1998–99 Chicago Bulls season
| 1998–99 Chicago Bulls season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tim Floyd |
| General manager | Jerry Krause |
| Owner(s) | Jerry Reinsdorf |
| Arena | United Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–37 (.260) |
| Place | Division: 8th (Central) Conference: 15th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WGN-TV (Wayne Larrivee, John Paxson) Fox Sports Chicago (Tom Dore, John Paxson) |
| Radio | WMVP (Neil Funk, Johnny "Red" Kerr) |
The 1998–99 NBA season was the 33rd season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50 games.
The Bulls entered the regular season as the three-time defending NBA champions, having defeated the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals in six games, winning their sixth NBA championship, and completing a second three-peat in the 1990s. During the offseason, Phil Jackson's resignation as head coach, the departures of Scottie Pippen (who was traded to the Houston Rockets), Dennis Rodman (who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent), and Michael Jordan's second retirement marked the end of the Bulls' dynasty.
Under new head coach Tim Floyd, plus the off-season acquisitions of Brent Barry, Mark Bryant, and Andrew Lang, the Bulls were a shell of their former selves, losing eight of their first nine games of the regular season. The team lost 14 of their final 17 games, and finished in last place in the Central Division with a 13–37 record (roughly the equivalent of 21–61), missing the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1983–84 season; the Bulls were just the second defending champions to miss the postseason, behind the 1969–70 Boston Celtics.
Toni Kukoč led the team with 18.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, while Ron Harper averaged 11.2 points and 1.7 steals per game, and Barry contributed 11.1 points per game. In addition, Dickey Simpkins showed improvement averaging 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Bryant provided the team with 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Randy Brown contributed 8.8 points and 1.7 steals per game.
On April 10, 1999, the Bulls set an all-time NBA record for the fewest amount of points in a game during the shot clock era, in an 82–49 home loss to the Miami Heat at the United Center. Following the season, Barry was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, while Harper signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers to reunite with Jackson, who was hired to coach the Lakers, Bryant signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lang and Bill Wennington were both released to free agency.