# 1998–99 NBA season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year collective bargaining agreement was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. All 29 teams played a shortened 50-game-per-team regular season schedule and the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs played a full post-season schedule. That season's All-Star Game, which would have been held in Philadelphia, was also canceled. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the 1999 NBA Finals. This was the 50th season since the BAA and NBL had merged into the NBA.

## Lockout

The third lockout in the history of the NBA lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999. NBA owners were seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary.
As the labor dispute continued into September, the preseason was shortened to just two games instead of the normal eight, and training camps were postponed indefinitely. By October, it became the first time in NBA history that games were canceled due to a labor dispute. Further games were canceled by November and December, including the league's Christmas games (which had been played on an annual basis since 1947) and All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to be played on February 14, 1999. The preseason consisted of 2 exhibition games.
An agreement between the owners and players was eventually reached on January 18, 1999. When play resumed, the regular season was shortened to 50 games per team, as opposed to the normal 82. To preserve games between teams in the same conference, much of the time missed was made up for by skipping well over half of the games played between teams in the opposite conference. As a result, some teams did not meet each other at all during the course of the shortened season.

## Notable occurrences

Coaching changes :
| Offseason |||
| Team | 1997–98 coach | 1998–99 coach |
| Chicago Bulls | Phil Jackson | Tim Floyd |
| Denver Nuggets | Bill Hanzlik | Mike D'Antoni |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Bill Fitch | Chris Ford |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Chris Ford | George Karl |
| Sacramento Kings | Eddie Jordan | Rick Adelman |
| Seattle SuperSonics | George Karl | Paul Westphal |
| In-season |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Charlotte Hornets | Dave Cowens | Paul Silas |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Del Harris | Bill Bertka |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Bertka | Kurt Rambis |
| New Jersey Nets | John Calipari | Don Casey |
| Washington Wizards | Bernie Bickerstaff | Jim Brovelli |
* Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the second time on January 13, 1999, while the lockout was still ongoing. He would later return to play two more seasons for the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003.
* The New York Knicks became only the second #8 seed to advance in the playoffs by defeating a #1 seed.
* The Los Angeles Lakers played their final season at the Great Western Forum. Because the Great Western Bank ceased to exist two seasons prior, the arena name was replaced by the team name on center court, in anticipation of the move to the Staples Center.
* The Los Angeles Clippers played their final season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; they too would move to the Staples Center the following season.
* The Indiana Pacers played their final season at the Market Square Arena.
* The Denver Nuggets played their final season at the McNichols Sports Arena.
* The Miami Heat played their final season at the Miami Arena, although they still played the first two months of the following season at this arena before moving to the American Airlines Arena in January 2000.
* The Toronto Raptors played their first game in Air Canada Centre on February 21.
* The San Antonio Spurs became the first former ABA team to win a championship. (They are one of two surviving ABA teams to win an NBA Title, as the Nuggets won a title in 2023. The Nets and Pacers have not yet won the NBA Championship despite both appearing in at least one NBA Finals.)
* The Atlanta Hawks played another season in the Georgia Dome while Philips Arena was constructed for the 1999–2000 season. This season would be the Hawks' last playoff appearance until the 2007–08 season.
* The Clippers tied the 1988–89 Miami Heat for the longest losing streak to start the season (17) from February 5 until March 11 when they defeated the Sacramento Kings. In December 2009, this record was broken by the New Jersey Nets who lost the first eighteen games of the season.
* Detroit Pistons guard Joe Dumars retired after fourteen years in the NBA, all of which he spent playing with the Pistons.
* Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman died on November 13, 1998, at age 78.
* For the first time in 15 seasons, the Chicago Bulls missed the playoffs. They would also become the second defending champion in NBA history that failed to make the playoffs, joining the 1969–70 Boston Celtics.
* Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz wins his second MVP award in three years and became the oldest MVP award in NBA history as of today.

## 1998–99 NBA changes

* The Indiana Pacers added new gold pinstripe alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
* The Minnesota Timberwolves added new black alternate uniforms.
* The New Jersey Nets added new gray alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
* The Orlando Magic changed their uniforms, replacing the pinstripes with slightly visible stars on their jerseys.
* The Sacramento Kings added new purple alternate uniforms with black side panels to their shorts.
* The Toronto Raptors moved into Air Canada Centre during the regular season.
* The Utah Jazz added new black alternate uniforms with brown side panels to their jerseys and shorts.

## Teams

1998-99 National Basketball Association :
| Eastern Conference |||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Atlantic | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | FleetCenter | 19,156 |
| Atlantic | Miami Heat | Miami, Florida | Miami Arena | 15,200 |
| Atlantic | New Jersey Nets | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Continental Airlines Arena | 20,049 |
| Atlantic | New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 19,812 |
| Atlantic | Orlando Magic | Orlando, Florida | Orlando Arena | 17,283 |
| Atlantic | Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | First Union Center | 20,338 |
| Atlantic | Washington Wizards | Washington, District of Columbia | MCI Center | 20,356 |
| Central | Atlanta Hawks | Atlanta, Georgia | Georgia Dome | 71,000 |
| Central | Charlotte Hornets | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Coliseum | 24,042 |
| Central | Chicago Bulls | Chicago, Illinois | United Center | 21,711 |
| Central | Cleveland Cavaliers | Cleveland, Ohio | Gund Arena | 19,432 |
| Central | Detroit Pistons | Auburn Hills, Michigan | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 22,076 |
| Central | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Market Square Arena | 17,171 |
| Central | Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Bradley Center | 18,717 |
| Central | Toronto Raptors | Toronto, Ontario | SkyDome Air Canada Centre | 28,708 19,800 |
| Western Conference |||||
| Midwest | Dallas Mavericks | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena | 18,293 |
| Midwest | Denver Nuggets | Denver, Colorado | McNichols Sports Arena | 17,171 |
| Midwest | Houston Rockets | Houston, Texas | Compaq Center | 16,285 |
| Midwest | Minnesota Timberwolves | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Target Center | 18,798 |
| Midwest | San Antonio Spurs | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome | 20,557 |
| Midwest | Utah Jazz | Salt Lake City, Utah | Delta Center | 18,306 |
| Midwest | Vancouver Grizzlies | Vancouver, British Columbia | General Motors Place | 19,193 |
| Pacific | Golden State Warriors | Oakland, California | The Arena in Oakland | 19,596 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | Inglewood, California | Great Western Forum | 17,505 |
| Pacific | Phoenix Suns | Phoenix, Arizona | America West Arena | 19,023 |
| Pacific | Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, Oregon | Rose Garden | 21,401 |
| Pacific | Sacramento Kings | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | 17,317 |
| Pacific | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle, Washington | Key Arena | 17,072 |

## Final standings
### By division
#### Eastern Conference

| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
| c-Miami Heat | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 18‍–‍7 | 15‍–‍10 | 12–8 | 50 |
| x-Orlando Magic | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 21‍–‍4 | 12‍–‍13 | 12–6 | 50 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 17‍–‍8 | 11‍–‍14 | 9–10 | 50 |
| x-New York Knicks | 27 | 23 | .540 | 6.0 | 19‍–‍6 | 8‍–‍17 | 12–8 | 50 |
| Boston Celtics | 19 | 31 | .380 | 14.0 | 10‍–‍15 | 9‍–‍16 | 10–9 | 50 |
| Washington Wizards | 18 | 32 | .360 | 15.0 | 13‍–‍12 | 5‍–‍20 | 6–13 | 50 |
| New Jersey Nets | 16 | 34 | .320 | 17.0 | 12‍–‍13 | 4‍–‍21 | 6–13 | 50 |
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
| y-Indiana Pacers | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 18‍–‍7 | 15‍–‍10 | 15–7 | 50 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2.0 | 16‍–‍9 | 15‍–‍10 | 15–8 | 50 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 29 | 21 | .580 | 4.0 | 17‍–‍8 | 12‍–‍13 | 13–8 | 50 |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 17‍–‍8 | 11‍–‍14 | 13–11 | 50 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 24 | .520 | 7.0 | 16‍–‍9 | 10‍–‍15 | 12–10 | 50 |
| Toronto Raptors | 23 | 27 | .460 | 10.0 | 14‍–‍11 | 9‍–‍16 | 9–14 | 50 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 28 | .440 | 11.0 | 15‍–‍10 | 7‍–‍18 | 9–13 | 50 |
| Chicago Bulls | 13 | 37 | .260 | 20.0 | 8‍–‍17 | 5‍–‍20 | 4–19 | 50 |

#### Western Conference

| Midwest Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 37 | 13 | .740 | – | 21–4 | 16–9 | 17–4 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 37 | 13 | .740 | – | 22–3 | 15–10 | 15–3 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 31 | 19 | .620 | 6 | 19–6 | 12–13 | 12–9 |
| x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 25 | .500 | 12 | 18–7 | 7–18 | 11–9 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 19 | 31 | .380 | 18 | 15–10 | 4–21 | 8–12 |
| Denver Nuggets | 14 | 36 | .280 | 23 | 12–13 | 2–23 | 5–16 |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 8 | 42 | .160 | 29 | 7–18 | 1–24 | 3–18 |
| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 15 | .700 | – | 22–3 | 13–12 | 15–7 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 31 | 19 | .620 | 4 | 18–7 | 13–12 | 14–8 |
| x-Sacramento Kings | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 16–9 | 11–14 | 11–9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 15–10 | 12–13 | 9–10 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 25 | 25 | .500 | 10 | 17–8 | 8–17 | 11–10 |
| Golden State Warriors | 21 | 29 | .420 | 14 | 13–12 | 8–17 | 8–11 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 41 | .180 | 26 | 6–19 | 3–22 | 3–16 |

### By conference

Eastern Conference :
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c-Miami Heat * | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 50 |
| 2 | y-Indiana Pacers * | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 50 |
| 3 | x-Orlando Magic | 33 | 17 | .660 | – | 50 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2.0 | 50 |
| 5 | x-Detroit Pistons | 29 | 21 | .580 | 4.0 | 50 |
| 6 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 50 |
| 7 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 22 | .560 | 5.0 | 50 |
| 8 | x-New York Knicks | 27 | 23 | .540 | 6.0 | 50 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 26 | 24 | .520 | 7.0 | 50 |
| 10 | Toronto Raptors | 23 | 27 | .460 | 10.0 | 50 |
| 11 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 28 | .440 | 11.0 | 50 |
| 12 | Boston Celtics | 19 | 31 | .380 | 14.0 | 50 |
| 13 | Washington Wizards | 18 | 32 | .360 | 15.0 | 50 |
| 14 | New Jersey Nets | 16 | 34 | .320 | 17.0 | 50 |
| 15 | Chicago Bulls | 13 | 37 | .260 | 20.0 | 50 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-San Antonio Spurs | 37 | 13 | .740 | – |
| 2 | y-Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 15 | .700 | 2 |
| 3 | x-Utah Jazz | 37 | 13 | .740 | – |
| 4 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 31 | 19 | .620 | 6 |
| 5 | x-Houston Rockets | 31 | 19 | .620 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Sacramento Kings | 27 | 23 | .540 | 10 |
| 7 | x-Phoenix Suns | 27 | 23 | .540 | 10 |
| 8 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 25 | .500 | 12 |
| 9 | Seattle SuperSonics | 25 | 25 | .500 | 12 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 21 | 29 | .420 | 16 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 19 | 31 | .380 | 18 |
| 12 | Denver Nuggets | 14 | 36 | .280 | 23 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 41 | .180 | 28 |
| 14 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 8 | 42 | .160 | 29 |
Notes
* z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
* c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
* y – Clinched division title
* x – Clinched playoff spot

## Playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
| First Round | First Round | First Round | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | Miami* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 3 | | | E8 | New York | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E4 | Atlanta | 0 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Atlanta | 3 | | | E4 | Atlanta | 0 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Detroit | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Detroit | 2 | | | | | | E8 | New York | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E8 | New York | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Indiana* | 2 | | | | |
| E3 | Orlando | 1 | | | | | | | | | E2 | Indiana* | 2 | | | | |
| E6 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | E6 | Philadelphia | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Indiana* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Indiana* | 3 | | | E2 | Indiana* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Milwaukee | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Milwaukee | 0 | | | | | | | | | | E8 | New York | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W1 | San Antonio* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W8 | Minnesota | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Minnesota | 1 | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W4 | LA Lakers | 0 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | LA Lakers | 3 | | | W4 | LA Lakers | 0 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Houston | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Houston | 1 | | | | | | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | Portland* | 0 | | | | |
| W3 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | | | | W2 | Portland* | 0 | | | | |
| W6 | Sacramento | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Sacramento | 2 | | | W3 | Utah | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | Portland* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Portland* | 3 | | | W2 | Portland* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Phoenix | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 26.8 |
| Rebounds per game | Chris Webber | Sacramento Kings | 13.0 |
| Assists per game | Jason Kidd | Phoenix Suns | 10.8 |
| Steals per game | Kendall Gill | New Jersey Nets | 2.68 |
| Blocks per game | Alonzo Mourning | Miami Heat | 3.91 |
| FG% | Shaquille O'Neal | Los Angeles Lakers | .576 |
| FT% | Reggie Miller | Indiana Pacers | .915 |
| 3FG% | Dell Curry | Milwaukee Bucks | .476 |

## NBA awards

* Most Valuable Player: Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
* Rookie of the Year: Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors
* Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
* Sixth Man of the Year: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
* Most Improved Player: Darrell Armstrong, Orlando Magic
* Coach of the Year: Mike Dunleavy, Portland Trail Blazers
* Executive of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings
* Sportsmanship Award: Hersey Hawkins, Seattle SuperSonics

### Players of the month

The following players were named the Players of the Month.
| Month | Player |
| February | Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) |
| March | Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) |
| April | Jason Kidd (Phoenix Suns) |

### Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.
| Month | Player |
| February | Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) |
| March | Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) |
| April | Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) |

### Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.
| Month | Coach |
| February | Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) |
| March | Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| April | Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) |