The 1995–96 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 29th season 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 ...

, and 20th season in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...

. The Nets received the ninth 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 and NCAA Final Four

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 ...

Ed O'Bannon Edward Charles O'Bannon Jr. (born August 14, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a power forward (basketball), power forward for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Br ...

from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Vern Fleming.

Derrick Coleman Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Coleman attended Syracuse University and was selected first overall in the 1990 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. Throughout his career, the ...

missed the first month of the regular season due to an irregular heartbeat; he was soon traded along with

Rex Walters Rex Andrew Walters Sr. (born March 12, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was the asso ...

, and Sean Higgins to 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 ...

in exchange for

Shawn Bradley Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-American former professional basketball player. A center, he was drafted with the second pick in the 1993 NBA draft and played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Maverick ...

, Greg Graham and Tim Perry, as the Nets won four of their next five games after the trade, leading to a 9–9 start. In January, the team dealt Kenny Anderson to 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 ...

in exchange for

Kendall Gill Kendall Cedric Gill (born May 25, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst. Throughout his NBA career he was known as “Cold World” for his ice cold demeanor on the court. Ear ...

, and second-year guard Khalid Reeves. However, Gill would be out for the remainder of the season with a hand injury after only playing just eleven games, while

Kevin Edwards Kevin Durell Edwards (born October 30, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as DePaul University men's basketball team's director of community, corporate, and professional relations. Edwards was selec ...

only played just 34 games due to a knee injury. The Nets held an 18–29 record at the All-Star break, and lost 12 of their final 14 games to finish in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 30–52 record, the same record as the previous season.

Armen Gilliam Armen Louis Gilliam (born Armon Louis Gilliam; May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011) was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the P ...

averaged 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while Bradley averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game with the Nets after being traded, and second-year guard Chris Childs showed improvement, providing the team with 12.8 points and 7.0 assists per game. In addition,

P.J. Brown Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , center/power forward was selected out of Louisiana Tech University by the New ...

provided with 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Edwards contributed 11.6 points and 1.6 steals per game. Off the bench, Jayson Williams played an increased role as the team's sixth man, averaging 9.0 points and leading the Nets with 10.0 rebounds per game, and Fleming contributed 7.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. O'Bannon failed to live up to expectations in his professional career, as he averaged just 6.2 points per game and started in 29 out of 64 games. Williams finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Bradley and Childs both finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Williams finished tied in fourteenth place. Following the season, head coach Butch Beard was fired after publicly criticizing his players, while Gilliam signed as a free agent with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, Childs signed with 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 ...

, Brown signed with 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 ...

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 Ba ...

re-signed with his former team, the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, Graham was traded to 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 ...

, Perry was released to free agency, and Fleming retired.

Draft picks

Roster

;Roster notes * Center

holds American and German dual citizenship. He was born in Germany and raised in the U.S., but represented Germany internationally.

Regular season

Season standings

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

Record vs. opponents

Game log

{, class="toccolours" width=90% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;" , - ! colspan=2 style="background:#0C479D; color:#FFFFFF" , 1995–96 game log Total: 30–52 (Home: 20–21; Road: 10–31) , - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , November 3 , @

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

L 79–94
, Anderson & Gilliam (13) ,

(16) , Kenny Anderson (8) ,

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

33,306 , 0–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , November 7 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

W 104–84
,

(16) , Jayson Williams (16) , Kenny Anderson (10) ,

Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

16,152 , 1–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , November 8 , @

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

L 122–130 (3OT)
,

(20) , P. J. Brown (12) , Kenny Anderson (7) ,

16,152 , 1–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , November 10 , @

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 ...

L 80–106
, Childs & Gilliam (12) ,

(11) , Chris Childs (6) ,

16,152 , 1–2

Player statistics

Regular season

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;" , - ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", Player ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", GP ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", GS ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", MPG ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", FG% ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", 3P% ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", FT% ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", RPG ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", APG ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", SPG ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", BPG ! style="background:#003DA5; color:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E40046 3px solid; border-bottom:#E40046 3px solid;", PPG , - ,

, 78 , 76 , 36.6 , .474 , .000 , .791 , 9.1 , 1.8 , 0.9 , 0.7 , 18.3 , - ,

, 11 , 10 , 38.0 , .441 , .360 , .831 , 3.9 , 3.2 , 2.0 , 0.2 , 17.5 , - , Kenny Anderson , 31 , 28 , 33.6 , .376 , .364 , .803 , 3.3 , 8.0 , 1.7 , 0.3 , 15.3 , - , Chris Childs , 78 , 54 , 30.9 , .416 , .367 , .852 , 3.1 , 7.0 , 1.4 , 0.1 , 12.8 , - ,

, 67 , 57 , 29.8 , .443 , .250 , .679 , 7.9 , 0.8 , 0.6 , 3.7 , 12.5 , - ,

, 34 , 33 , 29.6 , .364 , .404 , .810 , 2.2 , 2.1 , 1.6 , 0.2 , 11.6 , - ,

, 81 , 81 , 36.3 , .444 , .200 , .770 , 6.9 , 2.0 , 1.0 , 1.2 , 11.3 , - , Jayson Williams , 80 , 6 , 23.2 , .423 , .286 , .592 , 10.0 , 0.6 , 0.4 , 0.7 , 9.0 , - , Vern Fleming , 77 , 3 , 22.7 , .433 , .107 , .751 , 2.2 , 3.3 , 0.5 , 0.1 , 7.7 , - ,

, 64 , 29 , 19.6 , .390 , .179 , .713 , 2.6 , 1.0 , 0.7 , 0.2 , 6.2 , - , Greg Graham , 45 , 2 , 10.8 , .379 , .368 , .725 , 0.9 , 0.9 , 0.4 , 0.0 , 4.1 , - , Khalid Reeves , 31 , 7 , 13.4 , .376 , .309 , .581 , 1.3 , 1.5 , 0.7 , 0.1 , 3.8 , - ,

, 11 , 0 , 7.9 , .364 , .250 , 1.000 , 0.6 , 1.0 , 0.3 , 0.0 , 3.0 , - , Robert Werdann , 13 , 0 , 7.2 , .500 , , .538 , 1.8 , 0.2 , 0.4 , 0.2 , 3.0 , - ,

Yinka Dare Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A , center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early years Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born l ...

, 58 , 23 , 10.8 , .438 , , .613 , 3.1 , 0.0 , 0.1 , 0.7 , 2.8 , - ,

, 50 , 0 , 9.0 , .352 , .000 , .723 , 2.2 , 0.3 , 0.3 , 0.3 , 2.4 , - , Tim Perry , 22 , 1 , 7.6 , .489 , .429 , .500 , 1.6 , 0.3 , 0.1 , 0.5 , 2.4 , - , Gerald Glass , 10 , 0 , 5.6 , .357 , .200 , , 0.6 , 0.4 , 0.2 , 0.1 , 2.1 Player Statistics Citation:

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Regular season

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also