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1921

Joe Fulks is born in Birmingham, Kentucky.

1934

Rodney “Hot Rod” Hundley is born in Charleston, West Virginia.

1938

Tom Meschery is born (as Tomislav Mescheryakov) in Harbin, China (then Manchukuo). His parents were Russian emigrants who fled during the 1917 revolution. The family then moved to America after World War II.

1940

Darel Carrier is born in Warren County, Kentucky.

1953

Joe Meriweather is born in Phenix City, Alabama.

1956

Slater Martin is traded from the Minneapolis Lakers to the Knicks in exchange for Walter Dukes. The seven-time All-Star Martin would play just 13 games for New York before getting dealt again, this time to the St. Louis Hawks in exchange for Willie Naulls.

1957

The United States defeats the Soviet Union 51-48 in the gold medal match of the FIBA World Championship for Women in Rio de Janiero. Czechoslovakia defeats the host Brazilians in the bronze medal game. The U.S. team featured future Naismith Hall of Fame inductees Joan Crawford and Nera White.

1963

In a ceremony at Boston Garden, Bob Cousy and Ed Macauley become the first NBA players ever to have their jerseys retired, #14 and #22 respectively by the Celtics.

1966

John Williams is born in Los Angeles, California. He was named Mr. Basketball California in 1984 while playing for Crenshaw High School.

1975

The United States caps a dominant run at the Pan American Games in Mexico City with a 113-55 victory over the Bahamas to clinch the gold medal. Following a disappointing preliminary round exit in the previous Pan Ams, the U.S. won all nine of its games in this tournament, by an average margin of 37.1 points. Otis Birdsong was the Americans’ leading scorer, on a roster also featuring Robert Parish and Ernie Grunfeld. Puerto Rico earns the silver medal and Brazil comes away with the bronze.

1980

Nick Collison is born in Orange City, Iowa.

1985

Andrea Bargnani is born in Rome, Italy.

Monta Ellis is born in Jackson, Mississippi.

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