1997–98 Washington Wizards Season
   HOME
*





1997–98 Washington Wizards Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Wizards' 37th season in the National Basketball Association. There was a new beginning for basketball in Washington, D.C. as the team changed its name to the "Wizards", fearing "Bullets" endorsed gun violence. The team revealed a new primary logo of a wizard conjuring a basketball in front of a quarter moon, and added new uniforms with blue, black and bronze colors. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Terry Davis to join their frontcourt, as the team's starting center, Gheorghe Mureșan missed the entire season with a stretched right ankle tendon and right foot injury. The team also re-signed former Bullets guard Ledell Eackles for the third time after a one-year absence from the NBA. In their first game as the "Wizards", the team lost to the Detroit Pistons on the road, 92–79 on October 31, 1997. The Wizards got off to a slow 5–11 start to the season, losing their first five home games at US Airways Arena, only winning games ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Bernie Bickerstaff
Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff (born February 11, 1944) is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, Denver Nuggets, Washington Bullets/Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, and Los Angeles Lakers. He has also been an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cavaliers. He has served in numerous other NBA front office positions, and has been a consultant for the Harlem Globetrotters. Early years Bickerstaff was born in Benham, Kentucky, where his father and grandfather worked in the coal mines. He often had to endure open racism. He attended East Benham High School, where he was the starting point guard of the basketball team. After graduating in 1961, Bickerstaff moved to Cleveland where he had relatives, with the idea of joining the United States Army, Army, but he instead a ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


1997–98 Seattle SuperSonics Season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 30th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Sonics acquired All-Star forward Vin Baker from the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade. The team also re-acquired former Sonics star and sharp shooter Dale Ellis from the Denver Nuggets, and signed free agents Jerome Kersey, and Greg Anthony. The Sonics got off to a fast start with a 13–3 record after a 7-game winning streak in November, despite losing Kersey to a stress fracture in his left foot as he only played just 37 games. The team posted an 8-game winning streak between December and January winning 29 of their first 35 games, then later on holding the league's best record before the All-Star break with a 37–10 record. as they finished first place in the Pacific Division tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with a 61–21 record. Baker averaged 19.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while Gary Payton averaged 19.2 points, 8.3 assists and ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Jim Brovelli
James Mario Brovelli (born April 15, 1942) is the former men's basketball head coach of the University of San Francisco (USF) Dons and hall of fame player. Biography As a player Brovelli was a three-year letterman for USF, helping lead the Dons to the NCAA Western Regional in 1963 and 1964. He earned All-WCC honorable mention honors in 1964. Later, he was named the 1965 AAU Athlete of the Year. He became the Dons head coach in 1984. Starting from scratch after USF's self-imposed three-year hiatus stemming from various NCAA recruiting violations incurred during the Quintin Dailey era, Brovelli led the Dons for ten seasons, including a 19-win campaign in 1993. His greatest victory as USF head coach came in 1988 when USF achieved a stunning upset of Digger Phelps and Notre Dame in front of a sellout crowd in USF's Memorial Gymnasium. He finished with 131 career victories at USF. Prior to his USF stint he was the head coach for the University of San Diego Toreros from 1973 to ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Predrag Drobnjak
Peja Drobnjak (born 27 October 1975) is a Montenegrin professional basketball scout and former player. At , he played at the power forward and center positions. Throughout his nineteen-year career, Drobnjak has spent three full seasons playing in the NBA. Professional career Europe Drobnjak started his professional career with Partizan in the 1992–93 season. He played six seasons for Partizan, winning three national titles in a row (1995, 1996 and 1997). In his last year with the club, Drobnjak played in the EuroLeague Final Four, where they finished fourth, after losing in the semifinals to Kinder Bologna, and in the third-place game against Benetton Treviso. Before the 1998–99 season, Drobnjak signed with Efes Pilsen, in Turkey. Drobnjak stayed for the next three seasons with Efes. NBA Drobnjak was a second-round draft choice of the Washington Bullets in the 1997 NBA draft. During his time in the NBA, Drobnjak played two seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, one se ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


God Shammgod
god Shammgod (born April 29, 1976, and formerly known as Shammgod Wells) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently a player development coach with the Dallas Mavericks. He played in the NBA with the Washington Wizards during 1997–98 after being drafted by them in the second round (17th pick) of the 1997 NBA draft. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association for several teams, including the Zhejiang Cyclones. and Shanxi Yujun. He also played professionally in Poland and Saudi Arabia. Despite a brief NBA career, he is well-remembered as the progenitor and namesake of a widely used crossover dribble, the "Shammgod." Playing career High school When he was known as Shammgod Wells, he played high school basketball at La Salle Academy in Manhattan. His teammates at La Salle Academy included future NBA player Metta World Peace (then known as Ron Artest) and former Providence College center Karim Shabazz. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


1998–99 Philadelphia 76ers Season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the 76ers 50th season in the National Basketball Association, and 36th season in Philadelphia. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reached an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreeme ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Harvey Grant
Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year in junior college and a year at Clemson with his brother Horace. He was a member of the 1988 Sooner team that went to the National Championship and lost to Kansas. Career Washington Bullets (1988–1993) Selected twelfth overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1988 NBA draft out of Oklahoma, Grant averaged 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He lifted his averages to 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists the following season, in 1989–90. Grant improved markedly in the 1990–91 campaign, when he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.18 steals per game. At season's end, he was runner-up to the 1991 NBA Most Improved Player Award (which was earned by Orlando's Scott Skiles). In two subsequent sea ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




1998–99 Sacramento Kings Season
The 1998–99 NBA season was the Kings' 50th season in the National Basketball Association, and 14th season in Sacramento. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Calbert Cheaney
Calbert Nathaniel Cheaney (born July 17, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He starred as a player for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1989–93 under coach Bob Knight. Cheaney ended his career as a three-time All-American and remains the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer with 2,613 career points. He led Indiana to a 105–27 record and the NCAA Tournament all four years, including a Final Four appearance in 1992. At the conclusion of his collegiate basketball career Cheaney captured virtually every post-season honor available, including National Player of the Year (winning both the Wooden and Naismith award), a unanimous All-American, and Big Ten Player of the Year. Cheaney spent 13 years in the NBA playing for five different teams. Early life Born in Evansville, Indiana, Cheaney played high school ball at William Henry Harrison High School in Evansville and was ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Tracy Murray
Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, California ** Tracy Municipal Airport (California), airport owned by the City of Tracy ** Deuel Vocational Institution, a California state prison sometimes referred to as "Tracy" ** Tracy station, a train station in southern Tracy, California * Tracy, a neighborhood in Wallingford, Connecticut * Tracy, Illinois * Tracy, Indiana * Tracy, Iowa * Tracy, Kentucky * Tracy, Minnesota * Tracy, Missouri * Tracy, Montana * Tracy, New Jersey * Tracy, Oklahoma * Tracy City, Tennessee Elsewhere * Tracy, New Brunswick, Canada * Tracy Glacier (Greenland) Music * Tracie (singer) (Tracie Young, born 1965), British singer * ''Tracie'' (album), a 1999 album by Tracie Spencer * "Tracy" (The Cuff Links song), by The Cuff Links on their first album ''T ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Rod Strickland
Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's professional path. Strickland played college basketball at DePaul University, where he was awarded All-American honors. He then enjoyed a long career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing from 1988 to 2005. Strickland was an assistant coach for the South Florida Bulls, under Orlando Antigua from 2014 to 2017. He formerly served in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari and was the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis under Calipari. He is the godfather of current NBA player Kyrie Irving. High school career A native of the Bronx, Strickland played for the New York Gauchos. While a junior he led Truman High School in Co-Op City to the state c ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team. A one-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA power forward, he began his NBA career as the fifth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, selected by the Washington Bullets. Before he was drafted, he starred as an All-American on the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. At Michigan he was part of the Fab Five recruiting class of 1991 that reached the finals of the NCAA tournament in 1992 and 1993. Howard was an All-American center and an honors student at Chicago Vocational Career Academy. Michigan was able to sign him early over numerous competing offers and then convince others in his recruiting class to join him. The Fab Five, which included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, served as regular starters during their freshman and sophomore years for the 1991–92 and 1992–93 Wolverines. Alth ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]