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1927

Paul Walther is born in Covington, Kentucky.

1948

Led by its “Fabulous Five” starting lineup, Kentucky wins its first ever men’s championship by defeating Baylor 58-42 in the NCAA Tournament National Final. Alex Groza is named Most Outstanding Player.

1953

Rich Kelley is born in San Mateo, California.

The Minneapolis Lakers defeat the Indianapolis Olympians 81-79 in game two of the Western Conference Semifinals, finishing off the series in a sweep. This would prove to be the final game in Olympians history, as the franchise folded in the ensuing offseason.

1954

Geno Auriemma is born in Montella, Italy.

1955

Moses Malone is born in Petersburg, Virginia.

1958

In game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, Bill Russell becomes the first player to record 40 rebounds in a playoff game as the Celtics defeat the Warriors 106-92. Russell would match that total two more times in his career, followed by Wilt Chamberlain breaking the record with 41 rebounds in 1967.

1963

Loyola-Chicago becomes the first team to win an NCAA title with four Black players in the starting lineup, as they defeat Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime in a thrilling National Final, that ends with a buzzer beating tip-in by Vic Rouse.

1972

Following a failed attempt at a merger, the ABA files a lawsuit against the NBA under the anti-trust law.

1973

Jason Kidd is born in San Francisco, California.

1974

One of biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history is also one of the all-time most exciting games, with NC State stunning seven-time defending champion UCLA 80-77 in double overtime in the National Semifinals. Playing in front of a partisan crowd in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Wolfpack came back from a five-point deficit late in regulation and a seven-point deficit in the second overtime. It was the only tournament loss in John Wooden’s coaching career, breaking a streak of 34 consecutive tourney wins for the Bruins.

Fred Brown sets the SuperSonics single game franchise record with 58 points in a 139-137 victory over the Warriors. The record still holds across SuperSonics and Thunder franchise history, tied by Russell Westbrook in 2017.

1979

The 76ers and Nets re-play the final 17:50 of a game that was originally contested in November of 1978. The original game result was protested by the Nets due to officiating errors, which was upheld by commissioner Larry O’Brien, who mandated the re-play. In between the original game and the re-play, three players in the game were traded from one team to another and therefore show up on the box score for both rosters (the first and only time in NBA history this happened): Eric Money, Ralph Simpson, and Harvey Catchings.

1980

Kevin Porter sets the Wizards single game franchise record with 24 assists in a 119-114 victory over the Pistons. The mark would be tied by Russell Westbrook 31 years later.

1990

Gordon Hayward is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1992

Kyrie Irving is born in Melbourne, Australia.

2001

Bob Knight is hired as head coach at Texas Tech, just six months after he was fired from Indiana.

With a third consecutive upset, this one over #7 seed Penn State in a South Regional Semifinals game in Atlanta, Temple becomes just the third #11 seed to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls had previously upended #6 seed Texas and #3 seed Florida.

Keon Clark sets the Raptors single game franchise record with 13 blocks in a 112-86 victory over the Hawks.

2006

Karl Malone has his jersey #32 retired by the Jazz during a halftime ceremony, placing it in the rafters appropriately next to John Stockton’s #12. The franchise also unveils a bronze statue of Malone outside of the Delta Center.

2014

Kentucky upsets top seed Wichita State 78-76 in a second round NCAA Tournament game in St. Louis. Wichita State had been the first team in 23 years to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated, gaining a #1 seed in the Midwest Region with a 34-0 record.

2018

Phil Chenier has his jersey #45 retired by the Wizards. Over eight-and-a-half seasons with the Bullets, starting with their days in Baltimore, Chenier was an All-Star three times and a key part of the 1978 title team.

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