2006

In their first home game back in New Orleans since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina forced them to temporarily re-locate to Oklahoma City, the Hornets lose 113-107 to the Lakers. It’s the first major pro sports event in the city of New Orleans since August of 2005. Despite a majority of the city’s residents still being displaced, the game is a sellout, with over 17,000 fans in attendance.

1947

The tradition of college teams cutting down the net to celebrate a big win gets started by NC State coach Everett Case after his team defeats North Carolina in the Southern Conference Tournament final. Case had picked up the tradition during a previous gig coaching at the high school level in Indiana, where celebratory net cutting traces its history back to the 1920s.

1951

The United States defeats host Argentina to earn the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Buenos Aires. AAU legend Don Barksdale leads the Americans to a perfect 6-0 record, averaging 22.5 points per game. Argentina settles for the silver medal while Brazil wins bronze.

1960

Buck Williams is born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

1965

Kenny Smith is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1978

Nate Thurmond has his jersey #42 retired by the Warriors. The Warriors had originally allowed Dwight Davis to wear #42 after trading Thurmond to the Bulls in 1974 but then retired it upon Thurmond’s 1977 retirement.

1996

Jeff Van Gundy is named head coach of the Knicks, getting a promotion from assistant after the franchise fires Don Nelson mid-season. It’s Van Gundy’s first head coaching job at 34 years old, and he eventually led the Knicks for six-and-a-half seasons, which included an NBA Finals appearance in 1999.

2008

Dirk Nowitzki becomes the all-time leading scorer in Mavericks franchise history, surpassing Rolando Blackman with his 16,644th point during a victory over the Nets.

2013

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has his jersey #11 retired by the Cavaliers. The fan favorite was a two-time All-Star and retired as the franchise’s all-time leader in blocks.