The 1998–99 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 32nd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the SuperSonics signed free agents Billy Owens and former Sonics center Olden Polynice, and acquired Don MacLean from the New Jersey Nets. The team also hired Paul Westphal as their new head coach.
Regular season Under Westphal, and with the addition of Polynice and Owens, the SuperSonics got off to a fast start by winning their first six games of the regular season. However, the team soon struggled losing nine of their next twelve games, as Vin Baker only played 34 games due to thumb and knee injuries; Owens and MacLean both missed large parts of the season also due to injuries. At mid-season, the team signed free agent John Crotty, who was previously released by the Portland Trail Blazers. As the season progressed, the SuperSonics played around .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, and finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 25–25 record. The SuperSonics lost a tie-breaker for the eighth seed in the Western Conference to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1989–90 season.
Gary Payton averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, contributed 83 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Detlef Schrempf averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Baker provided the team with 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, sixth man Dale Ellis contributed 10.3 points per game, and led the SuperSonics with 94 three-point field goals off the bench, and Hersey Hawkins provided with 10.3 points and 1.6 steals per game. Meanwhile, MacLean contributed 10.9 points per game in only just 17 games, Owens provided with 7.8 points in only just 21 games, Polynice averaged 7.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and Crotty contributed 6.1 points and 2.4 assists per game in 24 games.
Payton finished in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The SuperSonics finished 14th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 426,800 at the KeyArena at Seattle Center during the regular season.
Aftermath Following the season, Schrempf signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers, while Hawkins was traded to the Chicago Bulls, and Polynice signed with the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, Crotty signed with the Detroit Pistons, and Ellis, Owens and MacLean were all traded to the Orlando Magic on draft day. However, all three players would never play for the Magic, as Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, Owens was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and MacLean was dealt to the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade, but was released to free agency, and would later on sign with the Phoenix Suns near the end of the following season.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 27 Vladimir Stepania C KK Olimpija 2 32 Rashard Lewis SF Alief Elsik High School 2 33 Jelani McCoy PF/C UCLA
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Player statistics
Season
PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG 50 50 40.2 .434 .295 .721 4.9 8.7 2.2 .2 21.7 50 39 35.3 .472 .395 .823 7.4 3.7 .8 .5 15.0 50 34 32.9 .419 .306 .902 4.0 2.5 1.6 .4 10.3 48 47 30.9 .472 1.000 .309 8.9 .9 .4 .6 7.7 48 5 25.7 .441 .433 .757 2.4 .8 .5 .1 10.3 40 2 11.5 .423 .000 .730 3.2 .6 .4 .6 4.0 34 31 34.2 .453 .000 .450 6.2 1.6 .9 1.0 13.8 26 0 12.7 .737 .500 3.0 .2 .4 .8 5.1† 24 0 15.1 .405 .371 .851 1.3 2.4 .4 .0 6.1 23 6 13.6 .424 .000 .525 3.3 .5 .4 1.0 5.5 21 19 21.5 .394 .455 .800 3.8 1.8 .6 .2 7.8 20 7 7.3 .365 .167 .571 1.3 .2 .4 .1 2.4 17 10 21.5 .396 .273 .625 3.8 .9 .3 .3 10.9 17 0 10.8 .313 .333 .692 1.2 1.7 .4 .1 2.2 12 0 11.7 .325 .400 .375 1.7 2.0 .6 .0 3.2 10 0 5.9 .333 .000 .722 1.0 .0 .3 .0 2.5
Player statistics citation:
Awards and records
Awards Gary Payton, All-NBA Second Team Gary Payton, NBA All-Defensive First Team
References
See also 1998–99 NBA season