The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences
- The Hornets relocate from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana, resulting in a two-year absence for the Carolinas, until the birth of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. They also play their first game at New Orleans Arena. As a result the NBA prohibits NBA games (except national games) from being broadcast in the Carolinas.
- The San Antonio Spurs played their first game at the SBC Center (now the AT&T Center).
- The Houston Rockets played their final game at the Compaq Center (formerly The Summit).
- The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The West won 155-145 in double overtime, the longest All-Star game in NBA history. Minnesota's Kevin Garnett took the game's MVP honors. It was also the last time an Eastern Conference city hosted an All-Star Game.
- Michael Jordan announces his third and final retirement. He plays his last game on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia.
- The NBA on ABC begins (replacing NBA on NBC) again after a 29 year hiatus when the NBA signs new television deals with TNT and the consortium of ABC and ESPN. This agreement significantly decreased the amount of games on network television, including the playoffs, in which very few games are shown on ABC, with the exception of the NBA Finals, which are shown entirely on ABC. Also, both conference finals are shown live on cable for the first time.
- For the first time in NBA history, two former ABA teams contest each other in the NBA Finals, the New Jersey Nets versus the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets became the only team in NBA Finals history to wear a throwback uniform in a Finals game, wearing their 1976 home uniforms in Game 5.
- A new instant replay rule is in effect to help officials in determining close calls. Bright red lights are installed on the backboards and scoring tables to make the shot easier to figure out.
- The NBA changes the first round format from a best of five game series to a best of seven game series for the 2003 NBA Playoffs.
- A new low in television ratings for the NBA Finals is reached, replacing the 1981 series as the least watched Finals (later surpassed by the 2007 finals).
- On January 7, Kobe Bryant scored 45 points against Seattle. Kobe made nine consecutive three-pointers and finished with 12 overall, a new NBA record for most "3's" in a game, later tied by Donyell Marshall.
- Eight NBA teams (the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards) wore throwback uniforms to celebrate the first ever NBA Hardwood Classics Nights, commemorating either a player milestone, team anniversary or championship anniversary. The NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta featured NBA players wearing the 1987 All-Star uniforms as an extension.
- The Los Angeles Lakers debuted their White and Gold alternate jerseys in a loss against the Sacramento Kings on December 25, 2002 at Staples Center.
- The Toronto Raptors set a dubious NBA record by not dressing 12 players for any of their games.
- Lenny Wilkens becomes the all time leader in losses surpassing Bill Fitch.
Final standings
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
C - NBA Champions
Statistics leaders
NBA awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com
See also