1988–89 San Antonio Spurs season
| 1988–89 San Antonio Spurs season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Larry Brown |
| General manager | Bob Bass |
| Owner | Red McCombs |
| Arena | HemisFair Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 21–61 (.256) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Midwest) Conference: 12th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KSAT-TV KABB Home Sports Entertainment (Dave Barnett) |
| Radio | WOAI (Dave Barnett) |
The 1988–89 San Antonio Spurs season was the 13th season for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association, and their 22nd season as a franchise. The Spurs received the tenth overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Willie Anderson from the University of Georgia. The team also acquired shooting guard, and second-round draft pick Vernon Maxwell out of the University of Florida from the Denver Nuggets, and hired Larry Brown as their new head coach.
The Spurs struggled all season long, posting an 8-game losing streak in December, a seven-game losing streak in January, holding a 13–33 record at the All-Star break, then posting a 13-game losing streak between February and March, and a nine-game losing streak to end the regular season. The Spurs finished in fifth place in the Midwest Division with an awful 21–61 record, and missing the NBA playoffs.
Anderson averaged 18.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and also finished in second place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Mitch Richmond of the Golden State Warriors, while Alvin Robertson averaged 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Johnny Dawkins contributed 14.2 points, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, but only played just 32 games due to a leg injury. In addition, second-year center Greg Anderson provided the team with 13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while Frank Brickowski provided with 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, and Maxwell contributed 11.7 points and 3.8 assists per game.
The Spurs finished 23rd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 323,573 at the HemisFair Arena during the regular season, which was the third-lowest in the league. Following the season, Robertson and Greg Anderson were both traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and Dawkins was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.