1996–97 San Antonio Spurs season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 21st season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs signed free agent and former All-Star forward Dominique Wilkins, who previously played overseas in Greece last season, while re-signing former Spurs guard Vernon Maxwell.

However, without All-Star center David Robinson, who only played just six games due to back and foot injuries, and three-point specialist Chuck Person, who was out for the entire regular season due to an off-season back injury, the Spurs struggled losing 13 of their first 15 games of the season in November, which included an 8-game losing streak. After 18 games, head coach Bob Hill was fired and replaced with General Manager Gregg Popovich; Popovich would remain as head coach of the Spurs until 2025.

The team dealt with additional injuries as Sean Elliott only played just 39 games due to a knee injury, and Charles D. Smith only appeared in just 19 games also with a knee injury. The Spurs held a 11–34 record at the All-Star break, then later on lost their final six games of the season, finishing in sixth place in the Midwest Division with an awful 20–62 record. The Spurs had the worst team defensive rating in the NBA.

Wilkins appeared in 63 games with the Spurs, averaging 18.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Robinson averaged 17.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game during his short six-game stint, and Elliott averaged 14.9 points per game. In addition, Maxwell provided the team with 12.9 points per game and led them with 115 three-point field goals, while Vinny Del Negro contributed 12.3 points per game, and Avery Johnson provided with 10.5 points, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Monty Williams showed improvement averaging 9.0 points per game, while Will Perdue provided with 8.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, Carl Herrera contributed 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Greg Anderson averaged 3.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Wilkins also finished tied in seventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Williams finished tied in twelfth place in Most Improved Player voting.

Since the Spurs joined the NBA in 1976, this was only the fourth time they missed the NBA playoffs. Until 2020, this was the Spurs' last season in which they failed to make the playoffs, due in large part to turning the lottery pick they earned in 1997 into perennial All-Star Tim Duncan, who would create a dynasty that won them their first championship 2 years later, then four more championships in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Following the season, Wilkins left to play overseas in Italy, while Maxwell was released to free agency, Anderson re-signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks, and Smith retired.