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1947

Three-time NBA All-Star Norm Van Lier is born in East Liverpool, Ohio.

1962

Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Warriors features a memorable on-court fight between Wilt Chamberlain and Sam Jones, who brandishes a stool from the sidelines in self defense. Boston wins the game 119-104 to take a 3-2 series lead.

1964

Two-time NBA All-Star Kevin Duckworth is born in Harvey, Illinois.

1965

Mark Jackson is born in Brooklyn, New York. He starred at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and at St. John’s.

1966

Led by Bill Bradley, who moonlighted for the team while studying at Oxford University, Italian club Olimpia Milano defeats the Czechoslovakian team USK Praha 77-72 in the championship game of the ’65-’66 EuroLeague season.

1968

Dave Bing sets the Pistons franchise playoff record with 44 points in game six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals but it’s in a losing effort, as the Celtics, led by a John Havlicek triple-double, win the game 111-103 to close out the series.

1973

John Havlicek sets the Celtics single game playoff scoring record, with 54 points in a 134-109 victory over the Hawks in game one of their Conference Semifinals series. It broke the record of 51 previously set by Sam Jones in 1967.

1976

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is named NBA league MVP for the fourth time, in a narrow voting result over second place Bob McAdoo and third place Dave Cowens. Abdul-Jabbar joins Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain as the third player to earn four league MVP trophies.

1977

Tangela Smith is born in Chicago, Illinois. She was named an All-American while starring for George Washington High School.

1978

NCAA All-American Dedrick Etan Thomas is born in Harlem, New York.

1981

Antonis Fotsis is born in Athens, Greece. In 2001, he became the first Greek player in NBA history when he made his debut with the Grizzlies.

1984

USC wins its second consecutive NCAA women’s tournament by defeating Tennessee 72-61 in the National Final. The Trojans win it on the home court of their biggest rival, Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. Cheryl Miller is named Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.

1985

Nike releases the Air Jordan I, selling them at the original retail price of $65.

#8 seed Villanova caps off one of the most stunning Cinderella runs in NCAA Tournament history by shocking top overall seed Georgetown 66-64 in a National Final nicknamed “The Perfect Game,” as the Wildcats shoot a record 78.6% from the field. Ed Pinckney is named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

1988

Brook and Robin Lopez are born in Los Angeles, California. Their maternal grandfather Bob Ledford played professionally in the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL) in the ’50s, then was a longtime high school and college coach.

1990

Led by reigning Naismith Award winner Jennifer Azzi, Stanford wins its first NCAA women’s tournament title, defeating Auburn 88-81 in the National Final in Knoxville, Tennessee. Azzi is named Most Outstanding Player. It was Auburn’s third consecutive National Final loss and the Tigers have not returned to the Final Four since.

1991

Duke defeats Kansas 72-65 in the National Final of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. It’s the first of five championships for the Blue Devils under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Christian Laettner finishes with 18 points and 10 rebounds and is named Most Outstanding Player.

1994

Shams Charania is born in Chicago, Illinois. His journalism career began as a teenager, writing about the Bulls on the ChicagoNow blog.

1995

Joel Berry II is born in Orlando, Florida. He led Lake Highland Preparatory School to back-to-back Florida state titles in 2013 and 2014, and was named Florida Mr. Basketball each season.

1996

Kentucky defeats Syracuse 76-67 in the NCAA Tournament National Final, finishing off one of the most dominant seasons in modern men’s college basketball history. The ’95-’96 Wildcats were nicknamed “The Untouchables” and featured nine future NBA players, highlighted by Antoine Walker and tournament Most Outstanding Player Tony Delk. Another notable player in this game: Syracuse’s Donovan McNabb, a walk-on for the basketball team who would be selected #2 overall in the NFL Draft just a couple weeks later.

1998

Mitchell Robinson is born in Pensacola, Florida. He did not play organized basketball until the eighth grade, when he had a growth spurt from 6’2″ to 7’0″.

2001

Notre Dame wins its first ever NCAA women’s tournament title, defeating Purdue 68-66 in the National Final in St. Louis. Ruth Riley hits the game winning free throws in the final seconds and is named Most Outstanding Player.

2002

Maryland wins its first men’s NCAA Tournament championship by defeating Indiana 64-52 in the National Final in Atlanta. Juan Dixon is named Most Outstanding Player.

2011

Dennis Rodman has his jersey #10 retired by the Pistons during a halftime ceremony. Several of his “Bad Boys” teammates were in attendance, including Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and John Salley.

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