The Brooklyn Nets franchise was still known as the New Jersey Nets as it entered its third decade in the NBA for the 1996-97 season.
The 10 years ahead would be the most successful in the franchise’s time since joining the NBA as part of its merger with the American Basketball Association in 1976.
Among the firsts the Nets would achieve in the 1996-2006 period included the team’s first 50-win season in the NBA, its first division title in the NBA (both in 2001-02) and its first appearance in the NBA Finals (2002).
Despite all that success, New Jersey would still end the 10-year span with a losing overall record at 381-407, even though the Nets reached the playoffs six times in the period.