1994–95 NBA season

Notable occurrences

• The Houston Rockets became the lowest seeded team to ever win the NBA Finals, winning as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets also became the first team to defeat four opponents who had 50 or more wins en route to a title ; the only other team ever to accomplish that feat was the 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers.
• The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was played at America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, with the West defeating the East 139–112. Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings was named the game's MVP.
• Midway through the season, Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls after an attempt at a minor-league baseball career. His announcement consisted of a two-word fax: "I'm back." Because the Bulls had already retired his number 23, he returned wearing number 45. However, he changed back to 23 during the playoffs.
• An era came to an end as the Boston Celtics played their final season at the historic Boston Garden.
• The Portland Trail Blazers played their final season at Memorial Coliseum. They would host a preseason game at the Coliseum in 2009.
• The Chicago Bulls played their first game at the United Center.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers played their first game at Gund Arena.
• Due to extensive renovations to the Seattle Center Coliseum, the Seattle SuperSonics played their home games at the Tacoma Dome, in nearby Tacoma, Washington.
• Grant Hill became the first rookie in professional sports to lead fan balloting for the NBA All-Star Game.
• The Orlando Magic became the first of the four late-1980s expansion franchises to reach the NBA Finals. They were swept in four straight games by the defending-champion Houston Rockets.
• Lenny Wilkens passed Red Auerbach to become the NBA's all-time leader in wins, which stood for 15 years.
• Moses Malone, the only remaining active former ABA player, announced his retirement after 19 NBA seasons. Malone, who came to the professional level without any college basketball experience, retired just in time for a new generation of prep-to-pro stars like Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant to arrive on the scene.
• In an effort to increase scoring, the NBA's competition committee voted to shorten the three-point field goal line to a uniform 22 feet around the basket beginning this season and lasting through the 1996–97 NBA season. Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott set a then-single season record for most three-pointers made with 267 during the 1995–96 NBA season. The NBA would revert to its original three-point field goal parameters of 23 feet, 9 inches at the start of the 1997–98 NBA season.
• The Western Conference Finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets was notable for the lack of home team success. The home team lost each of the first 5 games of the series, with the Rockets finally breaking through with a home win in Game 6.
• The Miami Heat made two blockbuster trades. The first one was 2 days before the season when Miami traded Rony Seikaly to the Golden State Warriors for Billy Owens and Sasha Danilovic. Then, 2 games into the season after a game against the Phoenix Suns, Miami traded Grant Long, Steve Smith and a 1996 1st round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Kevin Willis and a 1996 1st round pick. The latter trade was so one-sided that it was credited with spurring the Heat to make their biggest decision in franchise history: hiring Pat Riley to be their coach and top executive.
• In the last game of the regular season for both teams, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Sacramento Kings to obtain the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Had the Kings won, they would have qualified instead. They had missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons. As for the Nuggets, this was their final postseason appearance until 2004.
• For the first time since the 1971–72 season, the league brought the first wave of third jerseys. The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings released new alternate uniforms for the season.
• The Los Angeles Lakers retired James Worthy's jersey number 42 in December and the Boston Celtics retired the late Reggie Lewis jersey number 35 on their rafters, the last season in which both teams retired a jersey until 2017–18.
• On November 5, 1994, the San Antonio Spurs first home of the season, against the Golden State Warriors, was delayed for 50 minutes as the pregame fireworks show triggered a water cannon that sent water blasting down on fans, players and coaches for four minutes before it was shut off.

  1994–95 NBA changes

• The Atlanta Hawks added new black alternate uniforms.
• The Charlotte Hornets added new purple alternate uniforms.
• The Chicago Bulls moved into the United Center.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers changed their logo and uniforms, replacing their blue and orange colors with light blue and black. They also moved into the Gund Arena.
• The Detroit Pistons added new red alternate uniforms.
• The Orlando Magic changed their road uniforms to blue pinstripe jerseys, while their primary black pinstripe uniforms became their alternate jerseys.
• The Philadelphia 76ers changed their uniforms.
• The Phoenix Suns added new black alternate uniforms.
• The Sacramento Kings changed their logo and uniforms, replacing their blue and red colors with purple and black. They also added new half black and half purple alternate uniforms.
• The Seattle SuperSonics moved into the Tacoma Dome for the season, due to renovations at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

  Standings

By division

By conference

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
• y – Clinched division title
• x – Clinched playoff spot

  Playoffs

Statistics leaders

NBA awards

• Most Valuable Player: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
• Rookies of the Year: Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks and Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons
• Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets
• Sixth Man of the Year: Anthony Mason, New York Knicks
• Most Improved Player: Dana Barros, Philadelphia 76ers
• Coach of the Year: Del Harris, Los Angeles Lakers
• All-NBA First Team:
• *F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz
• *F – Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
• *C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
• *G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz
• *G – Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic
• All-NBA Second Team:
• *F – Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns
• *F – Shawn Kemp, Seattle SuperSonics
• *C – Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic
• *G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
• *G – Mitch Richmond, Sacramento Kings
• All-NBA Third Team:
• *F – Detlef Schrempf, Seattle SuperSonics
• *F – Dennis Rodman, San Antonio Spurs
• *C – Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
• *G – Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers
• *G – Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers / Houston Rockets
• NBA All-Defensive First Team:
• *F – Dennis Rodman, San Antonio Spurs
• *F – Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
• *C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
• *G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics
• *G – Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta Hawks
• NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
• *F – Derrick McKey, Indiana Pacers
• *F – Horace Grant, Orlando Magic
• *C – Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets
• *G – Nate McMillan, Seattle SuperSonics
• *G – John Stockton, Utah Jazz
• All-NBA Rookie First Team:
• *Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
• *Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons
• *Eddie Jones, Los Angeles Lakers
• *Brian Grant, Sacramento Kings
• *Glenn Robinson, Milwaukee Bucks
• All-NBA Rookie Second Team:
• *Juwan Howard, Washington Bullets
• *Donyell Marshall, Minnesota Timberwolves
• *Eric Montross, Boston Celtics
• *Wesley Person, Phoenix Suns
• *Jalen Rose, Denver Nuggets
• *Sharone Wright, Philadelphia 76ers

Milestones

Debuts

• Eric Montross, Boston Celtics
• Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
• Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons
• Jalen Rose, Denver Nuggets
• Eddie Jones, Los Angeles Lakers
• Glenn Robinson, Milwaukee Bucks
• Wesley Person, Phoenix Suns

  Last games

• Jay Humphries, Boston Celtics
• Tony Campbell, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Cliff Levingston, Denver Nuggets
• Manute Bol, Golden State Warriors
• Sam Bowie, Los Angeles Lakers
• Kurt Rambis, Los Angeles Lakers
• Sleepy Floyd, New Jersey Nets
• Tree Rollins, Orlando Magic
• Danny Ainge, Phoenix Suns
• Moses Malone, San Antonio Spurs
• Bill Cartwright, Seattle Supersonics