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 Fina ...

was the eighth season for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. The Heat received the tenth overall pick in the

1995 NBA draft The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams that were added for 1995–96 ...

, and selected power forward Kurt Thomas out of

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

, and acquired

Rex Chapman Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer, mostly known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 1992 and for his time with the Phoenix Suns from 1996 ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

during the off-season. Under new head coach, and team president

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

, the Heat would be restructured; on the first day of the regular season, which began on November 3, 1995, the team acquired All-Star center

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

from the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

.Miami Heat (1988-Present)
/ref> With the addition of Mourning, the Heat won 11 of their first 14 games, but then lost 23 of their next 34 games, holding a 22–26 at the All-Star break. Riley continued to make changes as he would make three more deals at the trading deadline; the team traded

Kevin Willis Kevin Alvin Willis (born September 6, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player mostly known for playing with the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 7-foot power forward/ center. Excluding playe ...

and

Bimbo Coles Vernell Eufaye "Bimbo" Coles (born April 22, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies and won an Olym ...

to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

in exchange for All-Star guard

Tim Hardaway Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...

and

Chris Gatling Chris Raymond Gatling (born September 3, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Gatling played for many National Basketball Association (NBA) teams from 1991 to 2002. He played for the US national team in the 1990 FIBA Wor ...

, while trading

Billy Owens Billy Eugene Owens (born May 1, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse, where he was an All-American and th ...

and

Kevin Gamble Kevin Douglas Gamble (born November 13, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association and currently a scout with the Toronto Raptors. At , he played as both a shooting guard and small forward. ...

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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

in exchange for

Walt Williams Walter Ander "the Wizard" Williams (born April 16, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. A sharpshooting 6'8" swingman, Williams attended school at the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1992, and has been credited for h ...

and

Tyrone Corbin Tyrone Kennedy Corbin (born December 31, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who last worked as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. He was first appointed the assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns, then was named th ...

, and then trading rookie guard

Terrence Rencher Terrence Lamont Rencher (born February 19, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. He is an assistant coach for the Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders. Playing career Rencher was a prep star at St. Raymond High School f ...

to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in exchange for Tony Smith. The flurry of deadline deals led to one of the most remarkable wins of the season, as the Heat only had eight players available to face the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

at the

Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1988 until 1999, it also ...

on February 23, 1996, but won 113–104, thanks mainly to a 39-point game by Chapman (this was one of only 10 losses the Bulls suffered on their way to a then-record 72-win season). The team also signed free agents

Jeff Malone Jeffrey Nigel Malone (born June 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and is mostly known for his time with the Washington Bullets (1983–1990) of the N ...

, who was previously released by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

, and rookie guard

Voshon Lenard Voshon Kelan Lenard (born May 14, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was listed as and 215 lbs, and was born in Detroit, Michigan. College care ...

, who previously played in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. The Heat played above. 500 basketball for the remainder of the regular season, and finished in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 42–40 record, earning the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mourning averaged 23.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while Chapman provided the team with 14.0 points per game, and led them with 125 three-point field goals, but only played 56 games due to an Achilles tendon injury, rookie guard

Sasha Danilovic Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...

contributed 13.4 points per game, but only played just 19 games due to a wrist injury, and Thomas provided with 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Mourning also became the first Heat player to appear in an All-Star Game, as he was selected for the

1996 NBA All-Star Game The 1996 NBA All-Star Game was the 46th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, an exhibition basketball game played on February 11, 1996. The event was held at the Alamodome in San Antonio and was a part of the 50th season of the NBA. The game was ...

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. Mourning finished in fourteenth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

voting, and Gatling finished tied in seventh place in

Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

voting. In the Eastern Conference First Round of the

1996 NBA playoffs The 1996 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995–96 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle Supe ...

, the Heat lost in three straight games to the Bulls, who were led by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with th ...

and

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

. The Bulls would defeat the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

in six games in the

1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern ...

, winning their fourth championship in six years. Following the season, Chapman signed as a free agent with the

, while Williams signed with the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

, Gatling signed with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, Corbin signed 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, Smith signed with the

, and Malone retired. For the season, the Heat added new red alternate road uniforms, which remained in use until 1999.

Offseason

NBA draft

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 26 , @

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

L 85–102
,

(30) ,

(9) ,

(7) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

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L 75–106
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Mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

(8) ,

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15,200 , 0–3 , -

Player statistics

Ragular season

Playoffs

Transactions

July 1, 1995 * Released

Brad Lohaus Bradley Allen Lohaus (born September 29, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round (45th pick overall) of the 1987 NBA draft. A 6'11" center-power forward from the Univ ...

. * Released

Ledell Eackles Ledell Eackles (born November 24, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Washington Bullets in the second round (36th overall pick) of the 1988 NBA draft. Eackles played in seven NBA seasons for the Bu ...

. September 1, 1995 * Traded a 1996 1st round draft pick (

Walter McCarty Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who serves as the head coach of the Freseros de Irapuato in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). McCarty played for the NBA ...

) to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

for

(coach). September 29, 1995 * Brad Lohaus signed as an unrestricted free agent with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. October 5, 1995 * Signed

Ron Grandison Ron Calvin Grandison (born July 6, 1964) is a former basketball player, who attended the University of California, Irvine and the University of New Orleans. He was the MVP and team captain as a college junior and senior. He was selected in the f ...

as a free agent. * Signed

Stacey King Ronald Stacey King (born January 29, 1967) is an American sports announcer and former National Basketball Association (NBA) center who won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993 while playing next to Michael J ...

as a free agent. * Signed

Bruce Bowen Bruce Eric Bowen Jr. (born June 14, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. Bowen played small forward and graduated from Edison High School and Cal State Fullerton. He went on to play for the National Basketball Association' ...

as a free agent. October 13, 1995 * Waived Bruce Bowen. November 3, 1995 * Traded

Matt Geiger Matthew Allen Geiger (born September 10, 1969) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played at the center position. College career Geiger played for Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida ...

Khalid Reeves Khalid Reeves (born July 15, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (12th pick) of the 1994 NBA draft. ...

Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goa ...

, and a 1996 1st round draft pick (

Tony Delk Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...

) to the

for LeRon Ellis,

, and

Pete Myers Peter Eddie Myers (born September 15, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and a former assistant coach for the NBA team Chicago Bulls. He is most famous for having been Michael Jordan's replacement player during Jordan's ...

. December 12, 1995 * Signed

Danny Schayes Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds ...

to a contract for remainder of season. December 27, 1995 * Waived LeRon Ellis. December 29, 1995 * Signed

as a free agent. January 5, 1996 * Waived Ron Grandison. February 12, 1996 * Signed

to a 10-day contract. * Waived Pete Myers. February 22, 1996 * Traded

and

to the

for

and

. * Traded

and

to the

for

and

. * Traded

to the

for Tony Smith. March 3, 1996 * Signed Jeff Malone to a contract for remainder of season. June 26, 1996 * Traded a 2000 1st round draft pick (

DeShawn Stevenson DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Stevenson played for six teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during a 13-year career. He originally committed to play at the University o ...

) to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

for

Martin Müürsepp Martin Müürsepp (; born 26 September 1974) is an Estonian professional basketball coach and former player, who is the head coach of Haljala NGU of the Saku 1 liiga. Widely regarded as one of Estonia's greatest basketball players of all time, ...

. Player Transactions Citation:

Postseason

The Heat would qualify for the playoffs by beating out the Charlotte Hornets by 1 game for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 42 wins and 40 losses. In the playoffs, the Heat were swept in 3 straight games. The Heat would lose by double digits in each game to the eventual World Champion

Awards, records, and honors

Pat Riley led the Heat to a 42–40 record which tying the franchise record for best record. Alonzo Mourning was voted by fans to be in the All-Star Game.

References

;Notes ;Sources *
Heat on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1995-96 Miami Heat season Miami Heat seasons

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...