1998–99 Sacramento Kings season

The 1998–99 Sacramento Kings season was the 50th season for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association, and their 14th season in Sacramento, California.^[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.^[2]

The Kings received the seventh overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, and selected point guard Jason Williams from the University of Florida;^[3][4][5] Williams would earn the nickname "White Chocolate", and would also be known for his flashy passes and crossovers.^[6][7] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Chris Webber from the Washington Wizards,^[8][9][10] and signed free agents Vlade Divac,^[11][12][13] Vernon Maxwell, three-point specialist Jon Barry,^[14] and second-year center Scot Pollard, who was signed midway through the season while Terry Dehere was released to free agency. After playing overseas in Greece, Serbian small forward Peja Stojaković, who was drafted by the Kings as the 14th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, made his debut in the NBA this season.^[15][16][17] The Kings also hired Rick Adelman as their new head coach; Adelman led the Portland Trail Blazers to two trips to the NBA Finals between 1990 and 1992.^[18][19]

Under Adelman and with the addition of Webber, Divac, Williams, Maxwell and Stojaković, the Kings got off to a 9–9 start to the regular season, but played below .500 in winning percentage as the season progressed, holding a 17–22 record as of April 15, 1999. However, the team improved by winning ten of their final eleven games of the season, which included two five-game winning streaks between April and May. The Kings finished in third place in the Pacific Division with a 27–23 record, which was their first winning record above .500 in 16 years, as the team earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference.^[20]

Webber averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Divac averaged 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, and Williams provided the team with 12.8 points, 6.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game, led them with 100 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Corliss Williamson provided with 13.2 points per game, and second-year guard Tariq Abdul-Wahad contributed 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Maxwell contributed 10.7 points per game and 80 three-point field goals, while second-year forward Lawrence Funderburke averaged 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, Stojaković provided with 8.4 points per game, and Barry contributed 5.0 points and 2.6 assists per game.^[21] Webber also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[22][23] while Williams finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors.^[24][23]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Kings faced off against the 3rd–seeded Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. With the series tied at 1–1, the Kings managed to win Game 3 over the Jazz at home in overtime, 84–81 at the ARCO Arena II to take a 2–1 series lead.^[25][26][27] However, the Kings lost Game 4 at home by a score of 90–89, which evened the series,^[28][29][30] before losing Game 5 to the Jazz on the road in overtime, 99–92 at the Delta Center, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.^[31][32][33]

The Kings finished 15th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 418,751 at the ARCO Arena II during the regular season.^[21][34] Following the season, Abdul-Wahad was traded to the Orlando Magic,^[35][36] and Maxwell signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics.^[37][38] For the season, the Kings added new purple alternate road uniforms with black side panels to their shorts, which would remain in use until 2002.^[39]