With Wednesday’s victory over Portland, the Kings sealed a playoff spot. Sacramento’s victory also ended the longest postseason drought in the four major North American sports leagues, since the Kings haven’t made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season.
While the Kings had been out of the playoffs for a long time, they did not hold the record for the longest drought. The Seattle Mariners had owned that record until they made the playoffs in 2022, their first postseason appearance since 2001.
Seattle won the wild card series before being swept by the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series. The Kings hope to escape a similar situation, as they will most likely have a home-court advantage in their first-round matchup.
With that considered, here are the current 12 longest postseason droughts in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
1. New York Jets — 12 seasons (last appearance: 2010)
Over the previous decade, two New York fan bases have suffered greatly. The Jets have not entered the playoffs since Mark Sanchez was quarterback and Rex Ryan was head coach in 2010 when they defeated the Patriots in the divisional round and advanced to the AFC title game for the second time in a row.
The Jets gradually deteriorated from then, appearing to reach their lowest point in 2020 with a 2-14 record. Following a 7-10 season in 2022, the Jets’ current postseason drought became the longest in franchise history, having missed the playoffs in every season from 1970 to 1980.
However, Aaron Rodgers has expressed his goal to play for the Jets in 2023, so there may be hope for Gang Green.
2. Buffalo Sabres — 11 seasons (last appearance: 2010-11).
Since 2011, the Sabres have consistently finished last or close to last in their division. Four seasons into their drought, Buffalo drafted Jack Eichel with the second overall pick and dealt the budding star in 2022. The Sabres’ playoff drought is the longest in NHL history, and it will most certainly extend to 12 seasons in a few weeks since they will require a lot of help to make the 2023 playoffs.
T-3. Detroit Tigers—Eight seasons (last appearance in 2014).
The Tigers have not made the postseason since Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander were in the starting rotation. They’ve only had one winning season in that time, with a terrible 47-114 record in 2019.
T-3. Los Angeles Angels—Eight seasons (last appearance in 2014).
The epic Shohei Ohtani-Mike Trout showdown in the World Baseball Classic title game was the only time viewers witnessed the two studs competing in a high-stakes game. Trout has been in only three playoff games in his career, and the Angels have not advanced to the playoffs since Ohtani joined the organization in 2018.
T-5. Kansas City Royals—Seven seasons (last participation in 2015).
The Royals ascended to the pinnacle of baseball in 2015, winning the World Series after losing in seven games on the sport’s biggest stage the previous year. Kansas City had one of baseball’s worst records in 2022.
T-5. Pittsburgh Pirates — Seven seasons (last appearance: 2015)
The Pirates had three consecutive playoff berths (2013-15), but they have not recovered since the Cubs defeated them in the 2015 NL wild-card round.
T-5. Charlotte Hornets – Seven seasons (last appearance: 2015-16).
The Hornets almost made the playoffs in 2022. They made the Play-In Tournament but were eliminated in the first game. Many expected LaMelo Ball to continue his growth and help Charlotte make the playoffs in 2023, but injuries hindered his season, and they’re now chasing the No. 1 overall pick.
T-5. Denver Broncos — Seven seasons (last appearance: 2015)
The Broncos have not made the playoffs since their spectacular Super Bowl victory to top off the 2015 season. That, of course, was Peyton Manning’s last game. Denver just traded for quarterback Russell Wilson in the hopes of correcting its long-standing quarterback problem, but the move did little to help. The Broncos hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton during the summer, believing he was the missing piece to their playoff success.
T-9. Texas Rangers—six seasons (last appearance in 2016).
The Rangers were a postseason regular last decade, reaching the playoffs five times in seven seasons from 2010 to 2016. Despite adding Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to large salaries, they still finished near the bottom of the league in 2022. They used their 2023 offseason money on pitchers, signing Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney.
T-9. Baltimore Orioles—six seasons (last participation in 2016).
The Orioles struck the reset button shortly after their last postseason participation in 2016, which resulted in three extremely dismal seasons in 2018 (47 wins), 2019 (54 wins), and 2021 (52 wins).
Things may be changing in Baltimore, however, as it has one of the game’s most exciting young groups of players. In 2022, the Orioles finished 83-79 in a loaded American League East.
T-9. Detroit Red Wings — Six seasons (last appearance: 2015-16).
Long-time Red Wings fans have been surprised by the team’s recent success. Before its current slump, the organization enjoyed a 25-year playoff streak. The Red Wings’ streak is expected to continue in 2023 since they will need to make up a lot of ground down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs.
T-9. Detroit Lions—six seasons (last participation in 2016).
Detroit supporters haven’t had much to shout about in recent seasons, but the Lions appear to be on the upswing. They were only one game away from making the playoffs in 2022, finishing 9-8 since a Seattle Seahawks loss in the last week of the season would have pushed them to the postseason.
