Where Pistons’ Dreadful 28-Game Losing Streak Ranks in North American Pro Sports History

The 2023-24 Detroit Pistons are historic for all the wrong reasons.

The 2023-24 Detroit Pistons are bad. Comically bad. Historically bad. Plug in whatever adjective you’d like, the Pistons are that bad.

Detroit finally ended its historic losing streak Saturday at 28 games after beating the Toronto Raptors 129–127 at Little Caesars Arena. 

The Pistons already own the NBA’s longest single-season losing streak but fell just short of claiming the title of longest losing streak in North American professional sports history.

There are seven teams in NBA, NFL and MLB history that have slumped to 26 or more straight losses. (Note: The longest losing streak in WNBA history is 20 games, and the worst losing skid in NHL history is 18 contests, so those leagues mercifully did not make the cut. Lucky for them.) 

Let’s dive in:

t-4. 1889 Louisville Colonels (MLB)—26 straight losses

Who could forget outfielder Jimmy “Chicken” Wolf and the 1889 Colonels? 

Competing in the MLB-recognized American Association, Louisville was the first major league team to lose more than 100 games in a season. The Colonels piled up 26 straight losses from May to July, a stretch in which they played just three games at home.

t-4. 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)—26 straight losses

The gorgeous creamsicle Buccaneers jerseys unfortunately call back to a time where winning was scarce in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs went 0–14 in 1976, their first season as an NFL expansion franchise, with mostly aging veterans on the roster. They failed to score a touchdown until their fourth game.

The following year, Tampa Bay started 0–12 before beating the New Orleans Saints 33–14 and the St. Louis Cardinals 17–7 to close out the season.

“What a nightmare,” Saints coach Hank Stram said after becoming the first team to lose to the Bucs. “It was the worst experience of my coaching career. We’re all ashamed for our people, for our fans, for our organization.”

t-4. 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)—26 straight losses

The first season of 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie’s “Trust the Process” era lands on this list, as the team lost 26 straight games from Jan. 31 to March 27, 2014.

Incredibly, the 76ers still didn’t have the worst record in the NBA that season after the long skid. That belonged to the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished the year 15–67, four games worse than Philadelphia (19–63).

The 76ers landed the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NBA draft and used it to select eventual MVP Joel Embiid.

t-4. 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)—26 straight losses

While LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, the Cavaliers were stranded without much talent. 

A 34-year-old Antawn Jamison and a 31-year-old Baron Davis were the leading scorers on this 19-win Cavs team, which dropped 26 games from Dec. 20, 2010, to Feb. 9, 2011. That skid included an embarrassing 112–57 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, in which Cleveland shot 29.9% from the field and 7.1% from three-point range.

Cleveland went on to win the 2011 draft lottery and select Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick.

t-2. 2014-16 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)—28 straight losses

Hello again, Sam Hinkie.

The 76ers went 251 days without a win at one point, finishing the 2014-15 season with 10 losses and starting the 2015-16 campaign with an 0–18 record. They ended the drought by defeating the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who played his final game in his hometown of Philadelphia that night.

Philadelphia lost its next 12 games and endured two more lengthy losing streaks of 12 and 13 contests before their 2015-16 season ended with just 10 wins.

t-2. 2023-24 Detroit Pistons (NBA)—28 straight losses

The Pistons began the year 2–1, defeating the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls before plummeting to 28 straight losses.

Detroit allowed opponents to score at least 120 points in 18 of those 28 consecutive losses, infamously depriving fans of five free Wingstop wings with every loss.

The Pistons finally ended the drought Saturday with a win over the Raptors, who were playing shorthanded after trading forward OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks a few hours before tipoff.

1. 1942-45 Chicago Cardinals (NFL)—29 straight losses

The only other team in North American pro sports history to have a worse losing streak than the 2023-24 Pistons are the Chicago Cardinals, an NFL franchise that now resides in Arizona.

The Cardinals finished the 1942 season with three straight losses and went 0–10 in ’43. In 1944, they combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers to make up a temporary merger team dubbed “Card-Pitt,” a necessity due to the loss of many players to World War II service. The 1945 Cardinals went 1–9 but ended their losing streak at 29 games by defeating the crosstown-rival Chicago Bears, 16–7, at Wrigley Field.