During the NBA’s 2024-25 season, the Southeast Division set league records. They weren’t good records.
The Orlando Magic won the division by going just 41-41 in the regular season, which means the other four teams in the Southeast were under the .500 mark. Combined, the division’s winning percentage was .378, with Orlando followed in the standings by the Atlanta Hawks (40-42), Miami Heat (37-45), Charlotte Hornets (19-63) and Washington Wizards (18-64).
Since the NBA began splitting up teams by both conferences and divisions in 1970, there’s never been a division with a worse combined record than the Southeast last year. The Central Division in 1970-71 held the record for more than a half-century, with the Baltimore Bullets (42-40), Hawks (36-46), Cincinnati Royals (33-49) and Cleveland Cavaliers (15-67) combining for a .384 winning percentage that season.
The Southeast teams were outscored by a combined 1,824 points in 2024-25, another dubious distinction. The Wizards alone were outscored by 909 points in games against teams from the other five divisions — also a record no one wants — and along with the Hornets, they made the Southeast the first division in a decade to have two teams fail to win at least 20 games.
“We want to be better than that,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “I want to be better than that.”