The 1987–88 NBA season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight Championship, beating the Detroit Pistons in seven hard-fought games in the NBA Finals, becoming the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968–69 NBA season.
* Michael Jordan becomes the only player in NBA history to win both the scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He is also the only player in NBA history to combine these awards with the season's Most Valuable Player award.
* James Worthy records the first ever Game Seven triple double as he records 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
* The league awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis, and Orlando. The Charlotte and Miami franchises would debut in the 1988–89 NBA season, while Minneapolis and Orlando would begin play in the 1989–90 NBA season.
* The New Jersey Nets had 3 different head coaches during the season, a rare occurrence. The Indiana Pacers had four different head coaches during the following season.
* The San Antonio Spurs are the last team in NBA history to lose 50 or more games in a season, and still make the playoffs.
* With the exception of a first round sweep of San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers played seven-game series the rest of the way. During the run, they overcame the Utah Jazz in the semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals, and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals. The Mavs' appearance in the conference finals was the team's first of four appearances.
* On January 5, 1988, Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died of a heart attack during a pickup game. He was 40 years old. The Utah Jazz subsequently honored him by sporting a patch containing his jersey No. 7.
* The Phoenix Suns mourned the loss of center Nick Vanos, killed in an airline crash on August 16, 1987. The Suns sported black circular patches with his jersey No. 30 on their uniforms for the season.
* The Detroit Pistons play their final season at Pontiac Silverdome.
* The Milwaukee Bucks play their final season at MECCA (Milwaukee Arena).
* The Sacramento Kings play their final season at ARCO Arena I.
* The Washington Bullets played the 1987–88 season with two players on opposite sides of the NBA height record: 7'7" Manute Bol, then the league's tallest player (tied with another former Bullet, Gheorghe Mureșan) and 5'3" Muggsy Bogues, the league's shortest player.
| Year | Draft | Round | Pick | Player | Pos | playerSlug | From | To | Notes | ROY | HOF | Allstar | Heismann |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 1 | Danny Manning | danny-manning | Kansas | LA Clippers | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 2 | Rik Smits | rik-smits | Marist | Indiana | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 3 | Charles Smith | charles-smith | Pittsburgh | Philadelphia | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 4 | Chris Morris | chris-morris | Auburn | New Jersey | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 5 | Mitch Richmond | mitch-richmond | Kansas State | Golden State | ! | 1989 | ||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 6 | Hersey Hawkins | hersey-hawkins | Bradley | LA Clippers | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 7 | Tim Perry | tim-perry | Temple | Phoenix | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 8 | Rex Chapman | rex-chapman | Kentucky | Charlotte | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 9 | Rony Seikaly | rony-seikaly | Syracuse | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 10 | Willie Anderson | willie-anderson | Georgia | San Antonio | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 11 | Will Perdue | will-perdue | Vanderbilt | Chicago | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 12 | Harvey Grant | harvey-grant | Oklahoma | Washington | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 13 | Jeff Grayer | jeff-grayer | Iowa State | Milwaukee | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 14 | Dan Majerle | dan-majerle | Central Michigan | Phoenix | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 15 | Gary Grant | gary-grant | Michigan | Seattle | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 16 | Derrick Chievous | derrick-chievous | Missouri | Houston | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 17 | Eric Leckner | eric-leckner | Wyoming | Utah | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 18 | Rick Berry | rick-berry | San Jose State | Sacramento | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 19 | Rod Strickland | rod-strickland | DePaul | New York | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 20 | Kevin Edwards | kevin-edwards | DePaul | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 21 | Mark Bryant | mark-bryant | Seton Hall | Portland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 22 | Randolph Keys | randolph-keys | Southern Mississippi | Cleveland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 23 | Jerome Lane | jerome-lane | Pittsburgh | Denver | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 24 | Brian Shaw | brian-shaw | UC Santa Barbara | Boston | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 25 | David Rivers | david-rivers | Notre Dame | LA Lakers | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 26 | Rolando Ferreira | rolando-ferreira | Houston | Portland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 27 | Shelton Jones | shelton-jones | St. John's | San Antonio | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 28 | Andrew Lang | andrew-lang | Arkansas | Phoenix | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 29 | Vinny Del Negro | vinny-del-negro | North Carolina State | Sacramento | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 30 | Fennis Dembo | fennis-dembo | Wyoming | Detroit | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 31 | Everette Stephens | everette-stephens | Purdue | Philadelphia | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 32 | Charles Shackleford | charles-shackleford | North Carolina State | New Jersey | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 33 | Grant Long | grant-long | Eastern Michigan | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 34 | Tom Tolbert | tom-tolbert | Arizona | Charlotte | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 35 | Sylvester Gray | sylvester-gray | Memphis State | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 36 | Ledell Eackles | ledell-eackles | New Orleans | Washington | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 37 | Greg Butler | greg-butler | Stanford | New York | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 38 | Dean Garrett | dean-garrett | Indiana | Phoenix | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 39 | Tito Horford | tito-horford | Miami (FL) | Milwaukee | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 40 | Orlando Graham | orlando-graham | Auburn | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 41 | Keith Smart | keith-smart | Indiana | Golden State | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 42 | Jeff Moe | Iowa | Utah | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 43 | Todd Mitchell | todd-mitchell | Purdue | Denver | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 44 | Anthony Taylor | anthony-taylor | Oregon | Atlanta | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 45 | Tom Garrick | tom-garrick | Rhode Island | LA Clippers | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 46 | Morlon Wiley | morlon-wiley | Long Beach State | Dallas | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 47 | Vernon Maxwell | vernon-maxwell | Florida | Denver | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 48 | Micheal Williams | Baylor | Detroit | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 49 | Jose Vargas | Louisiana State | Dallas | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 50 | Steve Kerr | steve-kerr | Arizona | Phoenix | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 51 | Robert Lock | Kentucky | LA Clippers | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 52 | Derrick Hamilton | derrick-hamilton | Southern Mississippi | New Jersey | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 53 | Anthony Mason | anthony-mason | Tennessee State | Portland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 54 | Jorge Gonzalez | Argentina | Atlanta | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 55 | Rodney Johns | Grand Canyon | Phoenix | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 56 | Barry Sumpter | barry-sumpter | Austin Peay | San Antonio | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 57 | Herman Montenegro | Louisiana State | Philadelphia | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 58 | Jeff Moore | jeff-moore | Auburn | Charlotte | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 59 | Nate Johnston | nate-johnston | Tampa | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 60 | Ed Davender | Kentucky | Washington | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 61 | Herbert Crook | Louisville | Indiana | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 62 | Derrick Lewis | derrick-lewis | Maryland | Chicago | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 63 | Mike Jones | mike-jones | Auburn | Milwaukee | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 64 | Winston Bennett | winston-bennett | Kentucky | Cleveland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 65 | Corey Gaines | corey-gaines | Loyola Marymount | Seattle | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 66 | Dwight Boyd | Memphis State | Denver | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 67 | Ricky Grace | ricky-grace | Oklahoma | Utah | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 68 | Darryl Middleton | Baylor | Atlanta | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 69 | Phil Stinnie | Virginia Commonwealth | New York | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 70 | Jerry Johnson | jerry-johnson | Florida Southern | Dallas | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 71 | Craig Neal | craig-neal | Georgia Tech | Portland | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 72 | Lee Johnson | lee-johnson | Norfolk State | Detroit | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 73 | Michael Anderson | michael-anderson | Drexel | Indiana | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 74 | Gerald Paddio | gerald-paddio | Nevada-Las Vegas | Boston | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 75 | Archie Marshall | Kansas | San Antonio | |||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 1 | Arvid Kramer | C | arvid-kramer | Dallas Mavericks | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 1 | 2 | Dell Curry | G | dell-curry | Cleveland Cavaliers | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 3 | Billy Thompson | F | billy-thompson | Los Angeles Lakers | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 2 | 4 | Dave Hoppen | F/C | dave-hoppen | Golden State Warriors | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 5 | Fred Roberts | F/C | fred-roberts | Boston Celtics | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 6 | Muggsy Bogues | G | muggsy-bogues | Washington Bullets | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 4 | 7 | Scott Hastings | F/C | scott-hastings | Atlanta Hawks | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 4 | 8 | Mike Brown | F/C | mike-brown | Chicago Bulls | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 5 | 9 | Jon Sundvold | G | jon-sundvold | San Antonio Spurs | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 5 | 10 | Rickey Green | G | rickey-green | Utah Jazz | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 6 | 11 | Kevin Williams | G | kevin-williams | Seattle SuperSonics | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 6 | 12 | Michael Holton | G | michael-holton | Portland Trail Blazers | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 7 | 13 | Hansi Gnad | C | Philadelphia 76ers | Miami | ||||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 7 | 14 | Michael Brooks | F | michael-brooks | Denver Nuggets | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 8 | 15 | Darnell Valentine | G | darnell-valentine | Los Angeles Clippers | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 8 | 16 | Bernard Thompson | G/F | bernard-thompson | Phoenix Suns | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 9 | 17 | Dwayne Washington | G | dwayne-washington | New Jersey Nets | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 9 | 18 | Ralph Lewis | G | ralph-lewis | Detroit Pistons | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 10 | 19 | Andre Turner | G | andre-turner | Houston Rockets | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 10 | 20 | Clinton Wheeler | G | clinton-wheeler | Indiana Pacers | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 11 | 21 | Conner Henry | G | conner-henry | Sacramento Kings | Miami | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 11 | 22 | Sedric Toney | G | sedric-toney | New York Knicks | Charlotte | |||||
| 1988 | 1988 | 12 | 23 | John Stroeder | F | john-stroeder | Milwaukee Bucks | Miami | |||||
Comments are closed.
I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.