The 1998–99 NBA season was the Wizards' 38th season in the National Basketball Association.[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.[2]
Prior to the start of the season, the Wizards acquired All-Star guard Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe from the Sacramento Kings.[3][4][5][6][7] However, after a 4–4 start to the season, the Wizards continued to under achieve playing below .500 for the rest of the season. Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was fired after a 13–19 start, and was replaced with assistant Jim Brovelli as an interim coach,[8][9][10] and Juwan Howard only played 36 games due to an ankle injury.[11][12][13] The team posted a 7-game losing streak in April, and lost nine of their final eleven games finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division with a disappointing 18–32 record.[14]
Richmond led the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game, while Howard averaged 18.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and Rod Strickland provided the team with 15.7 points and 9.9 assists per game. In addition, Thorpe provided with 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Calbert Cheaney contributed 7.7 points per game off the bench, and Ben Wallace led the team with 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.[15]
Following the season, Thorpe signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat,[16][17][18] while Cheaney signed with the Boston Celtics,[19][20][21] Wallace, Terry Davis and Tim Legler were all traded to the Orlando Magic,[22][23][24][25] who then released Davis and Legler to free agency, and Brovelli was fired as head coach.[26]
Roster