1996-97 NBA season
- Champion team: Chicago Bulls |
- Season MVP: Karl Malone |
- Scoring leader: Michael Jordan
1996-97 NBA season Regular season standings
Eastern CONFERENCE
| TEAM | W | L | PCT. | GB | PPG | PPGA | DIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls | 69 | 13 | 0.841 | 0 | 103.1 | 92.3 | Central |
| Miami Heat | 61 | 21 | 0.744 | 8 | 94.8 | 89.3 | Atlantic |
| New York Knicks | 57 | 25 | 0.695 | 12 | 95.4 | 92.2 | Atlantic |
| Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 26 | 0.683 | 13 | 94.8 | 89.4 | Central |
| Detroit Pistons | 54 | 28 | 0.659 | 15 | 94.2 | 88.9 | Central |
| Charlotte Hornets | 54 | 28 | 0.659 | 15 | 98.9 | 97.0 | Central |
| Orlando Magic | 45 | 37 | 0.549 | 24 | 94.1 | 94.5 | Atlantic |
| Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | 0.537 | 25 | 99.4 | 97.7 | Atlantic |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 42 | 40 | 0.512 | 27 | 87.5 | 85.6 | Central |
| Indiana Pacers | 39 | 43 | 0.476 | 30 | 95.4 | 94.4 | Central |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 49 | 0.402 | 36 | 95.3 | 97.2 | Central |
| Toronto Raptors | 30 | 52 | 0.366 | 39 | 95.5 | 98.6 | Central |
| New Jersey Nets | 26 | 56 | 0.317 | 43 | 97.2 | 101.8 | Atlantic |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 22 | 60 | 0.268 | 47 | 100.2 | 106.7 | Atlantic |
| Boston Celtics | 15 | 67 | 0.183 | 54 | 100.6 | 107.9 | Atlantic |
Western CONFERENCE
| TEAM | W | L | PCT. | GB | PPG | PPGA | DIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Jazz | 64 | 18 | 0.780 | 0 | 103.1 | 94.3 | Midwest |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 57 | 25 | 0.695 | 7 | 100.9 | 93.2 | Pacific |
| Houston Rockets | 57 | 25 | 0.695 | 7 | 100.6 | 96.1 | Midwest |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | 0.683 | 8 | 100.0 | 95.7 | Pacific |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | 0.598 | 15 | 99.0 | 94.8 | Pacific |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 40 | 42 | 0.488 | 24 | 96.1 | 97.6 | Midwest |
| Phoenix Suns | 40 | 42 | 0.488 | 24 | 102.8 | 102.2 | Pacific |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 36 | 46 | 0.439 | 28 | 97.2 | 99.5 | Pacific |
| Sacramento Kings | 34 | 48 | 0.415 | 30 | 96.4 | 99.8 | Pacific |
| Golden State Warriors | 30 | 52 | 0.366 | 34 | 99.6 | 104.4 | Pacific |
| Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | 0.293 | 40 | 90.6 | 97.0 | Midwest |
| Denver Nuggets | 21 | 61 | 0.256 | 43 | 97.8 | 104.1 | Midwest |
| San Antonio Spurs | 20 | 62 | 0.244 | 44 | 90.5 | 98.3 | Midwest |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 14 | 68 | 0.171 | 50 | 89.2 | 99.4 | Midwest |