A - 27-28: 3 H 4 A - 29-30: 2 H 5 A Winner: Guaranteed top 3 pick.

[@leonj301]

The Spurs do a incredible job at tanking ...

[@Subaruu1337]

now we’re gonna see teams tank harder this year cuz of Flagg

[@AngelMejia559]

There’s only going to be like 3 West teams tanking

[@simondelwal8279]

flag aint wemby in terms of hype

[@sniper666hell]

In 84 portland traded for the Pacers #2 pick and famously chose Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. Tanking didn’t get them Jordan. Portlands stupidity did.

[@shorewall]

Now do the most unsuccessful tanking moments. :D

[@rudyardganuelas6254]

The process is my top pick for that category

[@rngfootball759]

96-97 Celtics. Worst Celtics team ever and had 2 lottery picks. Ended with Chauncey and Mercer. Passed up on McGrady. Pitino one of the worst coaching/GM hires in Boston sports history until the Red Sox hired Bobby V

[@arizonaFIREent]

​@@rngfootball759as a Cs fan 06-07 was the worst but they weren't tanking just bad

[@arizonaFIREent]

​@@rngfootball759I forgot the sox hired that clown after Terry smh

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

The problem with The Process was though the Sixers got a half dozen top draft picks, *they all turned into busts* except for Embiid. So the tanking lasted longer than they had planned. Even Embiid was injured and didn't play a full season until his 4th year. Meanwhile, all the teams in this video tanked for one year, luckily got their franchise player and was set.

[@h0hleek]

The spurs only have been led by Big men for the most part

[@blog_ni_bam1985]

11:35 matt barnes catchin stray

[@alexvill98]

Low key the Pacers shoulda had Jordan 😂 I did a little extra digging since I knew that Portland picked 2nd in the 84 draft and infamously took Sam Bowie because they already had Drexler but the video reminded me that it was supposed to be the pacers picking 2nd if it weren’t for a trade in 81 in which the pacers sent a 1984 first round pick (which ended up being the 2nd overall pick) to Portland for C Tom Owens 😂

[@Blitz_Effect09]

He best this year was probably the rockets losing their last 2 games which gave them a better chance to get a higher pick. Which turned into the no 3 pick that got reed sheppard

[@shavbobster33]

The Spurs tanked not only because Robinson was hurt but all but one of their starters were out with injury. The only starter that played the season was an old Dominque Wilkins.

[@nikki-op4xj]

honorable mention : mavs tanking 2 years ago for lively Miami for Wade (although technically they were tanking for bosh , - kind of like bulls were tanking for hakeem but came out on top in the draft anyway )

[@F1derful.]

there isn’t really a way to completely stop the practice of tanking. It’s so easy to tank games through lineup changes alone. The only way to combat this is to lessen the incentive to tank

[@garysalazar5279]

Make a video about worst tank jobs

[@rowdycmoore]

All this is why American sports DESPERATELY need relegation. Spurs should have been kicked out of the league and forced to refund all of their season ticket holders' money for those tank jobs.

[@dominiclee5786]

1987 San Antonio Spurs tanked to get David Robinson 1997 San Antonio Spurs tanked to get Tim Duncan 2023 San Antonio Spurs tanked to get Victor Wembanyama 2025 San Antonio Spurs tanked to get Cooper Flagg

[@bdawg2690]

The warriors tanked in 2020 but drafted a bust 😂

[@brucelau2023]

Who else misses the saxophone

[@michaelvansant273]

Getting David Robinson and then Timmy is just the luck of all Luck

[@cocheeeng69]

Andy hoops i knew u were a spurs fan 😂

[@JuanGarcia-bz3lj]

Don’t let this distract you from the fact that the rockets could have walked out of the 84 draft with drexler Jordan and Olajuwon

[@rambus019]

The Spurs tanked the 2024-25 season to pick the Flagg and start a dinasty

[@SadfoxGuyver]

Spurs invented it while the Blazers and Wizards are lot souls

[@malocho540]

Tanking is a big reason why American sports can’t be taken seriously

[@1607Adi_Manz]

why

[@heavenisonlyopenforsingle]

2022-2023 season, Spurs also did tanking, resulting to last seed on Western Conference to secure Victor Wembenyama at 1st pick

[@jasonnapper6076]

Cavs really tanked for lebron just to never put talent around him during his first stint in Cleveland. Imagine how much better the first in Cleveland it would of been for lebron if they at least didnt trade all 3 of them.

[@Mezukage27]

76ers tanking: lets draft 3 centers(Embiid, Okafur, Noel) and 2 PGs(Fultz and Simmons). we dont need to draft on needs. we need to be brain dead and draft the best players. 76ers currently have the best dynasty in the league....oh wait...

[@NijThaGreat]

Spurs are the hall of fame tankers lol

[@leejeferson8367]

Can you imagine ray allen, lewis, and durant

[@_will795]

So maybe it’s a good thing my life is tanking

[@odie1584]

2017 Mavericks

[@jerrylanary4889]

Make a video, Tanking that never got a No. 1 pick. Like the 2011-2012 Bobcats where they won 7 in a season but never got the 2012 No. 1 pick.

[@goriotv2023]

The Boston Celtics had no luck in tanking. So they did the other way stockpiling draft picks and trade their assets to get a better players.

[@ACFord]

After listening to your opening line, now it "makes sense" what the Lakers are doing. They drafted Bronny, not just because of LeBron, THEY'RE TANKING. Can anyone say, "Trust the process."

[@legoson21]

I wouldn’t say it’s a complete success yet but Orlando traded there top 3 scorers (vuc, Fournier, ag) tanked for Paulo the next season. Got the Wagner brothers, Wendell Carter, hired a good coach. Clearly I’m an Orlando fan lol

[@cruddell]

You should let me instruct you on the past perfect tense ☺

[@ericveneto1593]

Did San Antonio consider trading their top,player going into the Robinson tank?

[@IEmulateGames]

The facr that my Spurs are on this list 2 times is WILD! If Wemby stays healthy, then it should be 3!

[@bossg2817]

Compared to Sixers, they tanked hard over the years for just a 2nd round exit.

[@pouncingpantherpucks2779]

Wow…I guess there really in no losing in the NBA😂

[@PacsMental]

craziest thing is, Cleveland wouldve still most likely have gotten LeBron anyway without trading away Miller, Murray and Pearson at all. just sit them out. Nobody was checkin on the Cavs and plus There was Melo, Bosh, Wade as well in the draft, so they couldve surrounded LeBron with a solid team to win early

[@KrazyDom]

Notice with the spurs it’s always the big man that changes their fortune

[@RudieObias]

You forgot the 2022-2023 San Antonio Spurs to get the No. 1 pick and draft Wemby. 😅

[@LawrenceSagli.s]

The Pistons Tank to Get Kilian Hayes

[@slim856]

can you make a video on jonathan kuminga

[@jcruise24]

Sam Hinkie always looks like he silently farted, with intent to harm, and is patiently waiting someone to get the first whiff of it. Shower thoughts, unrelated to video…

[@depekthegreat359]

Hilarious honestly for the respective teams to doing like this but they were smart though,good friends!!!👍🏾

[@BENEDICTSEBASTIANVILORIA]

2008 Golden state Warrioris