The

1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particu ...

was the 29th season for 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 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 SuperSonics entered the regular season as runners-up in the 1996 NBA Finals, having lost to 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 ...

in six games. During the off-season, the team signed free agents

Jim McIlvaine James Michael McIlvaine (born July 30, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who spent seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Washington Bullets, Seattle SuperSonics, and New Jersey Nets. The ...

Craig Ehlo Joel Craig Ehlo (; born August 11, 1961) is an American former basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assist (basketball), assists a ...

, and Larry Stewart, and then later on signed former All-Star forward

Terry Cummings Robert Terrell “Terry” Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star ...

in January. Coming off their trip to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

, the SuperSonics posted an 11-game winning streak after losing two of their first three games of the regular season. The team later on posted a nine-game winning streak in January, then won seven straight games in February, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. The SuperSonics won their third Division title in four years, finishing in first place in the Pacific Division with a 57–25 record, earning the #2 seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

for the seventh consecutive year. The SuperSonics had the sixth best team defensive rating in the NBA.

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best know ...

averaged 21.8 points, 7.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game, contributed 119 three-point field goals, and was named to the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

, and to the

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

, while

Shawn Kemp Shawn Travis Kemp Sr. (born November 26, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association ( ...

averaged 18.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and

Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...

provided the team with 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, but only played 61 games due to a foot injury. In addition,

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After starring at George Westinghouse College Prep, the shooting guard played college basketball ...

contributed 13.9 points and 1.9 steals per game, and led the SuperSonics with 143 three-point field goals, while off the bench, sixth man

Sam Perkins Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Perkins was a three-time college All-American, was a member of the 1982 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels, and won a gold med ...

provided with 11.0 points per game and 122 three-point field goals, Cummings averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 45 games, and McIlvaine, who was the team's starting center, contributed 3.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and led them with 2.0 blocks per game. Defensive guard

Nate McMillan Nathaniel McMillan (born August 3, 1964) is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to ...

only played just 37 games this season due to a torn right abductor muscle, as he averaged 4.6 points, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Payton, Kemp and Schrempf were all selected for the

1997 NBA All-Star Game The 1997 NBA All-Star Game was the 47th edition of the All-Star Game and commemorated the 50th anniversary of NBA. The game was played on February 9, 1997, at Gund Arena (now known as Rocket Arena) in Cleveland. The winner of the MVP award was ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. Payton also finished in sixth 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 in second place in

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

voting, while Kemp finished tied in sixth place, and Perkins finished tied in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting. In the Western Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the SuperSonics trailed 2–1 to the 7th-seeded

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 ...

, but won the series in five games. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they faced off against the

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

, who had home-court advantage in the series, and took a 3–1 series lead; the SuperSonics won the next two games to even the series, but lost Game 7 to the Rockets. This season was Kemp's final season with the SuperSonics, as he was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in a three-team trade the following year. Also following the season, Cummings signed as a free agent with 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 ...

, while Stewart was released to free agency, and Ehlo retired.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

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Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Player Statistics Citation:

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

See also