1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season

March 2026 August 2023 San Antonio Spurs 1998 56 26 Midwest 2 5 Gregg Popovich Gregg Popovich Gregg Popovich (vice) Peter Holt Alamodome Conference semifinals(lost to Jazz 1–4) SAS KSAT-TVKRRTFox Sports Southwest WOAI The 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season was the 22nd season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 31st season as a franchise. San Antonio Spurs Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/ August 9, 2026 Season summary Off-season This season was most memorable when the Spurs won the NBA draft lottery after finishing with a 20–62 record the previous season, El-Bashir Tarik Spurs Win the Tim Duncan Sweepstakes The New York Times May 19, 1997 https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/19/sports/spurs-win-the-tim-duncan-sweepstakes.html May 5, 2022 Associated Press Spurs Win Big with Top Pick Los Angeles Times May 19, 1997 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-19-sp-60281-story.html November 9, 2022 and selected power forward Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. Wise Mike After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show The New York Times June 26, 1997 https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/26/sports/after-duncan-utah-forward-steals-show.html July 25, 2021 Heisler Mark Draft Over, But Not Finished Los Angeles Times June 26, 1997 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-26-sp-7002-story.html December 1, 2022 1997 NBA Draft Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1997.html December 1, 2022 During the off-season, the team signed free agents, three-point specialist Jaren Jackson and second-year forward Malik Rose. Broussard Chris N.B.A. Finals: For Spurs' Jackson, Depth Is the Key The New York Times June 18, 1999 https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/18/sports/nba-finals-for-spurs-jackson-depth-is-the-key.html November 18, 2022 Regular season With the addition of Duncan and Jackson, the Spurs won six of their first seven games of the regular season, but then lost 9 of their next 13 games, leading to a mediocre 10–10 start to the season. However, the team soon recovered winning 17 of their next 19 games, which included a seven-game winning streak in December, and later on held a 34–14 record at the All-Star break. NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/?month=2&day=5&year=1998 July 20, 2022 Despite losing Sean Elliott for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury after 36 games, Associated Press Rumor, Rockets Fizzle The Spokesman-Review January 22, 1998 C5 https://books.google.com/books?id=A7syAAAAIBAJ&dq=1998+San+Antonio+Spurs+Sean+Elliott+knee+injury&pg=PA13&article_id=6646,758580 February 22, 2025 Spurs 109, Clippers 86 The Oklahoman January 29, 1998 https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1998/01/29/spurs-109-clippers-86/62293329007/ May 24, 2022 Associated Press Spurs Satisfied, But Have Work to Do Deseret News May 14, 1998 https://www.deseret.com/1998/5/14/19379854/spurs-satisfied-but-have-work-to-do?_amp=true January 4, 2023 the Spurs finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 56–26 record, which was a 36-game improvement over the previous season; the team earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference, and returned to the NBA playoffs after a one-year absence. 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs Schedule and Results Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/1998_games.html June 21, 2021 The Spurs had the second best team defensive rating in the NBA.https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/defense/?sort=DEF_RATING&dir=-1&Season=1997-98&SeasonType=Regular%20Season Teams Defense NBA.com April 16, 2021 Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, Associated Press Duncan Wins Rookie of Year Award The Washington Post April 27, 1998 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nba/longterm/1998/finals/articles/duncan.htm July 17, 2021 Duncan's Top Rookie Deseret News April 27, 1998 https://www.deseret.com/1998/4/27/19376837/duncan-s-top-rookie October 3, 2022 NBA & ABA Rookie of the Year Award Winners Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/roy.html November 29, 2022 while David Robinson averaged 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team; Duncan and Robinson were both named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In addition, Avery Johnson provided the team with 10.2 points and 7.9 assists per game, while Vinny Del Negro contributed 9.5 points and 3.4 assists per game, and Elliott provided with 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Jackson contributed 8.8 points per game and led the Spurs with 112 three-point field goals, while three-point specialist Chuck Person contributed 6.7 points per game, Monty Williams provided with 6.3 points per game, and Will Perdue averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. 1997–98 San Antonio Spurs Roster and Stats Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/1998.html June 21, 2021 During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Duncan and Robinson were both selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Duncan's first ever All-Star appearance. Howard-Cooper Scott Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored Los Angeles Times January 28, 1998 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-28-sp-13049-story.html April 20, 2023 NBA.com Staff 1998 NBA All-Star Recap NBA.com September 13, 2021 https://www.nba.com/news/history-all-star-recap-1998 May 16, 2023 1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1998.html October 23, 2021 Duncan finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Robinson finished in seventh place; Wise Mike The N.B.A. Playoffs: Jordan Is Winner of M.V.P. a 5th Time The New York Times May 19, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/19/sports/the-nba-playoffs-jordan-is-winner-of-mvp-a-5th-time.html September 23, 2022 1997–98 NBA Awards Voting Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1998.html January 1, 2022 Robinson also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Duncan finished tied in fifth place. Associated Press Mutombo Earns Defensive Honor Los Angeles Times May 6, 1998 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-06-sp-46971-story.html December 15, 2022 The Spurs finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 783,455 at the Alamodome during the regular season. 1997–98 NBA Season Summary Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1998.html October 9, 2025 NBA playoffs In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Spurs faced off against the 4th–seeded Phoenix Suns, a team that featured Rex Chapman, Antonio McDyess, and All-Star guard Jason Kidd. Despite both teams finishing with the same regular-season record, the Suns had home-court advantage in the series; this was also Duncan's first ever NBA playoff appearance. In their first two road games at the America West Arena, the Spurs won Game 1 over the Suns, 102–96, but then lost Game 2 by a score of 108–101, as the Suns evened the series. 1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 1: San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns Box Score, April 23, 1998 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199804230PHO.html June 6, 2026 1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 2: San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns Box Score, April 25, 1998 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199804250PHO.html June 6, 2026 The Spurs won the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 win over the Suns at the Alamodome, 99–80 to win the series in four games. Associated Press Jordan Finishes Off the Nets; Rockets Put Jazz on the Ropes Los Angeles Times April 30, 1998 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-30-sp-44661-story.html November 25, 2022 Associated Press Spurs' Johnson Soars in Game of "Small Ball" Deseret News April 30, 1998 https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp/1998/4/30/19377347/spurs-johnson-soars-in-game-of-small-ball July 2, 2021 1998 NBA Western Conference First Round: Spurs vs. Suns Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1998-nba-western-conference-first-round-spurs-vs-suns.html February 4, 2023 In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Utah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Karl Malone, All-Star guard John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The Spurs lost the first two games to the Jazz on the road at the Delta Center, but managed to win Game 3 at the Alamodome, 86–64. 1998 NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 3: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs Box Score, May 9, 1998 Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199805090SAS.html June 6, 2026 However, the Spurs lost the next two games, including a Game 5 loss to the Jazz at the Delta Center, 87–77, thus losing the series in five games. Associated Press The N.B.A. Playoffs: The Finals in the West: It's Jazz vs. Lakers The New York Times May 13, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/13/sports/the-nba-playoffs-the-finals-in-the-west-it-s-jazz-vs-lakers.html May 5, 2022 Heisler Mark Worth Getting Jazzed About Los Angeles Times May 13, 1998 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-13-sp-49203-story.html May 30, 2022 1998 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Spurs vs. Jazz Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1998-nba-western-conference-semifinals-spurs-vs-jazz.html February 4, 2023 The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals for the second consecutive year. Araton Harvey Sports of the Times: At the End, Jordan Lifts Bulls to Their Sixth N.B.A. Title The New York Times June 15, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/15/sports/sports-of-the-times-at-the-end-jordan-lifts-bulls-to-their-sixth-nba-title.html May 5, 2022 Howard-Cooper Scott A Rousing Six-cess Los Angeles Times June 15, 1998 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-15-sp-60167-story.html July 25, 2022 1998 NBA Finals: Bulls vs. Jazz Basketball-Reference https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1998-nba-finals-bulls-vs-jazz.html February 4, 2023 Aftermath Following the season, Del Negro signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, CBS News.com Staff Del Negro Becomes a Buck CBS News January 30, 1999 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/del-negro-becomes-a-buck/ January 22, 2022 Bucks Agree to Deal with Del Negro United Press International January 30, 1999 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1999/01/30/Bucks-agree-to-deal-with-Del-Negro/2750917672400/ November 1, 2024 Associated Press Del Negro Leaves Italy for Milwaukee Los Angeles Times January 31, 1999 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-31-sp-3590-story.html October 22, 2022 while Person signed with the Charlotte Hornets, Associated Press "Rifleman" Signed by Charlotte CBS News January 26, 1999 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rifleman-signed-by-charlotte/#app November 16, 2022 Williams was released to free agency, and Carl Herrera was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies on draft day. Wise Mike Pro Basketball: A Scrum for the Title The New York Times February 4, 1999 https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/04/sports/pro-basketball-a-scrum-for-the-title.html June 28, 2022 Following the 1997–98 season, the Spurs would enjoy immense levels of success, winning five championships between 1999 and 2014, and qualifying for the playoffs every year until 2019, the longest playoff streak in NBA history, tied with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971. NBA draft 1997 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 1 Tim Duncan PF/C Wake Forest Roster San Antonio Spurs 1997–98 #000000 #FFFFFF #20B2AA #000000 9 Willie Burton SF 6 8 210 1968–05–26 University of Minnesota 15 Vinny Del Negro SG 6 4 185 1966–08–09 North Carolina State University 21 Tim Duncan PF 6 11 250 1976–04–25 Wake Forest 32 Sean Elliott SF 6 8 205 1968–02–02 Arizona 4 Reggie Geary PG 6 2 187 1973–08–31 Arizona 7 Carl Herrera PF 6 9 215 1966–12–14 Houston 2 Jaren Jackson SG 6 4 190 1967–10–27 Georgetown 6 Avery Johnson PG 5 10 175 1965–03–25 Southern 54 Brad Lohaus PF 6 11 230 1964–09–29 Iowa 41 Will Perdue C 7 0 240 1965–08–29 Vanderbilt University 45 Chuck Person PF 6 8 220 Auburn 1964–06–27 50 David Robinson C 7 1 235 1965–08–06 Navy 31 Malik Rose PF 6 7 250 1974–11–23 Drexel 3 Monty Williams SF 6 8 225 1971–10–08 Notre Dame Gregg Popovich Mike Budenholzer Hank Egan Paul Pressey https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/1998.html Regular season Tim Duncan The Spurs were coming off a poor 1996–97 NBA season; in which their best player, David Robinson—himself a number one draft pick in 1987—was sidelined for most of the year with an injury. The Spurs had finished with a 20–62 win–loss record.1996-97 Standings https://web.archive.org/web/20151125024632/http://www.nba.com/history/standings/19961997.html 2015-11-25 , nba.com/history, accessed 19 April 2007. However, as the 1997–98 NBA season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA. With both an experienced center in Robinson and the number one pick in Duncan, the Spurs featured one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Duncan and Robinson became known as the "Twin Towers", having earned a reputation for their exceptional defense close to the basket, forcing opponents to take lower percentage shots from outside. From the beginning, Duncan established himself as a quality player: in his second-ever road game, he grabbed 22 rebounds against opposing Chicago Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, a multiple rebounding champion and NBA Defensive Player of the Year.Slam Duncan Kevin Kernan 2000 47 Sports Pub 978-1-58261-179-2 https://archive.org/details/timduncanslamdun0000kern/page/47 Later, when Duncan played against opposing Houston Rockets Hall-of-Fame power forward Charles Barkley, Barkley was so impressed he said: "I have seen the future and he wears number 21 [Duncan's jersey number]."Slam Duncan Kevin Kernan 2000 13 Sports Pub 978-1-58261-179-2 https://archive.org/details/timduncanslamdun0000kern/page/13 In his rookie season, Duncan lived up the expectations of being the number one draft pick, starting in all 82 regular-season games, and averaging 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. His defensive contributions ensured that he was elected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and was also named NBA Rookie of the Year. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lauded Duncan's mental toughness, stating his rookie's "demeanor was singularly remarkable", Duncan always "put things into perspective" and never got "too upbeat or too depressed."Slam Duncan Kevin Kernan 2000 25 Sports Pub 978-1-58261-179-2 https://archive.org/details/timduncanslamdun0000kern/page/25 Center Robinson was equally impressed with Duncan: "He's the real thing. I'm proud of his attitude and effort. He gives all the extra effort and work and wants to become a better player."Slam Duncan Kevin Kernan 2000 44 Sports Pub 978-1-58261-179-2 https://archive.org/details/timduncanslamdun0000kern/page/44 Season standings SAS SAS Game log Playoffs San Antonio Spurs 1998 yes #000000 #DE3163 San Antonio Spurs First Round yes no yes #20B2AA #FFFFFF 2 0 1 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 23 | @ Phoenix | W 102–96 | Tim Duncan (32) | David Robinson (15) | Vinny Del Negro (6) | America West Arena19,023 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 25 | @ Phoenix | L 101–108 | David Robinson (23) | David Robinson (16) | Avery Johnson (8) | America West Arena19,023 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 27 | Phoenix | W 100–88 | Tim Duncan (22) | Tim Duncan (14) | Avery Johnson (5) | Alamodome20,486 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 29 | Phoenix | W 99–80 | Avery Johnson (30) | David Robinson (21) | Avery Johnson (7) | Alamodome27,528 | 3–1 |- San Antonio Spurs Conference semifinals no yes #20B2AA #FFFFFF 1 1 0 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 5 | @ Utah | L 82–83 | Tim Duncan (33) | David Robinson (16) | Avery Johnson (8) | Delta Center19,911 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | May 7 | @ Utah | L 106–109 | Tim Duncan (26) | David Robinson (14) | Vinny Del Negro (5) | Delta Center19,911 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | May 9 | Utah | W 86–64 | David Robinson (21) | Will Perdue (11) | Avery Johnson (5) | Alamodome26,086 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 10 | Utah | L 73–82 | Tim Duncan (22) | David Robinson (11) | Avery Johnson (7) | Alamodome28,587 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 12 | @ Utah | L 77–87 | David Robinson (21) | David Robinson (13) | Avery Johnson (8) | Delta Center19,911 | 1–4 |- SAS 1998 yes Player statistics Regular season Player POS Position GP Games played GS Games starter MP Minutes played REB Rebounds AST Assists STL Steals BLK Blocks PTS Points MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per gameTim DuncanPF82 82 3,204 977 224 55 206 1,731 39.1 11.9 2.7 .7 2.5 21.1Jaren JacksonSG82 45 2,226 210 156 60 8 722 27.1 2.6 1.9 .7 .1 8.8Will PerdueC 79 30 1,491 535 57 22 50 394 18.9 6.8 .7 .3 .6 5.0Avery JohnsonPG 75 73 2,674 150 591 84 18 766 35.7 2.0 7.9 1.1 .2 10.2David RobinsonC 73 73 2,457 775 199 64 192 1,574 33.7 10.6 2.7 .9 2.6 21.6Monty WilliamsSF 72 16 1,314 179 89 34 24 453 18.3 2.5 1.2 .5 .3 6.3Reggie GearyPG 62 2 685 67 74 37 12 152 11.0 1.1 1.2 .6 .2 2.5Chuck PersonPF 61 11 1,455 204 86 29 10 409 23.9 3.3 1.4 .5 .2 6.7Carl HerreraPF 58 1 516 91 22 19 12 170 8.9 1.6 .4 .3 .2 2.9Vinny Del NegroSG 54 38 1,721 152 183 39 6 513 31.9 2.8 3.4 .7 .1 9.5Malik RosePF 53 0 429 90 19 21 7 158 8.1 1.7 .4 .4 .1 3.0Cory Alexander†PG 37 3 501 47 71 25 5 165 13.5 1.3 1.9 .7 .1 4.5Sean ElliottSF 36 36 1,012 124 62 24 14 334 28.1 3.4 1.7 .7 .4 9.3Willie BurtonSF 13 0 43 9 1 2 2 27 3.3 .7 .1 .2 .2 2.1Brad LohausPF 9 0 102 12 5 1 2 19 11.3 1.3 .6 .1 .2 2.1 † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Spurs only. Playoffs Player POS Position GP Games played GS Games starter MP Minutes played REB Rebounds AST Assists STL Steals BLK Blocks PTS Points MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per gameTim DuncanPF9 9 374 81 17 5 23 186 41.6 9.0 1.9 .6 2.6 20.7David RobinsonC9 9 353 127 23 11 30 175 39.2 14.1 2.6 1.2 3.3 19.4Avery JohnsonPG9 9 342 13 55 9 0 156 38.0 1.4 6.1 1.0 .0 17.3Jaren JacksonSG9 8 319 39 14 5 1 92 35.4 4.3 1.6 .6 .1 10.2Will PerdueC9 7 191 60 1 6 9 36 21.2 6.7 .1 .7 1.0 4.0Vinny Del NegroSG9 3 283 24 29 8 0 96 31.4 2.7 3.2 .9 .0 10.7Chuck PersonPF9 0 196 27 7 4 0 52 21.8 3.0 .8 .4 .0 5.8Reggie GearyPG 7 0 46 2 6 1 0 9 6.6 .3 .9 .1 .0 1.3Monty WilliamsSF 5 0 28 6 1 0 0 12 5.6 1.2 .2 .0 .0 2.4Carl HerreraPF 5 0 25 4 1 0 0 2 5.0 .8 .2 .0 .0 .4Malik RosePF 5 0 18 7 1 1 0 10 3.6 1.4 .2 .2 .0 2.0Brad LohausPF 4 0 10 2 1 1 0 0 2.5 .5 .3 .3 .0 .0 Award winners Tim Duncan, Forward, NBA Rookie of the Year Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA First Team Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Rookie First Team Tim Duncan, Forward, All-NBA Second Defensive Team David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Team David Robinson, Center, All-NBA Second Defensive Team References San Antonio Spurs on Database Basketball San Antonio Spurs on Basketball Reference Category:San Antonio Spurs seasons San San Antonio San Antonio