# 1997–98 Philadelphia 76ers season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 76ers 49th season in the National Basketball Association, and 35th season in Philadelphia. The 76ers had the second overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft, and selected Keith Van Horn from the University of Utah, but soon traded him to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Jim Jackson, Eric Montross, top draft pick Tim Thomas out of Villanova University, and first-round draft pick Anthony Parker out of Bradley University, and signed free agent and former All-Star forward Terry Cummings during the off-season. In November, the team traded their second-round draft pick, Slovenian rookie forward Marko Milič, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for former All-Star forward Tom Chambers; however, after only just one game for the 76ers, Chambers retired in December.
Under new head coach Larry Brown, the Sixers got off to a rough start losing their first five games. In late December, the team traded Montross along with Jerry Stackhouse to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Theo Ratliff and Aaron McKie, then later on acquired Eric Snow from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for a draft pick. At mid-season, they traded Jackson along with Clarence Weatherspoon to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Joe Smith and Brian Shaw, while Cummings was dealt to the New York Knicks in exchange for Herb Williams, who was released by the 76ers, and re-signed with the Knicks. With a 14–31 record at the All-Star break, the Sixers showed improvement posting a 17–20 record for the remainder of the season, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 31–51 record, missing the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons.
Second-year star Allen Iverson had a stellar season leading the team with 22.0 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while Derrick Coleman provided the team with 17.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, but only played 59 games due to an irregular heartbeat, and an ankle injury, and Thomas contributed 11.0 points per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In addition, for the players who were acquired via trades during the regular season, Ratliff averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game in 58 games, and finished in sixth place in Most Improved Player voting, while off the bench, Smith averaged 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 30 games, Shaw provided with 6.1 points and 4.4 assists per game in 20 games, and Snow contributed 3.9 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 47 games. McKie contributed 3.9 points and 1.4 steals per game in 57 games, but struggled as he only shot .346 in field-goal percentage.
The start of the rebuilding of the franchise began with the acquisitions of Ratliff, McKie and Snow. These three players blended well with coach Brown's philosophy, and this would be the last season in which the Sixers missed the postseason until 2004. Following the season, Coleman signed as a free agent with the Charlotte Hornets, while Smith signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Shaw and Mark Davis were both released to free agency.
For the season, the Sixers revealed a new primary logo with the team name "76ers" in gold, and changed their uniforms, replacing the red and blue colors with black and gold in their color scheme. The jerseys were slightly redesigned in 2000, while the logo remained in use until 2009.

## Offseason
### Draft picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 2 | Keith Van Horn | SF/PF | United States | University of Utah |
| 2 | 33 | Marko Milič | SG/SF | Slovenia | |
| 2 | 35 | Kebu Stewart | PF | United States | California State University, Bakersfield |
| 2 | 36 | James Collins | SG | United States | Florida State University |

## Regular season
### Season standings

| Atlantic Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Miami Heat | 55 | 27 | .671 | – | 30-11 | 25–16 | 18–6 |
| x-New York Knicks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 | 28–13 | 15–26 | 13–11 |
| x-New Jersey Nets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 | 26–15 | 17–24 | 12–12 |
| Washington Wizards | 42 | 40 | .512 | 13 | 24–17 | 18–23 | 12–13 |
| Orlando Magic | 41 | 41 | .500 | 14 | 24–17 | 17–24 | 11–13 |
| Boston Celtics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 19 | 24–17 | 12–29 | 12–12 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 24 | 19–22 | 12–29 | 7–17 |
| # | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | c-Chicago Bulls | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Miami Heat | 55 | 27 | .671 | 7 |
| 3 | x-Indiana Pacers | 58 | 24 | .707 | 4 |
| 4 | x-Charlotte Hornets | 51 | 31 | .622 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 50 | 32 | .610 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 |
| 7 | x-New York Knicks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 19 |
| 8 | x-New Jersey Nets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 19 |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | 42 | 40 | .512 | 20 |
| 10 | Orlando Magic | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 |
| 11 | Detroit Pistons | 37 | 45 | .451 | 25 |
| 12 | Boston Celtics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 26 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 31 |
| 15 | Toronto Raptors | 16 | 66 | .195 | 46 |
    z - clinched division title
    y - clinched division title
    x - clinched playoff spot
    ° - did not make playoffs

### Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | TOR | UTA | VAN | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Boston | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| Charlotte | 0–4 | 2–1 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Chicago | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Cleveland | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Dallas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Denver | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Golden State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Houston | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Indiana | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | — | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| L.A. Lakers | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Miami | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Milwaukee | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Minnesota | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| New Jersey | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| New York | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Orlando | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–4 | — | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Philadelphia | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Phoenix | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Portland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Sacramento | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| San Antonio | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Seattle | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Toronto | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Utah | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Vancouver | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 |
| Washington | 0–4 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — |

## Player statistics
### Regular season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Benoit Benjamin | 14 | 0 | 14.1 | .537 | | .633 | 3.8 | .2 | .3 | .3 | 4.5 |
| Tom Chambers | 1 | 0 | 10.0 | 1.000 | | 1.000 | 2.0 | .0 | 2.0 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Derrick Coleman | 59 | 58 | 36.2 | .411 | .265 | .772 | 9.9 | 2.5 | .8 | 1.2 | 17.6 |
| Terry Cummings$^†$ | 44 | 2 | 14.9 | .458 | .000 | .672 | 3.4 | .5 | .5 | .1 | 5.3 |
| William Cunningham$^†$ | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | | | | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Mark Davis | 71 | 12 | 12.8 | .447 | .000 | .634 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .7 | .3 | 4.0 |
| Allen Iverson | 80 | 80 | 39.4 | .461 | .298 | .729 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 2.2 | .3 | 22.0 |
| Jim Jackson$^†$ | 48 | 47 | 37.3 | .460 | .348 | .818 | 4.7 | 4.6 | .9 | .1 | 13.7 |
| Aaron McKie$^†$ | 57 | 31 | 23.5 | .347 | .196 | .688 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .2 | 3.9 |
| Eric Montross$^†$ | 20 | 20 | 16.9 | .395 | | .368 | 4.6 | .4 | .4 | .6 | 3.4 |
| Doug Overton | 23 | 2 | 12.0 | .381 | .000 | .875 | .6 | 1.6 | .3 | .0 | 2.7 |
| Anthony Parker | 37 | 0 | 5.3 | .397 | .321 | .650 | .7 | .5 | .3 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Theo Ratliff$^†$ | 58 | 55 | 32.1 | .512 | | .706 | 7.3 | .7 | .7 | 3.5 | 11.2 |
| Brian Shaw$^†$ | 20 | 2 | 25.1 | .367 | .250 | .632 | 3.2 | 4.4 | .7 | .2 | 6.1 |
| Joe Smith$^†$ | 30 | 6 | 23.3 | .448 | .000 | .788 | 4.4 | .9 | .6 | .4 | 10.3 |
| Eric Snow$^†$ | 47 | 0 | 18.0 | .429 | .125 | .721 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .1 | 3.9 |
| Jerry Stackhouse$^†$ | 22 | 22 | 34.0 | .452 | .348 | .802 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 16.0 |
| Kebu Stewart | 15 | 0 | 7.3 | .462 | | .640 | 2.1 | .1 | .3 | .1 | 2.7 |
| Tim Thomas | 77 | 48 | 23.1 | .447 | .363 | .740 | 3.7 | 1.2 | .7 | .2 | 11.0 |
| Rex Walters$^†$ | 19 | 0 | 6.7 | .379 | .214 | 1.000 | .5 | 1.1 | .3 | .0 | 2.2 |
| Clarence Weatherspoon$^†$ | 48 | 18 | 26.9 | .426 | | .707 | 7.0 | .8 | .9 | 1.1 | 8.4 |
| Scott Williams | 58 | 7 | 13.8 | .437 | .000 | .810 | 3.6 | .5 | .3 | .4 | 4.1 |
* $^†$ Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the 76ers only.
Player Statistics Citation:

## Awards and records

* Tim Thomas, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team