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1946

Cavaliers legend Robert “Bingo” Smith is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1958

George Mikan becomes just the second player in NBA history (after Joe Fulks) to score 50 or more points in a game, finishing with 53 in a 115-114 Minneapolis Lakers victory over the Baltimore Bullets in double overtime.

1959

Rolando Blackman is born in Panama City, Panama. In 1981, he became the first Panamanian player in NBA history.

1975

Sidney Wicks sets the Trail Blazers single game franchise record with 27 rebounds in a 117-116 victory over the Lakers. Wicks’ record would stand for over 46 years before getting broken by Enes Freedom.

1977

Tim Thomas is born in Paterson, New Jersey. While starring for Paterson Catholic High School, he was considered the #2 recruit in the country in 1996 behind Kobe Bryant.

1980

Steve Blake is born in Hollywood, Florida. He was teammates with Udonis Haslem at Miami High School.

1987

John MacLeod is fired as head coach of the Suns and replaced on an interim basis by former player Dick Van Arsdale. At the time of his dismissal, MacLeod was the third-longest tenured coach in NBA history, at 14 years, a stretch in which he led the Suns to nine playoff appearances and an NBA Finals in 1976.

2007

Spencer Haywood has his jersey #24 retired by the SuperSonics. A four-time All-Star for Seattle, Haywood was the sixth and final player to have his jersey retired by the franchise before their 2008 re-location to Oklahoma City.

2012

Kobe Bryant becomes the all-time career All-Star Game scoring leader, breaking Michael Jordan’s record during the West’s 152-149 victory over the East in Orlando. The record has since been broken by LeBron James.

2017

Richard Hamilton has his jersey #32 retired by the Pistons. A three-time All-Star in his nine seasons in Detroit, Hamilton was the leading scorer on the ’03-’04 championship team.

2021

The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream are sold by co-owners Kelly Loeffler and Mary Brock to an ownership group that includes the team’s former star Renee Montgomery. The sale was made under heavy pressure in response to Loeffler’s criticism of the league’s commitment to the “Black Lives Matter” social justice movement.

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