The

1998–99 NBA season The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the N ...

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 agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule. The Sixers had the eighth pick in the

1998 NBA draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the Tor ...

, and selected Larry Hughes out of

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

. In the off-season, the Sixers signed free agents Matt Geiger, George Lynch, and Harvey Grant, and later on re-signing former 76ers forward

Rick Mahorn Derrick Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played power forward and center for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets of the National Basket ...

in late February. At midseason, they traded second-year forward Tim Thomas and Scott Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Tyrone Hill. The Sixers won six straight games after a 4–5 start, and had their first winning month in five years winning 8 of 13 games in February, on their way to making the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a 28–22 record, third in the Atlantic Division.

Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iver ...

led the league in scoring averaging 26.8 points, and contributed 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Geiger averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while Theo Ratliff provided the team with 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Hughes contributed 9.1 points per game off the bench. Eric Snow provided with 8.6 points, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and Lynch averaged 8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. Iverson also finished in fourth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

voting, while Snow finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting, and head coach Larry Brown finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, and Iverson's first ever playoff appearance, the Sixers defeated the 3rd–seeded

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

in four games, in which Iverson recorded a playoff career-high of ten steals in a 97–85 Game 3 home win over the Magic. However, the Sixers were swept in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals by 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 ...

in four straight games. Following the season, Grant was traded to the

, but was released to free agency, and Mahorn retired after playing in his second stint with the Sixers.

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 9 , @ Orlando
W 104–90
,

(30) , George Lynch (12) ,

(7) , Orlando Arena
15,267 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 11 , @ Orlando
L 68–79
,

(13) , Theo Ratliff (8) , George Lynch (6) , Orlando Arena
16,345 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 13 , Orlando
W 97–85
,

(33) , Tyrone Hill (9) , Eric Snow (8) ,

First Union Center The Wells Fargo Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the ...

20,874 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 15 , Orlando
W 101–91
,

(37) , George Lynch (10) ,

(9) ,

20,550 , 3–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 17 , @ Indiana
L 90–94
,

(35) , Matt Geiger (11) , Eric Snow (10) , Market Square Arena
16,723 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 19 , @ Indiana
L 82–85
,

(23) , Theo Ratliff (12) , Eric Snow (6) , Market Square Arena
16,795 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 21 , Indiana
L 86–97
,

(32) , Tyrone Hill (12) , Eric Snow (9) ,

20,930 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 23 , Indiana
L 86–89
,

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also