Thomas Terrell Brandon is an American former professional basketball player. He played for three teams during his 11-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-Star, Brandon was a key starter on three NBA franchises before a series of injuries ultimately forced him to play his last game at 31 years old.
Shawn Travis Kemp Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Reign Man", he was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.
Jack Wayne Sikma is an American former professional basketball center. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Seattle SuperSonics, who drafted him in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. In 1979, he won an NBA championship with Seattle. Sikma finished his playing career with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Robert Terrell Cummings is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and was a lead player on several postseason teams while in Milwaukee and San Antonio.
Reggie Williams is a retired professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player at Georgetown University and was a member of their 1983–84 National Championship team.
Gregory Ballard was an American professional basketball player and NBA assistant coach. A collegiate All-American at Oregon, Ballard averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds over an eleven-season NBA career with the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors and briefly, the Seattle SuperSonics.
Clifford Trent Robinson is an American former professional basketball player.
Walter Frederick Walker is an American former professional basketball player. He is best known for his National Basketball Association (NBA) career – both as a player and as a front office executive for the Seattle SuperSonics.
The 1979 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1978–79 season. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, with the Bullets holding home-court advantage, due to a better regular season record. The SuperSonics defeated the Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Washington Bullets had won 4–3.
Lenard Benoit Benjamin [be-NOYT] is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1st round of the 1985 NBA draft. A 7'0" center from Creighton University, Benjamin played for nine NBA teams in 15 seasons from 1985 to 1999. He played for the Clippers (1985–91), Seattle SuperSonics (1991–93), Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets (1993–95), Vancouver Grizzlies (1995), Milwaukee Bucks (1995–96), Toronto Raptors (1996), Philadelphia 76ers (1998–99) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1999).
Timothy Daniel McCormick is an American former professional basketball player from Detroit who played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He currently is a pre- and post-game analyst for the Detroit Pistons.
Brook Robert Lopez is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Splash Mountain", he was named an NBA All-Star as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and has been voted twice to the NBA All-Defensive Team while with the Bucks. He won an NBA championship with Milwaukee in 2021.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 27th season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. In the 1996 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Ukrainian center Vitaly Potapenko out of Wright State University with the 12th overall pick, and Lithuanian center Zydrunas Ilgauskas with the 20th overall pick. However, Ilgauskas would miss the entire season with a broken bone in his right foot. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Mark West. The Cavaliers started their season winning nine of their first twelve games, but after a 21–10 start, they lost six straight games in January while losing 11 of their next 14 games. The team played above .500 for the entire season, holding a 25–22 record at the All-Star break, but started to struggle down the stretch, losing 10 of their 16 games in March. On the final day of the regular season on April 20, 1997, the Cavaliers faced the Washington Bullets at the Gund Arena, as both teams were fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bullets won 85–81 as the Cavs missed the playoffs, finishing 5th in the Central Division with a 42–40 record. The Cavaliers had the fifth best team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 28th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Sonics acquired shooting guards Hersey Hawkins and David Wingate from the Charlotte Hornets, and re-acquired Frank Brickowski from the Sacramento Kings. The team returned to what had now become the KeyArena at Seattle Center after spending the previous season in the Tacoma Dome, while the KeyArena was being renovated. After two consecutive playoffs appearances losing in the first round, the Sonics got off to a 9–6 start in November, but later on posted a 14-game winning streak between February and March, then won nine straight games between March and April. The team held a 34–12 record at the All-Star break, then won 30 of their final 36 games afterwards to finish the regular season with a franchise best 64–18 record, surpassing the record from the 1993–94 season, and earned their third number one seed in the Western Conference in franchise history. They also posted a 38–3 record at home, which was second best in the league.
John Allen Henson is an American professional basketball player who played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Henson was selected with the 14th overall pick in 2012 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and played his first 6+1⁄2 seasons with the team before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in December 2018. In February 2020, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 29th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. The SuperSonics entered the season as runners-up in the 1996 NBA Finals, having lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Jim McIlvaine, Craig Ehlo, and Larry Stewart, and then later on signed former All-Star forward Terry Cummings in January. Coming off their trip to the NBA Finals, the Sonics remained as one of the elite teams in the Western Conference posting an 11-game winning streak after losing two of their first three games. They later on posted a nine-game winning streak in January, then won seven straight games in February, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break. The Sonics won their third Division title in four years with a 57–25 record, and entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in the Western Conference. The SuperSonics had the sixth best team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 30th season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Sonics acquired All-Star forward Vin Baker from the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade. The team also re-acquired former Sonics star and sharp shooter Dale Ellis from the Denver Nuggets, and signed free agents Jerome Kersey, and Greg Anthony. The Sonics got off to a fast start with a 13–3 record after a 7-game winning streak in November, despite losing Kersey to a stress fracture in his left foot as he only played just 37 games. The team posted an 8-game winning streak between December and January winning 29 of their first 35 games, then later on holding the league's best record before the All-Star break with a 37–10 record. as they finished first place in the Pacific Division tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with a 61–21 record.
Corey Jae Crowder is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Bucks' 29th season in the National Basketball Association. In the 1996 NBA draft, the Bucks selected point guard Stephon Marbury out of Georgia Tech with the fourth overall pick, but soon traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for top draft pick shooting guard Ray Allen from the University of Connecticut. In the off-season, the team signed free agent Armen Gilliam, acquired Andrew Lang from the Timberwolves, and acquired Elliot Perry from the Phoenix Suns.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Bullets' 35th season in the National Basketball Association. The Bullets had the fourth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected Rasheed Wallace from the University of North Carolina. During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star guard Mark Price from the Cleveland Cavaliers, acquired Robert Pack from the Denver Nuggets, and signed free agents Tim Legler, Chris Whitney and former Bullets guard Ledell Eackles. However, injuries would be an issue as Chris Webber was limited to only just 15 games following the lingering effect to his injured left shoulder, averaging 23.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Meanwhile, Price only appeared in just seven games due to a foot injury, and Pack, who only played just 31 games, was out with nerve damage in his right leg, averaging 18.1 points, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
