1988–89 Philadelphia 76ers season

Philadelphia 76ers
Industry	Professional basketball team
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Philadelphia, United States
Products	Basketball team

The 1988–89 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the 76ers' 40th campaign in the NBA and their 26th year based in Philadelphia. After finishing with a disappointing 36–46 record the prior season, the team utilized their third overall selection in the 1988 NBA draft to pick power forward Charles D. Smith. Shortly thereafter, he was traded for shooting guard Hersey Hawkins from Bradley University, aiming to enhance perimeter scoring alongside All-Star forward Charles Barkley. Additionally, veteran forward Ron Anderson was acquired from the Indiana Pacers to strengthen the roster.

Philadelphia began the season positively, posting a 10-5 mark in November, but performance declined in December, exacerbated by a season-ending knee injury to starting small forward Cliff Robinson after only 14 games. To address this void, rookie small forward Shelton Jones was signed. The team maintained a respectable 26–20 record at the All-Star break and concluded the regular season second in the Atlantic Division with a 46–36 tally. This secured them the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, marking their return to postseason action after missing out the previous year.

Leading the squad, Barkley averaged 25.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per contest, earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team. Center Mike Gminski contributed solidly with averages of 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, while Hawkins added 15.1 points and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Off the bench, Anderson provided valuable scoring at 16.2 points per game; Robinson posted averages of 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds; and veteran guard Maurice Cheeks offered 11.6 points along with leading the team with 7.8 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend held in Houston, Barkley was selected for the Eastern Conference All-Star roster. In addition, Gerald Henderson took part in the Three-Point Shootout competition, and Shelton Jones competed in the Slam Dunk Contest. Barkley ranked sixth in MVP voting; Anderson tied for sixth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting and finished fourth in Most Improved Player balloting.

In postseason play, Philadelphia was eliminated in a three-game sweep by the New York Knicks during the opening round. Game 2 was particularly memorable due to a late-game collapse where the Sixers squandered a ten-point lead in the final two minutes; Knicks guard Trent Tucker nailed a critical three-pointer that sealed a narrow 107–106 victory.

Following this season’s conclusion, significant roster moves included trading Maurice Cheeks and David Wingate to the San Antonio Spurs. Cliff Robinson and Gerald Henderson entered free agency, while Shelton Jones was left unprotected and subsequently selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves during the expansion draft.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	3	Charles Smith	PF	Template:USA	Pittsburgh
2	44	Everette Stephens	PG	Template:USA	Purdue
3	57	Hernán Montenegro	C	Template:ARG	Olimpo (Argentina)

Season standings

z indicates division champion

y denotes division champion

x marks playoff qualification

Regular season

| Denver

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"

|19 
|December 9 
|@ Boston 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|20 
|December 10 
|@ Detroit 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|21 
|December 13 
|Milwaukee 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|22 
|December14 
|@ Atlanta 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|23 
|December16 
|@ New Jersey 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|24 
|December17 
|Utah 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|25 
|December20 
|Dallas 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|26 
|December25 
|Washington 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|27 
|December27 
|@ Golden State 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|28 
|December28 
|@ L.A. Lakers 
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
|29 
|December30 
|@ Utah

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"

|30 
|January5 
|@ 1988-89 San Antonio Spurs season San Antonio  |
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"

31 January7 @1988-891 Houston Rocketsseason Houston |

|-align=center bg-color=# cc ff cc32Jan9@Dallas33 Jan11 New Jersey34 Jan13 Atlanta35 Jan15 @Charlotte36 Jan16 Charlotte37 Jan18 Boston38 Jan20 @Boston39 Jan21 @Washington40 Jan25 Chicago41 Jan27 Golden State42 Jan28 @New Jersey43 Jan31 @Cleveland44 Feb1 Washington45 Feb3 Detroit46 Feb8 Seattle All-Star Break47 Feb14 @Indiana48 Feb15 Indiana49 Feb17 New Jersey50 Feb18 @Cleveland51 Feb22 @Miami52 Feb24 @Phoenix53 Feb26 @Denver54 Feb28 @L.A. Clippers55 Mar1 @Sacramento56 Mar3 @Portland57 Mar4 @Seattle58 Mar6 Phoenix59 Mar7 @Chicago60 Mar9 Sacramento61 Mar11 Detroit62 Mar15 New Jersey63 Mar16 @New York64 Mar18 @Washington65 Mar20 New York66 Mar22 Cleveland67 Mar24 San Antonio68 Mar26 @Boston69 Mar28 Boston70 Mar31 Miami71 Apr2 Houston72 Apr4 @New York73 Apr5 @Atlanta74 Apr7 @Charlotte75 Apr8 @Milwaukee76 Apr11 @Cleveland77 Apr14 Charlotte78 Apr16 New York79 Apr18 Milwaukee80 Apr20 @New Jersey81 Apr21 @Detroit82 Apr23 Washington

Playoffs

1	April 27	at New York	L 96–102	Ron Anderson (26 points)	Charles Barkley (12 rebounds)	Maurice Cheeks (16 assists)	Madison Square Garden Attendance: 19,591	Series: 0–1
2	April 29	at New York	L 106–107	Charles Barkley (30 points)	Charles Barkley (12 rebounds)	Maurice Cheeks (12 assists)	Madison Square Garden Attendance: 19,591	Series: 0–2
3	May 2	vs. New York	L 115–116 (OT)	Charles Barkley (29 points)	Charles Barkley (11 rebounds)	Maurice Cheeks (11 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 16,236	Series: 0–3

Awards and records

Charles Barkley, selected to the All-NBA First Team
Hersey Hawkins, named to the NBA All-Rookie Team First Team

Draft picks

Season standings

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards and records

See also