1998–99 Sacramento Kings season

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

The Kings received the seventh overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, and selected point guard Jason Williams from the University of Florida; Williams would earn the nickname "White Chocolate", and would also be known for his flashy passes and crossovers. During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forward Chris Webber from the Washington Wizards, and signed free agents Vlade Divac, Vernon Maxwell, three-point specialist Jon Barry, 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 Europe, Serbian small forward Peja Stojaković, who was drafted 14th overall by the Kings in the 1996 NBA draft, would finally make his debut in the NBA this season.

Under new head coach Rick Adelman, the Kings struggled playing below .500 basketball with a 17–22 start to the regular season, but then improved by winning ten of their final eleven games, finishing in third place in the Pacific Division with a 27–23 record, which was their first winning record in 16 years, as the team earned the #6 seed in the Western Conference.

Webber averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds 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, 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, while second-year forward Lawrence Funderburke averaged 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and Stojaković provided with 8.4 points per game.

Webber also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Williams finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting behind Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Kings got off to a good start, taking a 2–1 series lead over the 3rd–seeded Utah Jazz. However, the Jazz won Game 4 at the ARCO Arena II by one point to even the series, 90–89, and force a decisive fifth game; the Kings would lose Game 5 on the road at the Delta Center in overtime, 99–92.

Following the season, Abdul-Wahad was traded to the Orlando Magic, and Maxwell signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics. 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.