---

1963

Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Cynthia Cooper is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1976

WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge is born in Iron Mountain, Michigan.

At the conclusion of his first season with the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is named NBA league MVP for ’75-’76, in a close voting over Buffalo’s Bob McAdoo and Boston’s Dave Cowens. It’s the fourth league MVP award of Abdul-Jabbar’s career, tying him at the time with Wilt Chamberlain for the second most all time.

1980

Larry Bird dominates with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists as the Celtics defeat the Rockets 138-121 in game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to finish off a sweep. It’s the first of an eventual 23 series wins for Bird and the Celtics during the ’80s.

1983

Nikoloz Tskitishvili is born in Tblisi, Georgia (then the Soviet Union). He was the first Georgian native to be drafted in the NBA lottery, going #5 overall to the Nuggets in 2002.

1984

The Clippers play their final home game in San Diego, a 146-128 win over the Jazz. In the ensuing offseason, the Clippers re-locate from San Diego to Los Angeles.

1985

The Kings play their final home game in Kansas City, a 122-116 loss to the Lakers at Kemper Arena. In the ensuing offseason, the Kings re-locate from Kansas City to Sacramento.

Mark Eaton blocks three shots in a 104-102 Jazz victory over the Spurs on the last day of the season. It gives Eaton 456 blocks for the ’84-’85 season and an average of 5.6 blocks per game, which are both still NBA records.

2001

NBA All-Star Jalen Williams is born in Denver, Colorado.

The Grizzlies play their final home game in Vancouver, a 100-95 loss to the Rockets. In the ensuing offseason, the Grizzlies re-locate from Vancouver to Memphis.

2003

Roy Williams is hired as head coach at North Carolina, replacing the resigning Matt Doherty.

2004

With an 89-84 loss to the Suns on the last day of the ’03-’04 regular season, the Jazz are eliminated from playoff contention, ending a streak of 20 consecutive postseason appearances.

2008

Ramon Sessions sets the Bucks single game franchise record with 24 assists in a 135-131 loss to the Bulls. It breaks the mark previously held by Guy Rodgers for 39 years.

2010

In a ceremony honoring late owner Larry Miller, the Jazz retire jersey #9, his softball number, and dedicate the court in his name. Miller had purchased the team in 1985 and owned it up his passing away at age 64 in 2009.

2016

Eventual Rookie of the Year Breanna Stewart (Connecticut) is the #1 overall pick of the Seattle Storm in the WNBA Draft. Stewart is one of three players in this draft class who have since earned WNBA Finals MVP, joined by Jonquel Jones (George Washington) and Kahleah Copper (Rutgers).

---