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1955

Four-time NBA All-Star Micheal Ray Richardson is born in Lubbock, Texas.

1960

Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) is the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, going to the Cincinnati Royals. With the #2 pick, the Lakers land Jerry West (West Virginia). Two more future Hall of Fame players are selected in the first round: Lenny Wilkens (Providence) to the St. Louis Hawks at #6 and Satch Sanders (NYU) to the Celtics at #8.

1961

Behind 30 points and 38 rebounds from Bill Russell, the Celtics defeat the St. Louis Hawks 121-112 in game five of the NBA Finals, clinching their fourth title of the Russell era. It’s also Boston’s final championship with Bill Sharman, who steps away after the season to become a player-coach in the ABL. Meanwhile, the Hawks have not returned to the NBA Finals since, with Conference Finals losses in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 2015, and 2021.

1969

Janeth Arcain is born in Carapicuiba, Brazil. Upon joining the WNBA in 1997, she became the first female Brazilian athlete to play professionally in any sport in America.

1980

Gene Keady is hired as head coach of the Purdue men’s team, replacing Lee Rose. Over the next 25 years, Keady leads Purdue to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Big 10 conference titles.

1986

Ramon Sessions is born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He led Myrtle Beach High School to the 2002 South Carolina state title and was named state Player of the Year three times.

1996

Dominique Wilkins is named EuroLeague Final Four MVP after leading the Greek squad Panathinaikos to a victory in the championship game over FC Barcelona, 67-66.

1999

Buck Williams has his #52 jersey retired by the New Jersey Nets during a pre-game ceremony. Williams was a three-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year for the Nets.

2000

During a 98-92 Spurs victory over the Kings, Tim Duncan suffers a knee injury that necessitates surgery and keeps him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Without their superstar power forward, the defending champion Spurs were subsequently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

2003

The Heat retire jersey #23 in recognition of Michael Jordan. Jordan never played for Miami but team president Pat Riley opted to honor him anyway for his overall contributions to the league and sport.

2007

Adrian Dantley has his jersey #4 retired by the Jazz. Over seven seasons with Utah, Dantley was an All-Star six times, a scoring champion twice, and the franchise’s all-time scoring leader at the time of his retirement in 1991.

2018

Markelle Fultz becomes the first player in NBA history to log a triple-double before turning 20, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 130-95 76ers win over the Bucks. Prior to Fultz, the youngest player with an NBA triple-double was Lonzo Ball, who did so earlier in the ’17-’18 season at 20 years and 15 days old. Fultz’s record would then be broken three years later by Ball’s younger brother, LaMelo.

2022

Rhyne Howard (Kentucky) is the #1 overall pick of the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Draft. Howard went on to make an All-Star appearance in her first season and was named Rookie of the Year.

2023

In the Western Conference play-in game, the Lakers defeat the Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime. With the Warriors, Kings, and Clippers having already secured playoff berths, it marks the first time in NBA history that all four California-based teams participate in the postseason.

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