1998–99 Washington Wizards season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the 38th season for the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association, and their 26th season in Washington, D.C.. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.

During the off-season, the Wizards acquired All-Star guard Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe from the Sacramento Kings. However, after a 4–4 start to the regular season, the team struggled playing below .500 basketball for the remainder of the season. Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was fired after a 13–19 start, and was replaced with assistant Jim Brovelli as an interim coach, and Juwan Howard only played 36 games due to an ankle injury. The Wizards posted a 7-game losing streak in April, and lost nine of their final eleven games of the season, finishing in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a disappointing 18–32 record.

Richmond led the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game, while Howard averaged 18.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and Rod Strickland provided the team with 15.7 points and 9.9 assists per game. In addition, Thorpe provided with 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Calbert Cheaney contributed 7.7 points per game off the bench, and Ben Wallace led the team with 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Following the season, Thorpe signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat, while Cheaney signed with the Boston Celtics, Wallace, Terry Davis and Tim Legler were all traded to the Orlando Magic, who then released Davis and Legler to free agency, and Brovelli was fired as head coach.