Basketball glossary : Tanking

Published on January 30, 2026 4 min. reading

Here at Paris Basketball, we play to win. Every possession counts. In the NBA ? It’s a different story. Sometimes losing becomes the best strategy for winning tomorrow. Welcome to the cynical and fascinating world of tanking.

Définition du tanking : Perdre pour mieux régner

Forget relegation. In the NBA, it doesn’t exist; teams play in a closed league. And that’s what makes tanking possible.

So what is tanking? Basically, a team deliberately sabotages its own season. The goal? To finish with the worst record possible.

Why? Because of the NBA Draft. This recruitment system favours the worst teams. The lowest-ranked teams get the best odds in the ‘Lottery’ (the draft) to choose the best young talent on the planet first.

Tanking isn’t about asking players to miss shots. Players want their stats and their contracts. Tanking comes from the ‘Front Office’ (the managers). There are basically three main points:

– Trading your best veterans for future draft picks.

– Resting your stars for ‘diplomatic injuries’ (sore toe, general fatigue).

– Giving 35 minutes of playing time to inexperienced G-League players.

It’s a cold mathematical calculation. The more you lose, the more likely you are to draft the next Michael Jordan or Victor Wembanyama. It’s an investment in short-term failure for maximum long-term profit.

The place of tanking in modern basketball

Tanking has become an industrial strategy. It’s the royal road for ‘small markets’ that don’t attract superstars during free agency.

Today, the NBA is trying to combat this scourge that is damaging the spectacle. Adam Silver, the league’s boss, reformed the odds in 2019. Now, the three worst teams all have a 14% chance of getting the first pick. Before, the worst team had 25%. The goal? To discourage the ‘race to mediocrity’.

However, tanking remains central. Take the 2022-2023 season, for example. We witnessed a historic race to the bottom of the standings between the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons. The prize? Victor Wembanyama. The French prospect was considered a ‘once-in-a-generation’ talent. His mere presence justified seasons with 20 wins and 62 losses.

In the collective imagination, tanking is divisive. For purists, it is a disgrace, an insult to the spirit of competition. For analysts and data fans, it is pragmatism. It is accepting hardship in order to build a dynasty. Teams that remain in the ‘middle ground’ (too strong to draft high, too weak to win the title) are the ones that suffer the most (hello, Bulls). Tanking is the escape route from this mediocrity.

The figures of tanking : Architects and Commanders

Tanking has its faces. There are the architects (the managers) and the unwitting executors (the players).

The absolute master: Sam Hinkie. Former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers. He is the father of ‘The Process’. Between 2013 and 2016, he dismantled his team with unprecedented violence. He racked up historic defeats (a record of 10-72 in 2016). The fans chanted ‘Trust the Process’. The result? He drafted Joel Embiid (MVP 2023). Hinkie was fired by the league, but his philosophy won out. He proved that total destruction is the shortest route to pure talent.

The Opportunist: Gregg Popovich. The legendary Spurs coach. In 1997, David Robinson was injured. Popovich did not force him to return. He tanked the season. The result? Tim Duncan was drafted. Five NBA titles followed. In 2023, he did it again. He cleared out the roster. The result? Victor Wembanyama was drafted. Popovich doesn’t lose often, but when he does, he wins the jackpot.

The ‘Tank Commanders’: These are the players who are given the keys to the truck to drive into the wall. They score points, put on a show, but don’t win games for the team. A recent example: Jordan Poole of the Washington Wizards. Spectacular plays, non-existent defence, and a lot of losses. Perfect for rebuilding.

A legendary play : The ‘Process’ validated

It’s not a basket. It’s not a dunk. The most legendary play related to tanking is the opening of an envelope.

16 May 2023. The NBA Lottery. The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a terrible season, deliberately sabotaged. Brian Wright (GM of the Spurs) is sitting in a room in Chicago. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum turns over the giant card. The Spurs logo appears for the number one pick.

This is the culmination of tanking. In a second, the franchise goes from the basement to the spotlight. They get the rights to Victor Wembanyama. The value of the franchise instantly skyrockets by £370 million. This image symbolises the victory of strategy over sportsmanship. The sacrifice paid off. Tanking has won. Now Wemby is writing his page in Spurs history, and Spurs history continues.