The 1998âÂÂ99 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 29th season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their 15th season in Los Angeles, California. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50. This was also the team's final season in which they played their home games 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. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Sherman Douglas, and undrafted rookie small forward Tyrone Nesby, and hired Chris Ford as their new head coach.
However, under Ford and despite the addition of Olowokandi, Nesby and Douglas, the Clippers struggled suffering a dreadful 17-game losing streak to start the regular season. The team's 0âÂÂ17 record tied the 1988âÂÂ89 Miami Heat for the then-worst start in NBA history, which would later on be broken by the 2009âÂÂ10 New Jersey Nets, and the 2015âÂÂ16 Philadelphia 76ers, who both lost their first 18 games of the regular season. At mid-season, the team signed second-year guard Troy Hudson in March. The Clippers posted a six-game losing streak between March and April, which led to a dreadful 3âÂÂ30 record as of April 6, 1999, and then lost their final six games of the season, finishing in last place in the Pacific Division with an awful 9âÂÂ41 record. The Clippers tied the 1972âÂÂ73 Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth-lowest win total for a season behind the 1998âÂÂ99 Vancouver Grizzlies, the 2011âÂÂ12 Charlotte Bobcats, and the 1947âÂÂ48 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, and also finishing in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting, 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, and led the Clippers with 65 three-point field goals, 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, Hudson contributed 6.8 points and 3.7 assists per game in 25 games, and Lorenzen Wright averaged 6.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Clippers finished last in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 256,568 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena during the regular season, which was 29th in the league. Following the season, Murray was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Rogers signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, Wright was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, Douglas re-signed with the New Jersey Nets, Martin signed with the Sacramento Kings, and Pooh Richardson was released to free agency.
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The Clippers have been involved in the following transactions during the 1998âÂÂ1999 season.
No trades occurred for this team during this season.
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