1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season

1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season
Head coachJim Lynam
General managerGene Shue
ArenaThe Spectrum
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Atlantic)
Conference: 5th (Eastern)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to Bulls 1–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWPHL-TV
SportsChannel Philadelphia
PRISM
RadioWIP

The 1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 42nd season for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] During the off-season, the 76ers acquired 7' 7" center Manute Bol from the Golden State Warriors,[2][3] and signed free agent Rickey Green.[4]

After only just four games into the regular season, Johnny Dawkins sustained a torn ACL in his right knee, and was replaced with Green as the team's starting point guard for the remainder of the season.[5][6][7] With the addition of Bol, and despite the loss of Dawkins, the 76ers got off to a 19–8 start to the season, but then lost 10 of their next 16 games. At mid-season, the team traded Mike Gminski to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Armen Gilliam.[8][9][10] The 76ers held a 25–21 record at the All-Star break,[11] posted a seven-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 44–38 record, earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.[12]

Charles Barkley averaged 27.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Hersey Hawkins averaged 22.1 points, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and led the 76ers with 108 three-point field goals, and sixth man Ron Anderson provided the team with 14.6 points per game off the bench. In addition, Dawkins provided with 15.8 points and 7.0 assists per game during his short four-game stint, while Green contributed 10.0 points and 5.2 assists per game, Rick Mahorn averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, Andre Turner contributed 5.9 points and 4.4 assists per game, and Bol averaged 1.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Barkley and Hawkins were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Hawkins' first and only All-Star appearance.[14][15][16] Barkley scored 17 points along with 22 rebounds, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 116–114.[17][18][19] In addition, Hawkins also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[20][21] Barkley also finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting.[22][23]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1991 NBA playoffs, the 76ers faced off against the 4th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by All-Star guard Alvin Robertson, Jay Humphries and Frank Brickowski. The 76ers won the first two games over the Bucks on the road at the Bradley Center, before winning Game 3 at home, 121–100 at The Spectrum to win the series in a three-game sweep.[24][25][26]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and Central Division champion Chicago Bulls, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. The Bulls took a 2–0 series lead, but the 76ers managed to win Game 3 at The Spectrum, 99–97. However, the 76ers lost the next two games, including a Game 5 loss to the Bulls on the road, 100–95 at the Chicago Stadium, thus losing the series in five games.[27][28][29] The Bulls would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the 1991 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.[30][31][32]

The 76ers finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 624,582 at The Spectrum during the regular season.[13][33] This season would also be the final NBA playoff appearance for the 76ers until the 1998–99 season; the seven consecutive seasons that followed, in which they would not make the playoffs, were more than the franchise had missed in total since their inaugural season of 1950, five (missed playoffs in 1972–1975, and in 1988).[34] Following the season, Mahorn left to play overseas in Italy,[35][36] and Green signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics.

Draft picks

Main article: 1990 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team
2 32 Brian Oliver SG  United States Georgia Tech
2 47 Derek Strong PF  United States Xavier

Roster

1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F 20 Ron Anderson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1958–10–15 Fresno State
F 34 Charles Barkley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 1963–02–20 Auburn
C 11 Manute Bol 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1962–10–16 Bridgeport
G 12 Johnny Dawkins  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1963–09–28 Duke
F 35 Armen Gilliam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–05–28 UNLV
G 9 Rickey Green 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1954–08–18 Michigan
G 33 Hersey Hawkins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1966–09–29 Bradley
C 40 Dave Hoppen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1964–03–13 Nebraska
C 44 Rick Mahorn 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1958–09–21 Hampton
G 31 Brian Oliver 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1968–06–01 Georgia Tech
F 21 Kenny Payne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1966–11–25 Louisville
F 50 Robert Reid 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–08–30 Saint Mary's
G 4 Andre Turner 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1964–12–13 Memphis
F 55 Jayson Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–02–22 St. John's
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 — 35–6 21–20 20-6
x-Philadelphia 76ers 44 38 .537 12 29-12 15-26 14-12
x-New York Knicks 39 43 .476 17 21-20 18-23 17–9
Washington Bullets 30 52 .366 26 21-20 9-32 10-16
New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 30 20-21 6–35 8-18
Miami Heat 24 58 .293 32 18-23 6-35 9-17
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Chicago Bulls 61 21 .744 –
2 y-Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 5
3 x-Detroit Pistons 50 32 .610 11
4 x-Milwaukee Bucks 48 34 .585 13
5 x-Philadelphia 76ers 44 38 .537 17
6 x-Atlanta Hawks 43 39 .524 18
7 x-Indiana Pacers 41 41 .500 20
8 x-New York Knicks 39 43 .476 22
9 Cleveland Cavaliers 33 49 .402 28
10 Washington Bullets 30 52 .366 31
11 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 35
12 Charlotte Hornets 26 56 .317 35
13 Miami Heat 24 58 .293 37
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Playoffs

1991 playoff game log
First Round: 3–0 (home: 1–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 25 @ Milwaukee W 99–90 Hersey Hawkins (25) Barkley, Mahorn (8) Charles Barkley (5) Bradley Center
13,587 		1–0
2 April 27 @ Milwaukee W 116–112 (OT) Ron Anderson (24) Charles Barkley (13) Charles Barkley (10) Bradley Center
15,623 		2–0
3 April 30 Milwaukee W 121–100 Charles Barkley (30) Charles Barkley (12) Hawkins, Barkley (6) Spectrum
16,239 		3–0
Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 4 @ Chicago L 92–105 Charles Barkley (34) Charles Barkley (11) Hawkins, Anderson (3) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		0–1
2 May 6 @ Chicago L 100–112 Hersey Hawkins (30) Charles Barkley (9) Hersey Hawkins (7) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		0–2
3 May 10 Chicago W 99–97 Hersey Hawkins (29) Armen Gilliam (11) Barkley, Turner (7) Spectrum
18,168 		1–2
4 May 12 Chicago L 85–101 Charles Barkley (25) Charles Barkley (14) Charles Barkley (6) Spectrum
17,514 		1–3
5 May 14 @ Chicago L 95–100 Charles Barkley (30) Charles Barkley (8) Charles Barkley (7) Chicago Stadium
18,676 		1–4
1991 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ron Anderson 82 13 28.5 .485 .209 .833 4.5 1.4 .8 .2 14.6
Charles Barkley 67 67 37.3 .570 .284 .722 10.1 4.2 1.6 .5 27.6
Manute Bol 82 6 18.6 .396 .071 .585 4.3 .2 .2 3.0 1.9
Johnny Dawkins 4 4 31.0 .634 .250 .909 4.0 7.0 .8 .0 15.8
Mario Elie† 3 0 6.7 .286 .500 .500 .3 .3 .0 .0 2.0
Jim Farmer† 2 0 6.5 .286 .000 1.000 2.5 .0 .0 .0 3.0
Armen Gilliam† 50 50 33.9 .470 .000 .816 7.3 1.6 .7 .6 15.0
Mike Gminski† 30 29 26.4 .384 .125 .841 6.7 1.1 .5 1.1 9.1
Rickey Green 79 75 28.5 .463 .222 .830 1.7 5.2 .7 .1 10.0
Tony Harris 6 0 6.8 .250 .000 .500 .2 .0 .2 .0 1.7
Hersey Hawkins 80 80 38.9 .472 .400 .871 3.9 3.7 2.2 .5 22.1
Dave Hoppen† 11 0 3.9 .500 .000 .667 .8 .0 .1 .0 1.8
Rick Mahorn 80 74 30.5 .467 .000 .788 7.8 1.5 1.0 .7 8.9
Brian Oliver 73 4 11.0 .408 .278 .732 1.1 1.2 .5 .1 3.8
Kenny Payne 47 6 9.4 .360 .222 .897 1.4 .3 .2 .1 3.5
Robert Reid 3 0 12.3 .143 3.0 1.3 .3 1.0 1.3
Andre Turner 70 1 20.1 .439 .364 .736 2.2 4.4 .9 .0 5.9
Jayson Williams 52 1 9.8 .447 .500 .661 2.1 .3 .2 .1 3.5

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Ron Anderson 8 0 27.9 .398 .200 .895 2.6 2.4 .8 .0 11.0
Charles Barkley 8 8 40.8 .592 .100 .653 10.5 6.0 1.9 .4 24.9
Manute Bol 8 0 13.6 .500 .667 2.4 .1 .1 1.5 3.0
Armen Gilliam 8 8 35.9 .462 .848 6.5 1.3 .6 .8 16.9
Rickey Green 8 8 24.9 .436 .750 .889 1.1 2.8 .9 .0 7.4
Hersey Hawkins 8 8 41.1 .465 .538 .937 5.8 3.4 2.5 1.3 20.9
Dave Hoppen 3 0 3.0 1.000 .000 1.0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
Rick Mahorn 8 8 26.0 .556 .786 5.3 1.8 .3 .5 6.4
Brian Oliver 4 0 3.8 .333 1.000 .0 .3 .3 .0 1.5
Robert Reid 7 0 5.9 .333 .000 1.1 .3 .1 .0 .9
Andre Turner 8 0 23.6 .438 .333 .813 1.6 4.4 1.4 .0 7.3
Jayson Williams 4 0 2.5 .800 1.0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the 7ers only.

Player statistics citation:[13]

Awards and records

See also

References

  1. ^ 1990-91 Philadelphia 76ers
  2. ^ "A Trading Flurry Uncapped in NBA: Basketball: Ainge Goes to Portland, Schayes to Milwaukee, Pressey to San Antonio, Bol to Philadelphia After Salary Cap Raised by Nearly $2 Million". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. August 2, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Hente, Karl (August 2, 1990). "As Salary Cap Rises, Players Fly Around NBA". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "76ers Sign Dawkins, Rickey Green". Deseret News. October 5, 1990. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  5. ^ "Bucks 141, Sixers 111". United Press International. November 9, 1990. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Knee Injury Sidelines Philadelphia's Dawkins". The New York Times. November 10, 1990. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "76ers Lose Dawkins for Season". The Washington Post. November 10, 1990. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "BASKETBALL; 76ers Trade Gminski to Hornets". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 5, 1991. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "76ers Get Gilliam, Hoppen for Gminski". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 5, 1991. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "Around the NBA". The Washington Post. January 5, 1991. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 7, 1991". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "1990–91 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  14. ^ "Jordan Leads All-Star Vote Fifth Straight Year". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 24, 1991. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  15. ^ Barnard, Bill (February 10, 1991). "The Show of Shows for Magic: NBA: For Laker Guard, Making His 10th Appearance, Each and Every All-Star Game Is a Special Occasion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  16. ^ "1991 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  17. ^ Brown, Clifton (February 11, 1991). "ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK; Barkley Overcomes Pain to Win M.V.P." The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (February 11, 1991). "MVP Barkley Helps East Save Face, 116-114: NBA All-Stars: His 22 Rebounds, 17 Points Provide a Rare Bright Spot in an Error-Plagued Game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "1991 NBA All-Star Game: East 116, West 114". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  20. ^ "All-Star Saturday Participants". The Hour. Associated Press. February 9, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  21. ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  22. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (May 21, 1991). "NBA PLAYOFFS: Jordan Is MVP in Landslide Vote". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  23. ^ "1990–91 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "BASKETBALL; Barkley and 76ers Complete a Knockout". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 1, 1991. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "76ers, Lakers Post Sweeps". The Washington Post. May 1, 1991. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  26. ^ "1991 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: 76ers vs. Bucks". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  27. ^ Brown, Clifton (May 15, 1991). "BASKETBALL: THREE TEAMS ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE FINALS; Jordan's Punch Knocks Out the 76ers". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  28. ^ "Jordan's 38 Points, 19 Rebounds Fuel Bulls: Eastern Conference: He Takes Advantage of 76ers' Limping Hawkins as Chicago Advances with a 100-95 Victory". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 15, 1991. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  29. ^ "1991 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: 76ers vs. Bulls". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  30. ^ Brown, Clifton (June 13, 1991). "Jordan Crowns Career and Bulls Reign in N.B.A." The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  31. ^ Heisler, Mark (June 13, 1991). "NBA FINALS: LAKERS vs. CHICAGO BULLS: Bulls' Decree: Jordan Rules: Game 5: Chicago Wins First Championship by Sweeping at Forum, 108-101, But Depleted Lakers Go Down Fighting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  32. ^ "1991 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Bulls". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  33. ^ "1990–91 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  34. ^ "Philadelphia 76ers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  35. ^ "Names in the News". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 1991. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  36. ^ "Sidelines". The New York Times. July 27, 1991. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
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