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1996–97 Boston Celtics season

NBA basketball team season

Field	Value
team	Boston Celtics
end_year	1997
wins	15
losses	67
division	atlantic
division_place	7
conf_place	15
coach	M. L. Carr
gm	Jan Volk
owner	Paul Gaston
arena	Fleet Center
television	WSBK-TV
SportsChannel New England
radio	WRKO
playoffs	Did not qualify
bbr_team	BOS

SportsChannel New England The 1996–97 Boston Celtics season was the 51st season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. Celebrating its 50th anniversary as one of the NBA's original franchises, the Celtics received the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected power forward Antoine Walker from the University of Kentucky. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Frank Brickowski and Marty Conlon.

However, after a 4–8 start to the regular season, the Celtics lost 13 of their next 14 games as players like Dino Radja, Dana Barros, Dee Brown, Greg Minor and Pervis Ellison were all out for long stretches of the season due to injuries. The team suffered through their worst season ever, holding an 11–35 record at the All-Star break, then posting a 13-game losing streak between February and March, and losing ten straight games near the end of the regular season. The Celtics lost 34 of their final 38 games, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division with a dreadful 15–67 record, which is currently the team's worst record in franchise history.

Walker averaged 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while David Wesley averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and contributed 103 three-point field goals, and Rick Fox provided the team with 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, and with 101 three-point field goals. In addition, second-year forward Eric Williams contributed 15.0 points per game, and Todd Day provided with 14.5 points per game, and led the Celtics with 126 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Radja averaged 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 25 games due to a left knee injury, Barros averaged 12.5 points and 3.2 assists per game in 24 games, Minor contributed 9.6 points per game in 23 games, Brown provided with 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 21 games, and Conlon averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Walker was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team; Walker scored 20 points along with 9 rebounds and 2 steals, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 96–91. Walker also finished in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting, while Wesley finished in eleventh place in Most Improved Player voting, and Fox finished tied in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Celtics finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 664,022 at the FleetCenter during the regular season.

Following the season, head coach M.L. Carr resigned, while Fox signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, Wesley signed with the Charlotte Hornets, Williams was traded to the Denver Nuggets, Day signed with the Miami Heat, and Brickowski, Conlon and Alton Lister were all released to free agency. This was also the final season for Radja; after failing his physical exam, voiding an off-season trade that would have sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage, he returned to play overseas in Europe, signing a contract to play in Greece, and ending his four-year career in the NBA with the Celtics.

For the season, the Celtics updated their primary logo of a leprechaun spinning a basketball, adding gold, black and mahogany colors; the logo is still present as of 2026.

Draft picks

Main article: 1996 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	6	Antoine Walker	SF/PF		Kentucky
2	38	Steve Hamer	C		Tennessee

Roster

M. L. Carr
Dennis Johnson
K.C. Jones
John Kuester

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

Player statistics

Regular season

|- | 24 || 8 || 29.5 || .435 || .410 || .860 || 2.0 || 3.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 12.5 |- | 17 || 2 || 15.0 || .438 || .350 || .714 || 2.0 || .9 || .3 || .2 || 4.8 |- | 21 || 2 || 24.9 || .367 || .308 || .818 || 2.3 || 3.2 || 1.5 || .3 || 7.6 |- | 74 || 15 || 21.8 || .471 || .200 || .842 || 4.4 || 1.4 || .6 || .2 || 7.8 |- | 81 || 27 || 28.1 || .398 || .362 || .773 || 4.1 || 1.4 || 1.3 || .6 || 14.5 |- | 15 || 0 || 8.8 || .302 || .000 || .714 || 1.5 || .4 || .2 || .1 || 2.4 |- | 6 || 4 || 20.8 || .375 || || .600 || 4.3 || .7 || .8 || 1.5 || 2.5 |- | 76 || 75 || 34.9 || .456 || .363 || .787 || 5.2 || 3.8 || 2.2 || .5 || 15.4 |- | 35 || 3 || 7.7 || .526 || .000 || .552 || 1.7 || .2 || .1 || .1 || 2.2 |- | 29 || 0 || 11.2 || .426 || .323 || .800 || 1.1 || 2.2 || .6 || .0 || 2.8 |- | 5 || 0 || 6.6 || .714 || || .667 || 1.8 || .2 || .0 || .2 || 2.4 |- | 53 || 2 || 9.7 || .416 || || .742 || 3.2 || .2 || .2 || .3 || 1.6 |- | 23 || 15 || 23.8 || .480 || .125 || .861 || 3.5 || 1.5 || .7 || .1 || 9.6 |- | 25 || 25 || 35.0 || .440 || .000 || .718 || 8.4 || 1.9 || .9 || 1.9 || 14.0 |- | 70 || 24 || 9.5 || .446 || .000 || .738 || 2.4 || .2 || .2 || .5 || 2.2 |- | 82 || 68 || 36.2 || .425 || .327 || .631 || 9.0 || 3.2 || 1.3 || .6 || 17.5 |- | 74 || 73 || 40.4 || .468 || .360 || .781 || 3.6 || 7.3 || 2.2 || .2 || 16.8 |- | 72 || 67 || 33.8 || .456 || .250 || .752 || 4.6 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.0 |}

† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Celtics only.

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Antoine Walker, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

[https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1997.html 1996-97 Boston Celtics]
Heisler, Mark. (June 27, 1996). "The Surprises Are Few". Los Angeles Times.
Greenberg, Alan. (June 27, 1996). "Celtics Expecting Big Things from Their Top Pick". Hartford Courant.
"1996 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
(August 2, 1996). "Transactions". Hartford Courant.
(October 21, 1999). "Celtics Sign Forward Marty Conlon". Associated Press.
Henrique, Chris. (December 25, 2021). "Boston Celtics: "Thank God for Marty Conlon", the Tank for Tim Duncan and Rick Pitino". Boston Sports Syndicate.
"NBA Games Played on February 6, 1997". Basketball-Reference.
"1996–97 Boston Celtics Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1996–97 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Fry, Darrell. (February 8, 1997). "On to the Next Stage". Tampa Bay Times.
"1997 NBA Rising Stars: East 96, West 91". Basketball-Reference.
(May 2, 1997). "Iverson Is Voted Top Rookie". The New York Times.
"1996–97 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
"1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
(May 1, 1997). "Carr, Brown Resign as Coaches". The Washington Post.
(May 8, 1997). "Carr Steps Down, Bird's Decision Next". Los Angeles Times.
Wise, Mike. (August 27, 1997). "Knicks Lose the Bidding War for Fox, Who Heads to Lakers". The New York Times.
(August 27, 1997). "Lakers Fill In a Few Foxholes". Los Angeles Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (August 27, 1997). "Fox Hunt Finally Over for Lakers". Los Angeles Times.
(July 2, 1997). "Hornets Get Wesley, a Free Agent". The New York Times.
(July 2, 1997). "The Charlotte Hornets Signed Free Agent Point...". Los Angeles Times.
Nowell, Paul. (July 2, 1997). "Expendable Wesley to Hornets". South Coast Today.
Gardner, Kris. (August 21, 1997). "Celtics Trade Williams to Denver". The Houston Roundball Review.
(August 22, 1997). "Celtics Send Eric Williams to Nuggets". Tampa Bay Times.
Greenberg, Alan. (October 23, 1997). "One of Pitino's Slick Moves". Hartford Courant.
(September 18, 1997). "Rodman's Special Kind of Contract Isn't Fine with NBA". Los Angeles Times.
Winderman, Ira. (September 18, 1997). "Wholesale Changes Fit Heat Budget". Sun Sentinel.
(June 25, 1997). "Radja's Failed Physical Voids Celtic-76er Deal". Los Angeles Times.
(June 25, 1997). "Bad Knee Nixes Radja Trade". Deseret News.
(June 26, 1997). "Celtics Appeal on Radja Trade". Tampa Bay Times.
"Boston Celtics Logo". Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net.

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