1891

Based on the rules laid out by Dr. James Naismith, the first basketball game is played by students at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was nine-on-nine, with players shooting a soccer ball at peach baskets nailed to the wall. Naismith invented the sport out of necessity, as the student athletes needed a competitive and aerobic outlet for the winter months.

1923

Wataru Misaka is born in Ogden, Utah. The son of Japanese immigrants, Misaka became the first non-white player in NBA history in 1947.

1966

Guy Rodgers sets the Bulls single game franchise record with 24 assists in a 110-107 victory over the Knicks. It’s one of two franchise single game assist records that Rodgers holds, along with the Warriors.

1967

Terry Mills is born in Romulus, Michigan. He was named Michigan Mr. Basketball in 1986 while starring for Romulus High School, then contributed to the University of Michigan’s 1989 NCAA title.

1981

Two-time Spanish League MVP Marta Fernandez is born in Barcelona, Spain. She is the older sister of fellow Spanish basketball legend Rudy Fernandez.

The longest game in college basketball history takes place, as Cincinnati defeats Bradley 75-73 in seven overtimes. The game was tied 61-61 at the end of regulation but due to the lack of a shot clock, both teams were able to essentially play keep-away during the overtime periods, with Cincinnati winning despite scoring just 14 total points across the seven overtimes.

1991

Former Soviet republics Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are admitted into FIBA in a vote by the governing body, allowing them to begin competing in international competitions. Lithuania goes on to win bronze at the 1992 Olympics while Estonia and Latvia fail to qualify.

2006

Cooper Flagg is born in Newport, Maine. While starring at Nokomis Regional High School, he became the first freshman ever named Maine Player of the Year.

2009

Before a scheduled Wizards team practice at Capital One Arena (then called the Verizon Center), Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton pull guns on each other in the locker room, in an escalation of an ongoing feud revolving around gambling debts. Arenas was later suspended indefinitely and charged with gun possession, serving 30 days in a halfway house. Crittenton was also suspended indefinitely and never played again in the NBA.