50 Fun Facts About 2002-03 NBA Season

Which player won a second straight NBA MVP award in 2002–03 and then added the Finals MVP trophy?

Tim Duncan averaged 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game, and made both the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams. His Spurs then won every playoff series in six games.

Which NBA legend received a three-minute standing ovation in Philadelphia during his final game in April 2003?

Michael Jordan, 40 and playing for the Washington Wizards, was cheered by teammates, opponents, officials and 21,257 fans. It was his third and final retirement.

Which rookie outpolled the reigning three-time Finals MVP for a starting spot in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game?

Yao Ming drew nearly a quarter of a million more votes and became the first rookie All-Star starter in eight years. Houston had made the 7-foot-6 center the first overall pick.

Which Ohio high school star did Cleveland select first overall after winning the 2003 NBA draft lottery?

LeBron James was the prize after Cleveland's 17–65 season, which tied for the league's worst record. The Cavaliers held a 22.5 percent chance of landing the top pick.

Which player set an NBA record by making 12 three-pointers in one game against Seattle in January 2003?

Kobe Bryant hit nine of them in a row and finished with 45 points. A month later he scored 40 or more in nine consecutive games.

Which veteran center retired as a champion after 13 points and 17 rebounds in the 2003 NBA Finals clincher?

David Robinson, the Admiral, had announced that his 14th season would be his last. He left holding San Antonio's career records for rebounds, steals and blocks.

Which Eastern Conference champion did the San Antonio Spurs beat in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals?

The New Jersey Nets arrived on a ten-game playoff winning streak after two straight sweeps. It was the first Finals between two former ABA teams.

Which singer performed at halftime of the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in a dress styled like a Wizards uniform?

Mariah Carey sang her ballad Hero over a montage of the retiring star's career, then introduced him to a standing ovation from both teams and the crowd.

Which player won his first NBA scoring title in 2002–03, averaging 32.1 points for the Orlando Magic?

Tracy McGrady finished a career-best fourth in MVP voting. His eighth-seeded team then led its first-round playoff series three games to one, and lost.

Which All-Star center missed the first 12 games of the 2002–03 NBA season after surgery on an arthritic toe?

Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers lost nine of those twelve games and stood 11–19 after thirty, their worst start in nine years. They recovered to win 50.

Which player was named MVP of the 2003 NBA All-Star Game after scoring 37 points in the West's win?

Kevin Garnett hit three jumpers in the second overtime to seal a 155–145 win, in the first All-Star Game ever to need two extra periods.

From which city did the Hornets relocate before starting the 2002–03 NBA season in New Orleans?

Charlotte had been the Hornets' home for fourteen seasons. The city was handed a replacement franchise, the Bobcats, which began play in 2004.

Which Spurs reserve hit four second-half three-pointers to finish off the 2003 Western Conference finals in Game 6?

Steve Kerr helped erase a 15-point second-half deficit, then retired after the Finals with a fifth championship ring.

Which fan-voted starter gave up his place in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game so a retiring legend could start?

Vince Carter stepped aside at the last minute, after the veteran had already turned down the same offer from two other East starters.

Which 2002–03 NBA Rookie of the Year was the first winner drafted straight out of high school?

Amar'e Stoudemire went ninth in the draft to Phoenix, yet beat that year's first overall pick to the award.

Which point guard led the NBA in assists in 2002–03 while taking his team to a second straight Finals?

Jason Kidd averaged 8.9 assists and a career-high 18.7 points a game. A free agent that summer, he visited San Antonio before re-signing with his own club.

Which player led the East with 35 points in a losing cause at the double-overtime 2003 NBA All-Star Game?

Allen Iverson was midway through the first full 82-game season of his career for Philadelphia, one in which he averaged 27.6 points and made the All-NBA Second Team.

Which point guard retired in May 2003 after 19 seasons with one franchise as the NBA's career assists leader?

John Stockton announced it in a written statement instead of the customary news conference. He also left as the league's career leader in steals.

Which All-Star forward suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game 3 of the 2003 Western Conference finals?

Dirk Nowitzki went down as his team lost Game 3, and it won only one of the three games played without him. He had averaged 25.1 points in the regular season.

Which team opened the 2002–03 NBA season with 14 straight wins, one short of the record at the time?

The Dallas Mavericks finally lost in Indiana on November 28. They finished 60–22, level with the eventual champions for the league's best record.

Which officiating aid did the NBA introduce in 2002–03 to judge whether last-second shots beat the clock?

Instant replay arrived together with LED light strips on every backboard and scorer's table, which illuminate when time expires so officials can check a buzzer-beater.

Which network televised the 2003 NBA Finals, its first after NBC's twelve-year run with the league ended?

ABC returned to the NBA after a 29-year absence, with telecasts produced by sister network ESPN. The series drew what was then the lowest Finals rating on record.

Which top seed recovered from a 3–1 deficit to beat the Orlando Magic in the 2003 NBA playoffs' first round?

The Detroit Pistons were saved by a rule change: the opening round had just been lengthened from best-of-five to best-of-seven. Under the old format Orlando would have gone through.

Which coach won the 2002–03 NBA Coach of the Year award before guiding his team to the championship?

Gregg Popovich won it even though his Spurs improved by only two wins on the previous season. It was the first of his three Coach of the Year awards.

Which undrafted player led the NBA in rebounding in 2002–03 and repeated as Defensive Player of the Year?

Ben Wallace grabbed 15.4 rebounds a game and was voted an All-Star starter at his first selection. He also made the All-NBA Second Team.

Which Phoenix guard beat the top-seeded Spurs with an overtime buzzer-beating three in Game 1 of the 2003 playoffs?

Stephon Marbury's shot gave the eighth seed a 96–95 win in San Antonio. The Spurs recovered to take the series in six games.

Whose potential game-winning three rattled in and out as the Lakers lost Game 5 to the Spurs in 2003?

Robert Horry, famed for clutch shots, missed as the Lakers nearly erased a 25-point deficit. They lost Game 6 too, ending their run of three straight titles.

Which city's team trailed 3–0 in a 2003 NBA first-round series, then forced a Game 7 before losing?

Portland was only the third NBA team to force a seventh game from 3–0 down. Its Game 4 win had also snapped a ten-game playoff losing streak dating back to 2000.

Which team's 2003 loss to the Lakers made it seven first-round playoff exits in seven straight seasons?

Minnesota had home-court advantage for the first time in franchise history and lost anyway. The streak ended a year later with a first playoff series win.

Which second-year guard, a former second-round pick, was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2002–03?

Gilbert Arenas averaged 18.3 points as Golden State jumped from 21 wins to 38. He said afterwards that all he had needed was more playing time and experience.

Which Argentine rookie, the 57th pick of the 1999 draft, debuted for the champion Spurs in 2002–03?

Manu Ginóbili came off the bench, averaged 7.6 points and made the All-Rookie Second Team. He went on to win four titles in San Antonio.

Which second overall pick of the 2002 NBA draft had his career ended by a motorcycle crash in June 2003?

Jay Williams crashed two months after his rookie season with Chicago. He shattered his pelvis and tore three knee ligaments, and never played in the NBA again.

Which player won a second straight NBA Slam Dunk Contest at the 2003 All-Star Weekend?

Jason Richardson, in his second season with Golden State, became a back-to-back champion. He entered again a year later but lost in the final and never took part again.

Which shooter won a second straight NBA Three-Point Contest at the 2003 All-Star Weekend?

Peja Stojaković also played in the All-Star Game itself that weekend, called up late to replace an injured Sacramento teammate.

Which nine-time All-Star point guard did Seattle trade to Milwaukee at the February 2003 deadline?

Gary Payton, nicknamed the Glove, went east with Desmond Mason for a package led by Ray Allen. He left that summer as a free agent to chase a title with the Lakers.

Which All-Star center missed the entire 2002–03 NBA season because of a serious kidney disorder?

Alonzo Mourning's Miami Heat lost 10 of their first 12 games and won only 25 all season without him.

Which coach left the Houston Rockets after 2002–03 following a bladder cancer diagnosis, ending a 33-year association?

Rudy Tomjanovich had served the club as player, assistant and head coach, winning back-to-back titles in the 1990s. He made a full recovery.

Which Cleveland guard shot at his own basket in March 2003, hoping the rebound would complete a triple-double?

Ricky Davis needed one more rebound with seconds left and Cleveland 25 points ahead. It did not count, because a shot at a team's own basket is not an official field goal attempt.

Which broadcaster returned to coaching after sixteen years away when Memphis started the 2002–03 season 0–8?

Hubie Brown was 69 and had last coached the New York Knicks in 1986–87. The Grizzlies lost his first five games as well, stretching the opening skid to thirteen.

Which guard won the 2002–03 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award while averaging a career-best 15.2 points?

Bobby Jackson played 59 games for Sacramento and started 26 of them, yet was voted the league's best reserve.

Which rare feat did the 2003 NBA Finals MVP miss by two blocks in the title-clinching Game 6?

A quadruple-double was two blocks away: the winning side's star finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks in an 88–77 victory.

Which cavernous stadium did the San Antonio Spurs leave before the 2002–03 season for a new purpose-built arena?

The Alamodome had been built mainly to attract an NFL team, and its basketball sight lines were poor. The Spurs' new home opened in 2002 at a cost of $175 million.

Which company supplied uniforms to 19 of the NBA's 29 teams in 2002–03, while Nike kept the other ten?

Reebok had begun its NBA deal a year earlier and took over every team in 2004–05. Adidas, which had bought the company, replaced it in 2006.

Which longtime Lakers broadcaster, who died in August 2002, was honoured by white uniforms first worn that Christmas?

Chick Hearn had called Lakers games for 41 years. The team also wore a black patch in his memory, and lost that Christmas Day debut to Sacramento.

Which Western Conference team matched Cleveland's 17–65 mark for the NBA's worst record in 2002–03?

The Denver Nuggets lost 14 games in a row at one point and dropped their final eight. Unlike Cleveland they did not win the draft lottery, and drew the third pick.

Which team, itself once based in New Orleans, did the Hornets beat in their first home game there in 2002?

The Utah Jazz, who left New Orleans for Salt Lake City in 1979, lost 100–75 in front of 17,668 fans after being outscored 32–11 in the fourth quarter.

Whose number 7 did the New Orleans Hornets retire at their first home game, although he never played for them?

Pete Maravich had starred in Louisiana twice over, as a college scorer at LSU and for the city's earlier NBA team in the 1970s.

Which Knicks star was fined a record $250,000 after arriving at 2002 training camp with a broken hand?

Latrell Sprewell said he had slipped on his yacht, and the club punished him for not reporting it. Later that season he made all nine of his three-point attempts in one game.

Which All-Star forward, acquired by the Knicks on 2002 draft night, missed all of 2002–03 after preseason knee surgery?

Antonio McDyess reinjured the knee dunking a rebound in an October exhibition game. New York had given up Marcus Camby and the rights to its first-round pick, Nenê, to get him.

Which Hall of Fame coach passed Bill Fitch in 2002–03 to become the NBA's all-time leader in coaching losses?

Lenny Wilkens, then in charge of Toronto, had held the record for coaching wins since the 1994–95 season, so he topped the league's all-time list in both columns.