1998–99 Los Angeles Clippers season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the 29th season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their 15th season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.^[2]

1998–99 Los Angeles Clippers season
Head coach	Chris Ford
Owners	Donald Sterling
Arena	Los Angeles Sports Arena Arrowhead Pond
Results
Record	9–41 (.180)
Place	Division: 7th (Pacific) Conference: 13th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KCAL-TV Fox Sports West 2 (Ralph Lawler, Bill Walton)
Radio	KXTA (Rory Markas)
< 1997–98 1999–00 >

This was also the final season where the team played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and played occasional home games at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The Clippers won the NBA draft lottery, and selected center Michael Olowokandi out of Pacific University with the first overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft,^[3][4][5][6] and signed free agents Sherman Douglas,^[7][8] and undrafted rookie small forward Tyrone Nesby in the off-season.^[9]

However, the Clippers still struggled under new head coach Chris Ford,^[10][11] losing their first 17 games of the regular season, tying the 1988–89 Miami Heat for the then-worst start in NBA history (later on broken by the 2009–10 New Jersey Nets, who lost their first 18 games of the regular season).^[12] During the mid-season period, the team signed second-year guard Troy Hudson in March.^[13] The Clippers lost 30 of their first 33 games of the season, then lost their final six games, finishing in last place in the Pacific Division with an awful 9–41 record;^[14] they tied the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth-lowest win total for a season behind the 1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies, the 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats, and the 1947–48 Providence Steamrollers.

Second-year forward Maurice Taylor showed improvement becoming the team's starting power forward, averaging 16.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while Lamond Murray played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 12.2 points per game. In addition, three-point specialist Eric Piatkowski contributed 10.5 points per game, while Nesby provided the team with 10.1 points and 1.5 steals per game, and Olowokandi averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Meanwhile, Douglas contributed 8.2 points and 4.1 assists per game, while Darrick Martin contributed 8.0 points and 3.9 assists per game, Rodney Rogers provided with 7.4 points per game off the bench, and Lorenzen Wright averaged 6.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.^[15]

Following the season, Murray was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers,^{[16][17][18][19]} while Rogers signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns,^{[20][21][22][23]} Wright was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks,^[24][25][26] Douglas re-signed with the New Jersey Nets,^[27][28] Martin signed with the Sacramento Kings, and Pooh Richardson was released to free agency.^[29][30]

Draft picks

Main article: 1998 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	1	Michael Olowokandi	C	Nigeria	Pacific
1	22	Brian Skinner	PF	United States	Baylor

Roster

1998–99 Los Angeles Clippers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 1 Scott Brooks (IN) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) –– UC Irvine C 33 Keith Closs 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 215 lb (98 kg) –– Central Connecticut State G 20 Sherman Douglas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) –– Syracuse G 6 Troy Hudson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) –– Southern Illinois G 15 Darrick Martin 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 170 lb (77 kg) –– UCLA F 7 Lamond Murray 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 236 lb (107 kg) –– California G/F 8 Tyrone Nesby 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) –– UNLV C 34 Michael Olowokandi 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) –– Pacific G 52 Eric Piatkowski 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) –– Nebraska G 24 Pooh Richardson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) –– UCLA F 54 Rodney Rogers 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 260 lb (118 kg) –– Wake Forest F 32 Brian Skinner 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) –– Michigan G 5 Charles Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 194 lb (88 kg) –– New Mexico F 23 Maurice Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) –– Michigan C 11 Stojko Vrankovic 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 260 lb (118 kg) –– Croatia F/C 55 Lorenzen Wright 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) –– Memphis

Head coach Chris Ford Assistant(s) Jim Brewer Rex Kalamian Jim Todd Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Updated: 2009-10-04

Roster Notes

• Point guard Scott Brooks was on the injured reserve list due to a knee injury, missed the entire regular season, and never played for the Clippers.^[31]

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Portland Trail Blazers	35	15	.700	–	22–3	13–12	15–7
x-Los Angeles Lakers	31	19	.620	4	18–7	13–12	14–8
x-Sacramento Kings	27	23	.540	8	16–9	11–14	11–9
x-Phoenix Suns	27	23	.540	8	15–10	12–13	9–10
Seattle SuperSonics	25	25	.500	10	17–8	8–17	11–10
Golden State Warriors	21	29	.420	14	13–12	8–17	8–11
Los Angeles Clippers	9	41	.180	26	6–19	3–22	3–16

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-San Antonio Spurs	37	13	.740	–
2	y-Portland Trail Blazers	35	15	.700	2
3	x-Utah Jazz	37	13	.740	–
4	x-Los Angeles Lakers	31	19	.620	6
5	x-Houston Rockets	31	19	.620	6
6	x-Sacramento Kings	27	23	.540	10
7	x-Phoenix Suns	27	23	.540	10
8	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	25	25	.500	12
9	Seattle SuperSonics	25	25	.500	12
10	Golden State Warriors	21	29	.420	16
11	Dallas Mavericks	19	31	.380	18
12	Denver Nuggets	14	36	.280	23
13	Los Angeles Clippers	9	41	.180	28
14	Vancouver Grizzlies	8	42	.160	29

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1998-99 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	VAN	WAS
Atlanta	–	3–0	3–0	3–1	2–1	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	1–2	2–1	2–2	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	2–1
Boston	0–3	–	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	1–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	3–0	0–3	0–1	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	3–1
Charlotte	0–3	2–1	–	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	3–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	2–2	0–0	3–0	1–3	1–2	1–2	1–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	2–1
Chicago	1–3	1–2	1–2	–	0–3	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	2–1	1–2	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–1	1–2	0–1	1–0	1–2
Cleveland	1–2	2–2	1–2	3–0	–	0–0	0–0	1–2	1–0	0–1	0–3	0–0	1–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	3–0	1–2	1–2	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	2–2	0–1	0–0	1–2
Dallas	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	–	2–1	0–1	2–2	2–2	0–0	3–0	0–3	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	1–0	0–0	1–3	0–3	2–2	1–3	0–3	0–0	0–3	2–1	0–0
Denver	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–2	–	0–0	1–3	0–4	0–1	3–0	1–2	0–1	1–0	0–3	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–3	0–3	0–3	0–4	2–2	0–0	1–2	3–1	0–1
Detroit	2–1	3–0	0–3	3–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–1	2–1	2–1	0–4	1–3	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	1–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	2–1
Golden State	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	2–2	3–1	0–0	–	0–3	1–0	2–1	1–2	0–0	0–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	2–2	1–2	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–4	4–0	0–0
Houston	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	2–2	4–0	0–0	3–0	–	0–0	3–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	2–1	1–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	2–2	2–1	3–0	0–3	2–1	1–0	0–3	4–0	0–0
Indiana	1–2	3–0	2–1	3–0	3–0	0–0	1–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	–	0–0	1–0	2–2	3–0	0–0	3–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	3–0
L.A. Clippers	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–3	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	–	0–4	0–0	0–0	2–2	1–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	1–2	0–3	0–3	0–1	1–3	1–3	0–0
L.A. Lakers	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–1	3–0	2–1	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–1	4–0	–	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–0	0–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	1–3	2–1	0–0
Miami	3–0	0–3	2–1	2–1	3–0	1–0	1–0	1–2	0–0	1–0	2–2	0–0	0–0	–	2–1	0–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	3–0	0–1	0–0	3–0
Milwaukee	2–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	0–0	0–1	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	1–2	–	1–0	2–1	2–1	1–2	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	3–1	0–0	0–0	2–1
Minnesota	0–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–1	3–0	1–0	2–2	1–2	0–0	2–2	1–2	1–0	0–1	–	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–3	3–1	2–2	2–1	0–1	0–3	3–1	0–0
New Jersey	2–1	2–1	0–3	1–2	0–3	1–0	0–1	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–3	0–1	0–0	1–3	1–2	0–0	–	0–3	0–3	1–2	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–0	2–1
New York	1–2	2–1	3–1	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–2	1–0	0–1	2–2	1–2	1–0	3–0	–	0–3	3–1	1–0	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–1
Orlando	2–2	2–1	2–1	3–0	2–1	0–1	0–0	4–0	1–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	1–2	2–1	0–0	3–0	3–0	–	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–1
Philadelphia	1–2	2–1	2–1	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	3–1	0–0	0–0	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2	2–1	0–0	2–1	1–3	2–1	–	0–0	0–1	1–0	0–1	0–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2
Phoenix	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–1	3–1	3–0	0–1	2–1	2–2	0–0	3–0	1–3	0–0	1–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	–	0–3	0–3	2–2	3–0	0–0	2–2	3–0	0–0
Portland	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	3–0	3–0	0–0	2–2	1–2	1–0	2–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	3–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	3–0	–	4–0	1–3	2–2	0–0	1–2	4–0	0–0
Sacramento	0–0	1–0	1–0	0–0	0–0	2–2	3–0	0–0	2–1	0–3	0–0	2–1	2–1	0–0	0–0	1–3	0–0	1–0	0–1	0–1	3–0	0–4	–	1–2	2–2	0–0	1–2	4–0	1–0
San Antonio	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–1	3–1	4–0	1–0	3–0	3–0	0–0	3–0	1–2	0–0	0–0	2–2	0–0	0–0	1–0	1–0	2–2	3–1	2–1	–	2–1	0–1	2–1	3–0	0–0
Seattle	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	3–0	2–2	0–1	2–1	1–2	0–0	3–0	2–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–3	2–2	2–2	1–2	–	0–0	2–2	2–1	0–1
Toronto	1–2	2–1	1–2	2–1	2–2	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	0–1	1–2	1–0	0–0	0–3	1–3	1–0	1–2	2–1	2–1	1–2	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–0	0–0	–	0–0	1–0	2–2
Utah	0–0	0–0	0–1	1–0	1–0	3–0	2–1	0–1	4–0	3–0	0–0	3–1	3–1	1–0	0–0	3–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	2–2	2–1	2–1	1–2	2–2	0–0	–	3–0	1–0
Vancouver	0–1	0–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	1–3	0–0	0–3	0–4	0–1	3–1	1–2	0–0	0–0	1–3	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	0–3	0–3	0–4	0–3	1–2	0–1	0–3	–	0–0
Washington	1–2	1–3	1–2	2–1	2–1	0–0	1–0	1–2	0–1	0–0	0–3	0–0	0–0	0–3	1–2	0–0	1–2	1–2	1–2	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–1	0–0	1–0	2–2	0–1	0–0	—

Game log

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

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Maurice Taylor	46	45	32.7	46.1	16.7	72.8	5.3	1.5	0.3	0.6	16.8
Lamond Murray	50	13	26.3	39.1	33.0	80.3	3.9	1.2	1.2	0.4	12.2
Eric Piatkowski	49	38	25.3	43.2	39.4	86.3	2.9	1.1	0.9	0.1	10.5
Tyrone Nesby	50	36	25.8	44.9	36.5	78.2	3.5	1.6	1.5	0.4	10.1
Michael Olowokandi	45	36	28.4	43.1	0.0	48.3	7.9	0.6	0.6	1.2	8.9
Sherman Douglas	30	19	28.1	43.8	0.0	63.2	1.9	4.1	0.9	0.1	8.2
Darrick Martin	37	25	25.4	36.7	29.2	80.3	1.3	3.9	1.2	0.1	8.0
James Robinson	14	0	20.0	39.8	26.7	74.1	1.9	1.3	1.0	0.2	7.6
Rodney Rogers	47	7	20.6	44.1	28.6	67.3	3.8	1.6	1.0	0.5	7.4
Troy Hudson	25	6	21.0	40.0	31.9	89.5	2.2	3.7	0.4	0.1	6.8
Lorenzen Wright	48	15	23.6	45.8	0.0	69.2	7.5	0.7	0.5	0.8	6.6
Brian Skinner	21	0	12.3	46.5	0.0	60.6	2.5	0.0	0.5	0.6	4.1
Charles Smith	23	10	13.8	36.1	21.2	43.8	1.0	0.6	0.7	0.6	3.7
Pooh Richardson	11	0	11.8	33.3	0.0	100.0	1.2	2.7	0.4	0.0	2.5
Keith Closs	15	0	5.8	52.2	0.0	80.0	1.7	0.0	0.2	0.6	2.1
Stojko Vrankovic	2	0	6.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

Player Statistics Citation:^[15]

Awards and records

Injuries and surgeries

Player	Injury Date	Injury Type
Scott Brooks	January 30, 1999	Strained right MCL

Transactions

The Clippers have been involved in the following transactions during the 1998–1999 season.

Re-signed

Player	Signed	Contract
Darrick Martin	January 22, 1999	One-year deal

Trades

No trades occurred for this team during this season.

Free agents

Additions Player Signed Former team Scott Brooks January 21 Cleveland Cavaliers Tyrone Nesby January 21 Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) Sherman Douglas February 4 New Jersey Nets Troy Hudson March 23 Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA)

Subtractions Player Left New team James Collins free agency, July 1 LaCrosse Bobcats (CBA) Isaac Austin free agency, January 21 Orlando Magic Loy Vaught free agency, January 22 Detroit Pistons Scott Brooks waived, February 19 Los Angeles Stars (ABA) James Robinson waived, March 18 Minnesota Timberwolves

Player Transactions Citation:^[32]

See also

• 1998-99 NBA season