1992–93 Seattle SuperSonics season

The 1992–93 NBA season was the 25th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the first month of the regular season, the SuperSonics acquired Vincent Askew from the Sacramento Kings.^[2] With George Karl in his first full season as the SuperSonics' head coach, the team won their first four games of the season, which included two victories against the Houston Rockets in their first two games overseas in Yokohama, Japan.^[3][4][5]

1992–93 Seattle SuperSonics season
Head coach	George Karl
General manager	Bob Whitsitt
Owner(s)	Barry Ackerley
Arena	Seattle Center Coliseum
Results
Record	55–27 (.671)
Place	Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finish	Western Conference finals (lost to the Phoenix Suns 3–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KING-TV Prime Sports Northwest
Radio	KJR
< 1991–92 1993–94 >

A ticket for Game 4 of the 1993 Western Conference finals between the SuperSonics and the Phoenix Suns at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

At mid-season, the team traded Benoit Benjamin, and top draft pick Doug Christie out of Pepperdine University to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Sam Perkins.^[6][7][8] With a 33–17 record at the All-Star break,^[9] the SuperSonics won ten straight games between February and March, and posted an 8-game improvement over the previous season by finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record, and earning the third seed in the Western Conference.^[10]

Shawn Kemp averaged 17.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks per game, and was selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was his first ever All-Star appearance,^[11][12][13] while Ricky Pierce led the team in scoring averaging 18.2 points and contributing 1.3 steals per game, and Gary Payton provided the team with 13.5 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game. In addition, sixth man Eddie Johnson contributed 14.4 points per game off the bench, while Derrick McKey provided with 13.4 points and 1.4 steals per game, Dana Barros contributed 7.8 points per game also off the bench, Nate McMillan provided with 7.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and Michael Cage averaged 6.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.^[14]

Kemp also finished tied in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[15][16] while Payton finished in sixth place in Most Improved Player voting, with Kemp finishing tied in eleventh place,^[16] and Karl finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.^[17][16]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs, the SuperSonics trailed 2–1 to the 6th–seeded Utah Jazz,^[18][19][20] but managed to defeat them in five games,^[21][22][23] then defeated the Rockets in seven games in the Western Conference Semi-finals, which included a 103–100 overtime home win in Game 7.^[24][25][26] However, the SuperSonics would then lose in the Western Conference Finals to the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns in a full seven game series.^[27][28][29] The Suns would reach the 1993 NBA Finals, but would lose to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in six games.^[30][31][32]

Following the season, McKey was traded to the Indiana Pacers,^[33][34][35] and Johnson and Barros were both dealt to the Charlotte Hornets,^[36][37][38] who then sent Barros to the Philadelphia 76ers two days later.^[39][40][41]

Draft picks

Main article: 1992 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	17	Doug Christie	SG	United States	Pepperdine
2	45	Chris King	SF	United States	Wake Forest

Roster

1992–93 Seattle SuperSonics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 17 Vincent Askew 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–02–28 Memphis G 11 Dana Barros 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 163 lb (74 kg) 1967–04–13 Boston College C 44 Michael Cage 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 224 lb (102 kg) 1962–01–28 San Diego State F 8 Eddie Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–05–01 Illinois F 40 Shawn Kemp 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1969–11–26 Trinity Valley CC C 25 Rich King 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1969–04–04 Nebraska F 31 Derrick McKey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1966–10–10 Alabama G 10 Nate McMillan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1964–08–03 NC State G 21 Gerald Paddio 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1965–04–21 UNLV G 20 Gary Payton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1968–07–23 Oregon State F 14 Sam Perkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1961–06–14 North Carolina G 22 Ricky Pierce 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1959–08–19 Rice C 55 Steve Scheffler 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1967–09–03 Purdue

Head coach George Karl Assistant(s) Tim Grgurich Bob Kloppenburg Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Phoenix Suns	62	20	.756	—	35–6	27–14	21–9
x-Seattle SuperSonics	55	27	.671	7	33–8	22–19	22–8
x-Portland Trail Blazers	51	31	.622	11	30–11	21–20	19–11
x-Los Angeles Clippers	41	41	.500	21	27–14	14–27	15–15
x-Los Angeles Lakers	39	43	.476	23	20–21	19–22	13–17
Golden State Warriors	34	48	.415	28	19–22	15–26	9–21
Sacramento Kings	25	57	.305	37	16–25	9–32	6–24

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Phoenix Suns	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Houston Rockets	55	27	.671	7
3	x-Seattle SuperSonics	55	27	.671	7
4	x-Portland Trail Blazers	51	31	.622	11
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	49	33	.598	13
6	x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	15
7	x-Los Angeles Clippers	41	41	.500	21
8	x-Los Angeles Lakers	39	43	.476	23
9	Denver Nuggets	36	46	.439	26
10	Golden State Warriors	34	48	.415	28
11	Sacramento Kings	25	57	.305	37
12	Minnesota Timberwolves	19	63	.232	43
13	Dallas Mavericks	11	71	.134	51

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Regular season

1992–93 game log Total: 55–27 (Home: 33–8; Road: 22–19)
November: 8–4 (home: 6–1; road: 2–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 6, 1992 @ Houston (at Yokohama, Japan) W 111–94 Tokyo Dome 1–0 2 November 7, 1992 Houston (at Yokohama, Japan) W 89–85 Tokyo Dome 2–0 3 November 12, 1992 L.A. Lakers W 114–102 Seattle Center Coliseum 3–0 4 November 14, 1992 Sacramento W 133–117 Seattle Center Coliseum 4–0 5 November 16, 1992 6:30 p.m. PST @ Phoenix L 108–117 Kemp, McKey (19) Kemp (9) McMillan (8) America West Arena 19,023 4–1 6 November 17, 1992 New York W 100–90 Seattle Center Coliseum 5–1 7 November 19, 1992 7:00 p.m. PST Chicago L 99–108 Payton (18) Kemp, McMillan (7) Barros (7) Kingdome 37,401 5–2 8 November 21, 1992 Detroit W 138–101 Seattle Center Coliseum 6–2 9 November 23, 1992 @ Sacramento L 99–103 ARCO Arena 6–3 10 November 24, 1992 New Jersey W 103–97 Seattle Center Coliseum 7–3 11 November 27, 1992 @ Dallas W 127–104 Reunion Arena 8–3 12 November 28, 1992 @ San Antonio L 97–104 HemisFair Arena 8–4
December: 10–4 (home: 7–0; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 13 December 1, 1992 Orlando W 116–102 Seattle Center Coliseum 9–4 14 December 3, 1992 Dallas W 125–108 Seattle Center Coliseum 10–4 15 December 5, 1992 Minnesota W 124–87 Seattle Center Coliseum 11–4 16 December 8, 1992 @ New York L 88–100 Madison Square Garden 11–5 17 December 9, 1992 @ Philadelphia L 104–115 The Spectrum 11–6 18 December 11, 1992 @ Boston W 100–90 Boston Garden 12–6 19 December 12, 1992 @ Cleveland L 93–97 Richfield Coliseum 12–7 20 December 15, 1992 Milwaukee W 108–100 Seattle Center Coliseum 13–7 21 December 18, 1992 Portland W 126–109 Seattle Center Coliseum 14–7 22 December 19, 1992 L.A. Clippers W 121–101 Seattle Center Coliseum 15–7 23 December 22, 1992 @ Portland W 107–96 Memorial Coliseum 16–7 24 December 23, 1992 @ L.A. Lakers W 80–79 Great Western Forum 17–7 25 December 26, 1992 6:30 p.m. PST @ Phoenix L 110–113 Johnson (22) Cage (8) Payton (11) America West Arena 19,023 17–8 26 December 29, 1992 Boston W 111–87 Seattle Center Coliseum 18–8
January: 10–4 (home: 6–1; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 27 January 2, 1993 Denver W 108–104 Seattle Center Coliseum 19–8 28 January 5, 1993 Golden State W 116–106 Seattle Center Coliseum 20–8 29 January 8, 1993 @ Minnesota W 98–93 Target Center 21–8 30 January 9, 1993 @ Denver W 107–95 McNichols Sports Arena 22–8 31 January 12, 1993 7:00 p.m. PST Phoenix W 122–113 McKey (24) Kemp (14) Pierce (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 23–8 32 January 14, 1993 @ Utah L 89–96 Delta Center 23–9 33 January 15, 1993 L.A. Clippers W 123–104 Seattle Center Coliseum 24–9 34 January 17, 1993 @ Portland L 97–109 Memorial Coliseum 24–10 35 January 18, 1993 Utah W 106–96 Seattle Center Coliseum 25–10 36 January 20, 1993 @ L.A. Lakers W 111–101 Great Western Forum 26–10 37 January 22, 1993 @ Golden State W 118–114 (2OT) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 27–10 38 January 24, 1993 @ L.A. Clippers L 95–116 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 27–11 39 January 27, 1993 San Antonio L 99–119 Seattle Center Coliseum 27–12 40 January 30, 1993 Portland W 108–86 Seattle Center Coliseum 28–12
February: 9–5 (home: 3–2; road: 6–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 41 February 1, 1993 @ Charlotte L 100–112 Charlotte Coliseum 28–13 42 February 2, 1993 @ Atlanta L 109–118 The Omni 28–14 43 February 4, 1993 @ New Jersey L 103–113 (OT) Brendan Byrne Arena 28–15 44 February 6, 1993 @ Washington W 120–92 Capital Centre 29–15 45 February 7, 1993 @ Detroit W 103–101 The Palace of Auburn Hills 30–15 46 February 9, 1993 Denver L 92–96 Seattle Center Coliseum 30–16 47 February 11, 1993 Utah L 96–101 Seattle Center Coliseum 30–17 48 February 13, 1993 7:00 p.m. PST Phoenix W 95–94 Pierce (25) Kemp (14) Payton (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 31–17 49 February 16, 1993 Washington W 112–102 Seattle Center Coliseum 32–17 50 February 18, 1993 @ Golden State W 131–116 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 33–17 All-Star Break 51 February 23, 1993 @ Denver W 103–99 McNichols Sports Arena 34–17 52 February 24, 1993 @ Minnesota W 89–77 Target Center 35–17 53 February 26, 1993 @ Sacramento W 141–120 ARCO Arena 36–17 54 February 27, 1993 Golden State W 109–92 Seattle Center Coliseum 37–17
March: 11–6 (home: 6–2; road: 5–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 55 March 2, 1993 Cleveland W 108–105 (OT) Seattle Center Coliseum 38–17 56 March 4, 1993 Charlotte W 138–112 Seattle Center Coliseum 39–17 57 March 6, 1993 Philadelphia W 149–93 Seattle Center Coliseum 40–17 58 March 8, 1993 @ Indiana L 99–105 Market Square Arena 40–18 59 March 9, 1993 5:30 p.m. PST @ Chicago L 83–86 Kemp (19) Kemp (11) Payton (6) Chicago Stadium 18,531 40–19 60 March 11, 1993 @ Milwaukee W 116–105 Bradley Center 41–19 61 March 13, 1993 @ Miami L 102–106 Miami Arena 41–20 62 March 14, 1993 @ Orlando W 105–97 Orlando Arena 42–20 63 March 16, 1993 Miami W 98–85 Seattle Center Coliseum 43–20 64 March 18, 1993 Sacramento W 131–111 Seattle Center Coliseum 44–20 65 March 19, 1993 @ Utah W 108–97 Delta Center 45–20 66 March 21, 1993 @ Houston W 100–89 The Summit 46–20 67 March 23, 1993 Portland L 99–108 Seattle Center Coliseum 46–21 68 March 25, 1993 Indiana L 117–120 Seattle Center Coliseum 46–22 69 March 27, 1993 L.A. Clippers W 112–108 Seattle Center Coliseum 47–22 70 March 30, 1993 @ San Antonio L 97–99 HemisFair Arena 47–23 71 March 31, 1993 @ Dallas W 103–96 Reunion Arena 48–23
April: 7–4 (home: 5–2; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 3, 1993 Atlanta W 128–105 Seattle Center Coliseum 49–23 73 April 6, 1993 Dallas L 107–109 Seattle Center Coliseum 49–24 74 April 9, 1993 Sacramento W 111–97 Seattle Center Coliseum 50–24 75 April 11, 1993 @ L.A. Lakers L 96–98 Great Western Forum 50–25 76 April 13, 1993 Minnesota W 129–95 Seattle Center Coliseum 51–25 77 April 16, 1993 7:30 p.m. PDT @ Phoenix W 108–102 Kemp, Payton (19) Kemp (13) Payton (10) America West Arena 19,023 52–25 78 April 17, 1993 Houston L 81–86 Seattle Center Coliseum 52–26 79 April 19, 1993 San Antonio W 96–89 Seattle Center Coliseum 53–26 80 April 22, 1993 @ L.A. Clippers W 100–98 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 54–26 81 April 23, 1993 L.A. Lakers W 122–93 Seattle Center Coliseum 55–26 82 April 25, 1993 @ Golden State L 109–119 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 55–27
1992–93 schedule

Playoffs

1993 playoff game log
Western Conference First Round: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 30, 1993 Utah W 99–85 Shawn Kemp (29) Shawn Kemp (17) Nate McMillan (9) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,429 1–0 2 May 2, 1993 Utah L 85–89 Gary Payton (19) Sam Perkins (10) Nate McMillan (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,513 1–1 3 May 4, 1993 @ Utah L 80–90 Perkins, Johnson (20) Perkins, Cage (9) Ricky Pierce (5) Delta Center 19,911 1–2 4 May 6, 1993 @ Utah W 93–80 Eddie Johnson (24) Shawn Kemp (11) McKey, Payton (6) Delta Center 19,911 2–2 5 May 8, 1993 Utah W 100–92 Sam Perkins (20) Sam Perkins (13) Gary Payton (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 3–2
Western Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 10, 1993 Houston W 99–90 Ricky Pierce (23) Shawn Kemp (11) Nate McMillan (10) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,252 1–0 2 May 12, 1993 Houston W 111–100 Sam Perkins (23) Michael Cage (14) Derrick McKey (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,732 2–0 3 May 15, 1993 @ Houston L 79–97 Shawn Kemp (12) Perkins, Cage (9) Nate McMillan (4) The Summit 16,611 2–1 4 May 16, 1993 @ Houston L 92–103 Shawn Kemp (23) Shawn Kemp (18) Nate McMillan (8) The Summit 16,611 2–2 5 May 18, 1993 Houston W 120–95 Ricky Pierce (24) Shawn Kemp (12) Nate McMillan (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,433 3–2 6 May 20, 1993 @ Houston L 90–103 Perkins, Payton (14) Shawn Kemp (9) three players tied (3) The Summit 16,611 3–3 7 May 22, 1993 Houston W 103–100 (OT) Ricky Pierce (25) Shawn Kemp (11) Nate McMillan (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 4–3
Western Conference Finals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 24, 1993 6:00 p.m. PDT @ Phoenix L 91–105 McKey (17) Kemp (10) McMillan (7) America West Arena 19,023 0–1 2 May 26, 1993 6:00 p.m. PDT @ Phoenix W 103–99 Pierce (34) McMillan (8) McMillan (6) America West Arena 19,023 1–1 3 May 28, 1993 6:00 p.m. PDT Phoenix L 97–104 Pierce (28) Kemp (12) McMillan (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 1–2 4 May 30, 1993 12:30 p.m. PDT Phoenix W 120–101 Kemp, McKey (20) Kemp (8) McKey (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 2–2 5 June 1, 1993 6:00 p.m. PDT @ Phoenix L 114–120 Kemp (33) Kemp, Perkins (6) Payton (8) America West Arena 19,023 2–3 6 June 3, 1993 6:00 p.m. PDT Phoenix W 118–102 Pierce (27) Kemp (15) McKey (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,812 3–3 7 June 5, 1993 12:30 p.m. PDT @ Phoenix L 110–123 Johnson (34) Kemp (8) McMillan (7) America West Arena 19,023 3–4
1993 schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Vincent Askew	64	4	16.5	.495	.333	.701	2.3	1.8	.6	.3	6.0
Dana Barros	69	2	18.0	.451	.379	.831	1.6	2.2	.9	.0	7.8
Benoit Benjamin1	31	6	14.5	.497	.000	.701	3.6	.4	.5	1.1	6.7
Michael Cage	82	66	26.3	.526	.000	.469	8.0	.8	.9	.6	6.1
Eddie Johnson	82	0	22.8	.467	.304	.911	3.3	1.6	.4	.0	14.4
Shawn Kemp	78	68	33.1	.492	.000	.712	10.7	2.0	1.5	1.9	17.8
Rich King	3	0	4.0	.400	.000	1.000	1.7	.3	.0	.0	2.0
Derrick McKey	77	68	31.7	.496	.357	.741	4.2	2.6	1.4	.8	13.4
Nate McMillan	73	25	27.1	.464	.385	.709	4.2	5.3	2.4	.4	7.5
Gerald Paddio	41	3	7.5	.447	.250	.667	1.2	.8	.3	.1	3.9
Gary Payton	82	78	31.1	.494	.206	.770	3.4	4.9	2.2	.3	13.5
Sam Perkins	30	13	25.4	.511	.452	.795	4.8	.9	.7	1.0	12.1
Ricky Pierce	77	72	28.8	.489	.372	.889	2.5	2.9	1.3	.1	18.2
Steve Scheffler	29	5	5.7	.521	.000	.667	1.2	.2	.2	.0	2.3

1.^ Statistics with the SuperSonics.

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Vincent Askew	12	0	8.6	.561	.000	.696	1.6	.8	.1	.1	5.2
Dana Barros	16	0	8.5	.468	.313	.750	.8	.8	.3	.0	3.4
Michael Cage	19	2	19.9	.525	.000	.389	5.8	.5	.7	.4	4.8
Eddie Johnson	19	0	20.1	.390	.333	.935	2.4	.9	.2	.1	10.8
Shawn Kemp	19	19	34.9	.512	.000	.809	10.0	2.6	1.5	2.1	16.5
Derrick McKey	19	17	34.1	.525	.400	.667	5.2	3.7	.6	.9	11.3
Nate McMillan	19	2	21.8	.340	.208	.533	3.5	5.4	.6	1.3	4.8
Gerald Paddio	9	0	3.3	.500	.000	.000	.3	.4	.2	.1	1.6
Gary Payton	19	19	31.8	.443	.167	.676	3.3	3.7	1.8	.2	12.3
Sam Perkins	19	17	32.9	.436	.380	.873	7.0	1.9	1.0	1.3	14.4
Ricky Pierce	19	19	30.4	.456	.400	.898	2.4	2.2	.6	.2	17.7
Steve Scheffler	9	0	2.4	.500	.000	.1000	1.1	.1	.2	.0	1.6

Player Statistics Citation:^[14]

Awards and records

Awards

• Shawn Kemp was selected to play in the 1993 NBA All-Star Game for the West.

Records

Transactions

Overview

Players Added ---- Via free agency Corey Gaines Gerald Paddio Steve Scheffler Via trade Sam Perkins Vincent Askew

Players Lost ---- Via free agency Bart Kofoed Marty Conlon Via trade Benoit Benjamin Via waivers Corey Gaines

Trades

November 25, 1992	To Seattle SuperSonics----Conditional 2nd round pick for the 1993 NBA draft	To Sacramento Kings----Vincent Askew
February 22, 1993	To Seattle SuperSonics----Sam Perkins	To Los Angeles Lakers----Benoit Benjamin----Draft rights to Doug Christie

Free agents

Additions Player Signed Former team Corey Gaines October 7 Gerald Paddio October 8 Cleveland Cavaliers Steve Scheffler October 8 Denver Nuggets

Subtractions Player Left New team Marty Conlon October 1 Sacramento Kings Bart Kofoed October 8 Boston Celtics

Waivings

Player	Left
Corey Gaines	November 19

Player Transactions Citation:^[42]

See also

• 1992–93 NBA season