1) Most field goals missed: Kobe Bryant (14,481)

There was an obvious narrative in 2014 when Bryant broke the missed field goals record. Many were quick to label it as the latest instance in a long line of selfish play detrimental to his team. It didn’t help that the Lakers were flailing to a historically terrible start to that season, one that ended with a franchise record 61 losses. But here’s the thing: You don’t break the record for field goals missed unless you’re a legendary enough scorer to get the necessary amount of opportunities. It was the same case for Bryant’s predecessor John Havlicek, who held the field goal misses record for almost 40 years. When Havlicek set the record in ’74-’75, he surpassed another all-time elite scorer, Elgin Baylor. And guess who’s on track to soon surpass Bryant? LeBron James, of course. At the time of his 2016 retirement, Bryant was also fifth in career field goals made and third in career points.

2) Most free throws missed: Wilt Chamberlain (5,805)

There’s a simple truth to this one, and it’s that Chamberlain was a flat-out terrible free throw shooter. He shot just 51.1% on free throws in his career and he attempted a lot of them. 11,862 of them, to be exact, which is still second in NBA history as of this writing. Meanwhile, Chamberlain’s 6,057 career free throws made is not even in the top 20 all-time anymore. Long before Hack-a-Shaq, teams would employ Jilt-a-Wilt to send Chamberlain to the charity stripe. This was a strategy of respect, attempting to neutralize Chamberlain by exploiting the only noticeable Achilles’ heel in his otherwise impenetrable offensive arsenal. It’s unsurprising that Shaquille O’Neal, a 52.7% career free throw shooter, sits second on the all-time missed free throw list with 5,317 and third is their free throw missing kindred spirit, Dwight Howard.

3) Most personal fouls: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4,657)
4) Most technical fouls: Rasheed Wallace (317)

A rare record that Wilt Chamberlain never threatened and LeBron James won’t either. In fact, Abdul-Jabbar might hold this one forever as modern NBA players are committing a minuscule amount of fouls in comparison to their predecessors. Befitting a player who is also the all-time leader in career minutes played, third in rebounds, and third in blocks, Abdul-Jabbar committed 4,657 personal fouls. Karl Malone came within 100 fouls of breaking it but no one has been close since. Take for example James, who has just 2,682 fouls as of this writing, while the current active career leader is Kyle Lowry with only 3,099. Even more unlikely to be broken is Wallace’s record for technical fouls. Granted, it’s not even a guarantee that Wallace is the record holder, as NBA tracking of technical fouls before the late ’90s was spotty, at best, and some claim Jerry Sloan is the actual record holder. Either way, Wallace’s mark, is impossible to match under current rules, where technical fouls trigger automatic suspensions.

5) Lowest career field goal percentage (minimum 100 attempts): Moe Becker (19.72%)

He was a legend on the New York playgrounds, an all-time great at Duquesne University, and a star player for several barnstorming teams, but things didn’t work out so well for Becker in the pro ranks. Playing for three different teams in his one and only NBA season (the inaugural one in ’46-’47), Becker shot 358 field goal attempts and made just 70 of them. At 19.72%, it stands as the worst career shooting performance ever by a player with at least 100 attempts. It’s also indicative of offensive strategy in the early NBA, where players would largely just throw the ball at the basket with impunity, hoping it would fall semi-regularly. Ergo, the field goal percentage league leader in ’46-’47 was Bob Feerick at only 40.1%. In the modern era, the worst career shooting percentage with at least 100 attempts belongs to Shane Heal, who shot just 27.3% in 49 games.

“Throughout his career, O’Neal seemingly had a penchant for joining teams right after they reached the NBA Finals or leaving them right before they made it all the way.”

6) Most games played without a playoff appearance: Tom Van Arsdale (929)

Over 12 seasons with five franchises, Van Arsdale never made a playoff appearance. He never even played for a team with a winning record and it gets even worse when you drill into the details. He was part of the worst team in NBA history, the ’72-’73 76ers that lost 73 games. During the ’66-’67 season, he was traded from the Pistons to the Royals. The Pistons subsequently made the playoffs, grabbing the last spot by one game in the standings ahead of the Royals. In ’76-’77 he was reunited with his twin brother and collegiate teammate Dick via trade to the Suns. Phoenix was coming off an NBA Finals appearance in 1976 but with both Van Arsdales on the roster, followed it up with a disappointing 34-48 campaign. This was apparently the last straw for Van Arsdale, who retired that spring. He also holds the record for most career points without a playoff appearance, at 14,232.

7) Most playoff appearances without an NBA Finals appearance: Jermaine O’Neal (14)

Thrown right into the postseason fire as a 19-year-old rookie with the Trail Blazers, O’Neal went on to reach the playoffs 14 times in his 18-year career, but never further than the Conference Finals. Those two Conference Finals appearances came in 2000 with Portland, when they blew a big lead late in game seven, and in 2004 with the Pacers, who were about to have their roster decimated by the “Malice at the Palace” suspensions. It’s part of a career full of bad luck and near misses for O’Neal. He was traded to the Pacers in 2000 right after they made an NBA Finals appearance. He left the Heat in 2010 as a free agent so the team could make room for LeBron James and Chris Bosh. He signed later that summer with the Celtics, who were coming off a 2010 Finals appearance. Finally, O’Neal retired as a member of the Warriors in 2014, and they went on to win a title in the ensuing season.

8) Most playoff appearances without a title: Karl Malone and John Stockton (19)

’85-’86 was Stockton’s second season and Malone’s rookie campaign and they teamed up to lead the Jazz to the playoffs. They lost in the first round to the Mavericks, with Malone struggling in the decisive game four. Talk about a harbinger. It was the start of 18 consecutive playoff appearances for the duo, which included 18 series victories, five Conference Finals appearances, two NBA Finals runs, and no titles. Before Malone and Stockton came along, Elgin Baylor held the records for most career postseason points, rebounds, and assists without a championship. Malone easily surpassed him in points and rebounds, while Stockton shattered the assists record. Malone is also the record holder for playoff games played without a title with 193, with Stockton second. As of this writing, James Harden is the active leader in all of those categories, including 15 appearances and counting.

9) Lowest points per game average (minimum 100 games played): Mario West (1.0)

He came to Georgia Tech as a walk-on, rose to the ranks of team captain, then was a surprising un-drafted free agent signing of the Hawks in 2007. What set West apart was his defensive intensity, which earned him the nickname “Truck.” Offense was another story. In 162 appearances over four NBA seasons, West scored 154 total points, good for 0.951 per game (which the NBA technically rounds up to 1.0). He went completely scoreless in 108 games, i.e., he didn’t score a point in two out of every three career appearances. His career high was 13 points and he broke double-digits just one other time. After three seasons with the Hawks and a cup of coffee with the Nets, West continued his career overseas, putting up much higher stats in pro leagues in Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Italy.

10) Most career playoff turnovers: LeBron James (975)

This is the kind of thing that happens when you’re essentially the entire offense. That’s been the case for James in a large portion of his 287 playoff appearances, especially with the Cavaliers. He was usually the main ball handler in Miami as well, with the underwhelming Mario Chalmers starting at point guard. James’ 94 turnovers during the 2018 playoffs broke the single season record previously held by his former Heat teammate Dwyane Wade (it’s since been broken again by Jayson Tatum). It’s worth noting that James also had a career high 198 assists in that 2018 postseason, the highest total ever for a non point guard. James is all over the career playoff leaderboard, holding the record for not just most turnovers but also points, steals, win shares, field goals, and free throws, and he’s second in assists, rebounds, and three-point field goals.

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