The
1995–96 NBA season
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Final ...
was the Nuggets' 20th season in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
, and 29th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Nuggets acquired top draft pick
Antonio McDyess from the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
, and acquired
Don MacLean
Don Maclean (born 1942/1943) MBE KSS is an English actor and comedian, who appeared on the BBC television series '' Crackerjack'' with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze and Jan Hunt in the 1970s.
Born in Birmingham, he attended Clifton Road S ...
and
Doug Overton from the
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
. However, the team got off to a horrible start losing eight of their first nine games, as
LaPhonso Ellis
LaPhonso Darnell Ellis (born May 5, 1970) is an American retired basketball player. He was selected by the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets as the fifth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.
Early career
He was an outstanding high ...
missed the first 37 games of the season with a knee injury. Despite the slow start, the Nuggets would then recover winning eight of their next nine games leading to a 9–9 start, but later on lost six straight games in January slipping below .500 with a 20–27 record at the All-Star break.
In March, the Nuggets found themselves in the middle of an ugly controversy as
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Wayne Jackson; March 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine years with the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Gri ...
refused to stand for the
Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...
, protesting what he felt was the country's poor treatment to
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
in the world; he was then suspended by the league. After a one-game suspension, Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and pray during the anthem. However, the damage was done, and his reputation could not be repaired, as he was the consistent target of boos from fans, before missing the remainder of the season with ankle and foot injuries after playing 57 games. The Nuggets finished fourth in the Midwest Division with a 35–47 record, missing the playoffs.
Abdul-Rauf led the Nuggets with 19.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, while McDyess averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team,
Dale Ellis
Dale or dales may refer to:
Locations
* Dale (landform), an open valley
* Dale (place name element)
Geography
;Australia
*The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean
;Canada
*Dale, Ontario
;Ethiopia
*Dale (woreda), district
;Norway
*Da ...
finished second on the team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game, and
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has becom ...
provided the team with 11.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, and was selected for the
1996 NBA All-Star Game. In addition,
Bryant Stith
Bryant Lamonica Stith (born December 10, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a men's assistant basketball coach at University of North Carolina Green ...
contributed 13.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, while MacLean provided with 11.2 points per game off the bench, LaPhonso Ellis averaged 10.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and second-year guard
Jalen Rose
Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' " Fab Five" (along with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy K ...
contributed 10.0 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Mutombo also finished in third place in
Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Following the season, Abdul-Rauf was traded to the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
,
while Mutombo signed as a free agent with the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
after five seasons in Denver, Rose and
Reggie Williams were both dealt to the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
,
and MacLean and Overton both signed with the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
.
Draft picks
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Player statistics
Regular season
Player Statistics Citation:
Awards, records, and honors
*
Antonio McDyess,
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
1st Team
Transactions
References
Nuggets on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1995-96 Denver Nuggets season
Denver Nuggets seasons
1995 in sports in Colorado
1996 in sports in Colorado
Denver Nug