The 1992–93 NBA season was the Nuggets' 17th 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 St ...

and 26th season as a franchise. In the

1992 NBA draft The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were conside ...

, the Nuggets selected

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 ...

out of

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

with the fifth overall pick, and selected

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 ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

with the thirteenth pick. During the off-season, the team acquired second-year guard Robert Pack from the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, and brought back

Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per ...

as their new head coach; Issel starred for the Nuggets for ten seasons as a player. Under Issel, the Nuggets got off to a 7–7 start, but then suffered a 14-game losing streak from December 5 to January 5. At midseason, the team signed free agent

Tom Hammonds Tom Edward Hammonds (born March 27, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and National Hot Rod Association drag racer. He was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and attended Crestview High School in Crestview, Florida. Ha ...

, who was previously released by the Charlotte Hornets. Despite the losing streak, the Nuggets showed significant improvement holding a 20–30 record at the All-Star break, and missed the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

by three games with a record of 36–46, fourth in the Midwest Division. The progress of second-year star Dikembe Mutombo into one of the league's best defensive players was reason for hope, as he averaged 13.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, while Chris Jackson led the team in scoring averaging 19.2 points per game, which resulted in him being named the Most Improved Player of the Year. In addition, Ellis averaged 14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Reggie Williams provided the team with 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, and Pack contributed 10.5 points and 4.4 assists per game off the bench. Stith contributed 8.9 points per game, but only played just 39 games due to a broken toe, and right foot injury, and

Marcus Liberty Marcus Liberty (born October 27, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player. He played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Liberty played college basketball for the University of Illinois. High school After ...

provided with 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Following the season, Jackson would change his name to

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 ...

after converting to Islam two years ago.Denver Nuggets (1967-Present)
/ref> It was also the final season the Nuggets wore their "rainbow skyline" uniforms.

NBA Draft

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

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

Record vs. opponents

Player statistics

Regular season

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards, records, and honors

NBA Most Improved Player Award The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of s ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1992-93 Denver Nuggets Season Denver Nuggets seasons 1992 in sports in Colorado 1993 in sports in Colorado Denver Nug