The 1988–89 NBA season was the Bullets' 28th season in the NBA. In the 1988 NBA draft, the Bullets selected Harvey Grant from the University of Oklahoma with the twelfth overall pick, and Ledell Eackles from the University of New Orleans with the 36th overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired Dave Feitl from the Golden State Warriors. Under Wes Unseld's first full season as head coach, and with the addition of Grant and Eackles, the Bullets struggled losing seven straight games in December, which led to a 4–14 start, and held a 17–28 record at the All-Star break. However, the team played above .500 for the remainder of the season, and finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 40–42 record, which was two more wins then the previous season, but the team failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing just two games behind the 8th-seeded Boston Celtics.

The 1988–89 NBA season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the first season of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets.