1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the Grizzlies' fourth season in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.

The Grizzlies had the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, and selected Mike Bibby from the University of Arizona, acquired rookie guard Felipe López from the San Antonio Spurs, and signed free agent Cherokee Parks during the off-season. The Grizzlies had a 4–6 record in their first ten games, but then struggled posting a 13-game losing streak between February and March, as Bryant Reeves only played just 25 games due to weight problems and a knee injury. Midway through the season, three-point specialist Sam Mack was traded back to his former team, the Houston Rockets in exchange for second-year guard Rodrick Rhodes. The Grizzlies lost their final seven games, returning to last place in the Midwest Division with a league worst record of 8–42. The Grizzlies' 8 wins marked the lowest amount of victories by a team in a season since the league's inception as the NBA (the 6 wins by the Providence Steamrollers in the 1947–48 season occurred back when the league was named the Basketball Association of America), until the 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats put up 7 wins in its own lockout-shortened season, and subsequently held the worst record in NBA history since then.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while Bibby averaged 13.2 points, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Tony Massenburg provided the team with 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Reeves provided with 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, Lopez contributed 9.3 points per game, Parks averaged 5.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and Michael Smith contributed 7.3 rebounds per game off the bench.

Following the season, Massenburg was traded to the Houston Rockets, and Smith, Rhodes, and Lee Mayberry were all traded to the Orlando Magic, who then released all three players to free agency, as Smith signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards.