2001–02 Seattle SuperSonics season
| 2001–02 Seattle SuperSonics season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Nate McMillan |
| General manager | Rick Sund |
| Owners | Howard Schultz |
| Arena | KeyArena |
| Results | |
| Record | 45–37 (.549) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Pacific) Conference: 7th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | West First Round (lost to Spurs 2–3) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KING-TV KONG Fox Sports Net Northwest |
| Radio | KJR |
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 35th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the SuperSonics signed free agents Calvin Booth, and Jerome James.
Heading into Nate McMillan's first full season as head coach, the SuperSonics struggled losing five of their first seven games, and held a 9–14 start to the regular season. However, the team won 14 of their next 20 games, and played above .500 basketball for the remainder of the season, holding a 25–23 record at the All-Star break, but lost six of their final eight games, finishing in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 45–37 record, which was only a one-game improvement over the previous season, earning the #7 seed in the Western Conference, and returning to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence.
Gary Payton averaged 22.1 points, 9.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition, Rashard Lewis averaged 16.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Brent Barry provided the team with 14.4 points per game, Vin Baker contributed 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, but only played 55 games due to a shoulder injury, second-year forward Desmond Mason provided with 12.4 points per game off the bench, and top draft pick Vladimir Radmanovic was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Payton also finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting.
However, in the Western Conference First Round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, the SuperSonics lost in five games to the San Antonio Spurs. This season was also Payton's final full season in Seattle, as he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the next season. Also following the season, Baker and Shammond Williams were both traded to the Boston Celtics, and second-round draft pick Earl Watson signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies.
For the season, the SuperSonics changed their primary logo, and added new uniforms, going back to their traditional color scheme of emerald green and yellow. The logo and uniforms both remained in use until 2008.