1989–90 Philadelphia 76ers season

Philadelphia 76ers
Industry	Professional basketball
Founded	1946 (franchise establishment)
Headquarters	Philadelphia, United States
Products	Basketball team

The 1989–90 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the franchise's 41st year competing in the NBA and its 27th campaign based in Philadelphia. During the off-season, the organization bolstered its lineup by bringing in veteran champion Rick Mahorn from the newly established Minnesota Timberwolves, adding experienced depth alongside key frontcourt players Charles Barkley and Mike Gminski. Additionally, the 76ers acquired guard Johnny Dawkins from the San Antonio Spurs, pairing him with rising talent Hersey Hawkins to strengthen their backcourt rotation.

After a somewhat inconsistent start of 18–16, Philadelphia went on an impressive 12-game winning streak, positioning themselves at a 30–18 record by the All-Star break. The team maintained momentum, closing the regular season with another eight consecutive victories to capture the Atlantic Division crown with a 53–29 record—just edging out the Boston Celtics by a single game—and securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference. This achievement marked their first division title since their championship run in 1983 and was their inaugural title following the departure of Julius Erving.

Leading the squad, Barkley averaged 25.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest, earning a spot on the All-NBA First Team and finishing as runner-up in MVP voting behind Magic Johnson. Hawkins contributed significantly with averages of 18.5 points and 1.6 steals per game, while Dawkins added a solid all-around performance with 14.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per outing. Gminski provided reliable interior production, averaging 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks each game. Off the bench, sixth man Ron Anderson contributed an average of 11.9 points, while Mahorn delivered strong defensive efforts alongside his 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, earning recognition on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

At the NBA All-Star weekend held in Miami, Barkley was selected to represent the Eastern Conference All-Star squad, underscoring his status as one of the league’s premier players.

In postseason action, Philadelphia narrowly defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a tightly contested five-game first-round series but were subsequently eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals by a four games to one margin.

Following the conclusion of the season, roster adjustments included Derek Smith signing as a free agent with the Boston Celtics and Scott Brooks being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	19	Kenny Payne	SF	Template:USA	Louisville
2	44	Reggie Cross	PF	Template:USA	Hawaii
2	54	Toney Mack	SG	Template:USA	Georgia

Season standings

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Reference

Playoffs

1	April 26	Cleveland	W 111–106	Charles Barkley (38 points)	Charles Barkley (21 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (9 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 15,319	Series: 1–0
2	April 29	Cleveland	W 107–101	Charles Barkley (32 points)	Rick Mahorn (9 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (11 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 18,168	Series: 2–0
3	May 1	@ Cleveland	L 95–122	Hersey Hawkins (19 points)	Charles Barkley (11 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (7 assists)	Richfield Coliseum Attendance: 16,317	Series: 2–1
4	May 3	@ Cleveland	L 96–108	Charles Barkley (23 points)	Charles Barkley, Rick Mahorn (11 rebounds each)	Johnny Dawkins (10 assists)	Richfield Coliseum Attendance: 17,106	Series: 2–2
5	May 5	Cleveland	W 113–97	Hersey Hawkins (39 points)	Charles Barkley (19 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (14 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 18,168	Series: 3–2

1	May 7	@ Chicago	L 85–96	Charles Barkley (30 points)	Charles Barkley (20 rebounds)	Three players tied (4 assists each)	Chicago Stadium Attendance: 18,676	Series: 0–1
2	May 9	@ Chicago	L 96–101	Hersey Hawkins (23 points)	Charles Barkley (19 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (13 assists)	Chicago Stadium Attendance: 18,676	Series: 0–2
3	May 11	Chicago	W 118–112	Charles Barkley (34 points)	Charles Barkley (20 rebounds)	Charles Barkley (8 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 18,168	Series: 1–2
4	May 13	Chicago	L 101–111	Hersey Hawkins (26 points)	Charles Barkley (13 rebounds)	Hersey Hawkins (6 assists)	Spectrum Attendance: 18,168	Series: 1–3
5	May 16	@ Chicago	L 99–117	Ron Anderson (20 points)	Charles Barkley (13 rebounds)	Johnny Dawkins (15 assists)	Chicago Stadium Attendance: 18,676	Series: 1–4

Regular season

Player

GP

GS

MPG

FG%

3P%

FT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

PPG

78

3

26.8

.451

.143

.838

3.8

1.8

.9

.2

11.9

79

39.1

.600

.217

.749

11.5

3.9

1.9

.6

25.2

72

1

13.5

.431

.392

.877

.9

2.9

.7

.0

4.4

23

0

4.8

.456

.200

.786

.4

.0

3.2

81

35.4

.489

.333

.861

3.0

7.4

1.5

.1

14.3

9

0

9.0

.333

.500

.250

.6

2.9

.4

.0

1.1

81

32.8

.457

.176

.821

8.5

1.6

.5

1.3

13.7

82

34.8

.460

.420

.888

3.7

3.2

1.6

.3

18.5

^†

2

0

5.0

.500

0

1.0

75

66

30.3

.497

.222

.715

7.6

1.3

.6

1.4

10.8

38

1

8.3

.418

0

467

1,6

0,2

0,1

0,5

2,4

4 |6,2 |,435 |,400 |,889 |0,7 |0,3 |0,2 |0,2 |3,3

0 |6,0 |0 |0 | |0 |0,7 |0,3 |0,3 |0

7 |18,7 |,508 |,444 |,699 |2,3 |1,5 |0,5 |0,3 |8,9

0 |10,6 |429 |333 |510 |2,4 |03,4,2,2 |-

style= "background: #fdd" | Jay Vincent^† | 17 | 5 | 15,2 | 429 | 100 | 892 | 2,1 | 05,06,01,7 |- }

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Template:Sortname	10	0	25.6	.430	.600	.967	3.7	1.4	.4	.0	11.2
Template:Sortname	10	10	41.9	.543	.333	.602	15.5	4.3	.8	.7	24.7
Template:Sortname	9	0	11.0	.316	.429	.667	.9	1.8	.3	.0	2.3
Template:Sortname	4	0	2.3	.333	—	—	.3	.0	.0	.0	1.0
Template:Sortname	10	10	38.6	.461	.000	.837	2.2	9.3	1.7	.2	14.2
Template:Sortname	10	10	34.2	.487	.000	.933	5.4	1.1	.8	2.3	12.8
Template:Sortname	10	10	41.5	.497	.389	.937	3.1	3.6	1.2	.7	23.5
Template:Sortname	10	10	34.2	.430	.000	.769	7.0	1.0	.7	.8	9.4
Template:Sortname	4	0	4.5	.143	—	—	1.0	.0	.3	.3	.5
Template:Sortname	3	0	3.3	.400	.000	1.000	.7	.0	.0	.0	2.0
Template:Sortname	1	0	15.0	.625	.000	.500	0	1.0	1.0	0	11.0
Template:Sortname	9	0	9.9	.389	—	.500	1.7	0.4	0.2	0.1	2.1

Awards and records

Charles Barkley, selected to the All-NBA First Team
Rick Mahorn, named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team