1990–91 Seattle SuperSonics season

The 1990–91 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 23rd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was replaced by his former assistant K. C. Jones, and went on to occupy the desk of vice-president of Basketball Operations for Seattle,^[2] resigning months later to accept a job as General Manager of the Denver Nuggets.^[3] Despite finishing with a 41–41 record the previous season, the SuperSonics received the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, and selected point guard Gary Payton out of Oregon State University.^[4][5][6]

Under Jones and with the addition of Payton, the SuperSonics struggled with a 4–10 start to the regular season, after posting a six-game losing streak between November and December. Also in December, the team traded Xavier McDaniel to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Eddie Johnson.^[7][8][9] With the addition of Johnson, the SuperSonics posted a six-game winning streak in December, and later on held a 22–23 record at the All-Star break.^[10] At mid-season, the team traded Dale Ellis, whose off-the-court problems were the focus of much unwanted attention,^[11][12] to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for All-Star guard Ricky Pierce,^[13][14][15] and also traded Olden Polynice to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Benoit Benjamin.^[16][17][18] The SuperSonics finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 41–41 record, which was the same record as the previous season, but this time being able to qualify for the NBA playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.^[19]

After the trade, Pierce played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 17.5 points per game in 32 games, while Johnson averaged 17.4 points per game in 66 games with the team, and Benjamin provided the team with 12.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 31 games. In addition, Derrick McKey averaged 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while second-year forward Shawn Kemp showed improvement, averaging 15.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Sedale Threatt contributed 12.7 points and 1.4 steals per game. Meanwhile, Payton provided with 7.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Michael Cage averaged 6.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, second-year guard Dana Barros contributed 6.3 points per game, and Nate McMillan averaged 4.3 points, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.^[20]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kemp participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year.^[21][22] Pierce finished in fourth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,^[23] while Kemp finished in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting.^[23]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the SuperSonics faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by the All-Star trio of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Kevin Duckworth. The SuperSonics lost the first two games to the Trail Blazers on the road at the Memorial Coliseum, but managed to win the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 win over the Trail Blazers, 101–89 at the Seattle Center Coliseum to even the series.^[24][25][26] However, the SuperSonics lost Game 5 to the Trail Blazers at the Memorial Coliseum, 119–107, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.^[27][28][29]

The SuperSonics finished 23rd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 501,250 at the Seattle Center Coliseum during the regular season, which was the fifth-lowest in the league.^[20][30] Following the season, Threatt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.^[31][32]