Fourteen players own at least 500 turnovers in the playoffs. Two of those in the top 14 are current players that could make the playoffs this year and break their way into the top 10, given how their postseason goes. James Harden is ranked 11th with 520 playoff turnovers in 149 games, and Durant owns 501 playoff turnovers in 155 games. Only one player in the 500-turnover club is active, and he owns the record by a large margin.
- 10. Michael Jordan – 546 Turnovers (3.1 Per Game)
- 9. Karl Malone – 550 Turnovers (2.9 Per Game)
- 8. Dwyane Wade – 583 Turnovers (3.3 Per Game)
- 7. Tony Parker – 594 Turnovers (2.6 Per Game)
- 6. Scottie Pippen – 602 Turnovers (2.8 Per Game)
- 5. Tim Duncan – 633 Turnovers (2.5 Per Game)
- 4. Kobe Bryant – 647 Turnovers (2.9 Per Game)
- 3. Shaquille O’Neal – 649 Turnovers (3.0 Per Game)
- 2. Magic Johnson – 696 Turnovers (3.7 Per Game)
- 1. LeBron James – 975 Turnovers (3.7 Per Game)
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LeBron James owns the most turnovers in the playoffs, but that comes with the territory. After all, when you make 10 NBA Finals appearances in your career, that means you have plenty of opportunities to have the ball in your hands. With that said, some other players have played nearly just as many games and have taken care of the ball. You might be surprised by who has the most turnovers in NBA playoff history compared to LeBron when you compare the numbers.
10. Michael Jordan – 546 Turnovers (3.1 Per Game)
Jordan averaged over 4.0 turnovers per game three times in his playoff career. The first time came during the 1986 playoffs when he averaged 43.7 points on the side with 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. That also came with 4.7 turnovers per game. The second time came during the 1989 playoffs when he averaged 4.0 turnovers. His line included 34.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.
The last time came in the 1995 playoffs, which was the year he came out of retirement. Jordan was not at full speed but still managed to average 31.5 points per game in the playoffs. Jordan’s 4.1 turnovers were combined with 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He came close to a 4.0 turnover during the 1988 playoffs when he averaged 3.9 and his rookie season in 1985 when he averaged 3.8.
9. Karl Malone – 550 Turnovers (2.9 Per Game)
Given that Malone and Jordan met in two NBA Finals, it’s wild to think that Malone beat out Jordan by just four turnovers. Malone finished with at least 4.0 turnovers or more three times. The first time was when he averaged 4.3 turnovers during the 1989 playoffs. That was with 30.7 points and 16.3 rebounds. He averaged 4.0 turnovers in the 1993 and 2003 playoffs.
His best year came when he averaged 1.5 turnovers in his rookie season. When Malone made the run to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, he averaged 2.7 and 3.0 turnovers, respectively. Malone came close to four turnovers in the 2001 playoffs but finished with 3.8 per game.
8. Dwyane Wade – 583 Turnovers (3.3 Per Game)
When Wade was the primary ball handler for the Heat, he was fairly careless with the ball. When you have someone averaging over 27.0 points per game for two years, that is bound to happen. His rookie season saw Wade average 4.2 turnovers. That was followed by 4.4 turnovers in his second year. When the Heat won the 2006 championship, and Wade was the Finals MVP winner, he averaged 3.9 turnovers. The team’s title defense didn’t go well, as Wade averaged a career-high in the playoffs with 5.8 turnovers.
Wade averaged over 5.0 turnovers a second time in the 2010 playoffs when he averaged 5.2, but that was with a career-high in scoring with 33.2 points. When LeBron James came to town, Wade had 3.0, 3.0, 2.6, and 2.7 turnovers during those four years when the team made the NBA Finals.
7. Tony Parker – 594 Turnovers (2.6 Per Game)
Call this a recognition of the number of playoff appearances he made with the Spurs. Parker made the playoffs every season between 2002 and 2018. During that time, he averaged over 4.0 turnovers just once. That was during the 2009 playoffs when he averaged d4.2 per game to go with a career-high in scoring 28.6 points and 6.8 assists.
For the most part, Parker was pretty tame for someone that was the team’s primary ball handler. Parker’s next highest amount was when he averaged 3.3 turnovers, something he did in the 2007 and 2011 playoffs. The 2007 playoff run was when Parker was named the Finals MVP.
6. Scottie Pippen – 602 Turnovers (2.8 Per Game)
Six players own at least 600 career turnovers in the playoffs. Scottie Pippen played a few more years in the league than Jordan, so his total should be higher. Jordan didn’t play in the 1994 playoffs with the Bulls and then left the league for three seasons. During that stretch, Pippen played in the 1999 playoffs with the Rockets and then the 2000 and 2001 playoffs with the Trail Blazers.
For his longevity, Pippen was rewarded with stacking up the turnovers. Pippen never had more than 3.4 turnovers for a playoff run. He averaged 2.4 turnovers in 1990 and then again in 1995. Seven times Pippen averaged at least 3.0 turnovers or more. That is not too bad, given that he was not the team’s point guard.
5. Tim Duncan – 633 Turnovers (2.5 Per Game)
Duncan made the playoffs every season between 1998 and 2016. It’s one of the greatest runs we have ever seen from a player. The five-time champion enters the top-5, but he is the player that you should keep an eye on. As we approach the record for turnovers in the playoffs, it should be noted that Duncan played in 251 playoff games. LeBron played in 266 playoff games. Granted, the ball was in LeBron’s a lot more, but we are talking about a legendary player in Duncan, after all.
Duncan averaged more than 4.0 turnovers two times. The first time came when he averaged 4.1 in the 2002 playoffs. He also averaged 27.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.3 blocks. Duncan averaged 4.2 turnovers in the 2004 playoffs, when he also averaged 22.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks. His best playoff run was when he averaged 1.1 turnovers in 2014, when he won his fifth championship. Duncan was able to rely on Kawhi Leonard at the time, but he also contributed 17.9 points and 11.1 rebounds.
4. Kobe Bryant – 647 Turnovers (2.9 Per Game)
Bryant averaged over 4.0 turnovers per game two times. That was the post-Shaq era in back-to-back seasons. Bryant averaged 4.7 turnovers during the 2006 playoffs and then 4.4 turnovers in the 2007 playoffs. When the Lakers brought Pau Gasol to the team, that second superstar helped. Bryant averaged 3.3 turnovers in 2008, 2.6 turnovers in 2009, and 3.4 turnovers in 2010. All three years, the Lakers made the NBA Finals, and Bryant was the Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010 when the team won the championship.
The Lakers also won three championships between 2000 to 2002. During that time, the Lakers relied heavily on Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant averaged 2.5, 3.2, and 2.8 turnovers during those title run. The Lakers made the NBA Finals in 2004 as well, where Bryant averaged 2.8 turnovers.
3. Shaquille O’Neal – 649 Turnovers (3.0 Per Game)
O’Neal played in the NBA Finals six times in his career and made an appearance with three different teams. His first appearance came with the Magic in 1995. It was his second year in the league, and he even picked up a series win over Michael Jordan and the Bulls. O’Neal averaged 3.5 turnovers that time. He eventually joined the Lakers and helped the team win three championships between 2000 and 2002. During that run, O’Neal won three straight Finals MVP Awards. He also averaged 2.4, 3.6, and 3.3 turnovers.
The Lakers played in the NBA Finals in 2004 as well. O’Neal averaged 2.5 turnovers that time. He joined the Heat the following season, and the team made the NBA Finals in 2006. O’Neal averaged 3.7 turnovers, which tied his career-worst with the 1996 playoffs. O’Neal never averaged more than 4.0 turnovers, which is incredible given that he had three playoffs where he averaged more than 30.0 points per game.
2. Magic Johnson – 696 Turnovers (3.7 Per Game)
Maybe Jonson would have hit 1,000 turnovers for his playoff career if he didn’t have to retire early. That four years’ worth of playoff minutes could have resulted in deep playoff runs. In the end, Johnson remains second on the list. The “Showtime” Lakers began with Johnson running the show. The team won five championships in the 1980s, and it was one of the greatest decades in team history.
Johnson owns five playoffs with at least 4.0 turnovers or more. His first playoff experience in 1980 featured 4.1 turnovers. He reached 4.3 turnovers in the 1983 playoffs and then 4.0 turnovers in 1985. His last two times came in the 1990 and 1991 playoffs with 4.0 and 4.1, respectively. Johnson owns just one year where he averaged less than 3.0 turnovers per game. That was in 1987, when he averaged his best line of 2.8 turnovers.
1. LeBron James – 975 Turnovers (3.7 Per Game)
It depends how you want to spin this. You could say that LeBron is the worst at taking care of the ball, or you can acknowledge that he has made the NBA Finals ten times in his career. If you do the math, that is a lot of games, especially when some of those teams featured James as the sole player leading the way. In comparison to Jordan, James won 266 playoff games, while Jordan played in the playoffs 179 times. That is an 87-game difference.
In his first playoff experience, James averaged 5.0 turnovers with 30.8 points per game. He settled down after that and made the NBA Finals in 2007. He averaged 3.3 turnovers. James then averaged 4.2 turnovers per game in the 2008 playoffs. Between 2011 and 2014, James made the NBA Finals each year with the Heat. During that span, he averaged 3.1, 3.5, 3.0, and 3.1 turnovers with two championships and a Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013. Then, he made the NBA Finals each year between 2015 and 2018 with the Cavaliers. During that span, he averaged 4.1, 3.6, 4.0, and 4.3 turnovers. James won the Finals MVP in 2016 when the team won the title. He won another title with the Lakers in 2020 when he averaged 4.0 turnovers, but he also averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. In the end, his usage rate has always been high, which means that the turnovers were going to come.
