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1948

Calvin Murphy is born in Norwalk, Connecticut. Following in the footsteps of his mother and sisters, he was a world-class baton twirler in his youth, winning a national title at age 14.

1949

Elmore Smith is born in Macon, Georgia. He was disinterested in basketball in his youth, only joining the high school team essentially under duress after growing to 7’0″ tall.

1970

Doug Christie is born in Seattle, Washington. He led Rainier Beach High School to the Washington state title in 1988.

1980

Spencer Haywood is suspended indefinitely by the Lakers after showing up to practice hung over in between games two and three of the NBA Finals. Haywood had played minor minutes in the first two game of the series and did earn a championship ring when the Lakers eventually defeated the 76ers in six games.

1982

Lindsay Whalen is born in Hutchinson, Minnesota. She was a hockey player in her youth but switched to basketball at Hutchinson High School, which didn’t offer a girls’ hockey program at the time.

1988

NBA champion and EuroLeague MVP Nemanja Bjelica is born in Belgrade, Serbia (then Yugoslavia).

1993

Brad Daugherty finishes with 24 points and 20 rebounds as the Cavaliers defeat the Nets 99-89 in a winner-take-all Eastern Conference Quarterfinals game five. Drazen Petrovic finishes with 11 points for New Jersey, in his final NBA appearance before passing away at age 28 in a car accident.

The #1 seed Suns stave off an upset bid from the Lakers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals with a 112-104 win in the winner-take-all game five. The Lakers held a 2-0 series lead before the Suns won three straight to advance.

2001

Allen Iverson scores 54 points in a 97-92 76ers victory over the Raptors in game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He breaks Billy Cunningham’s single game franchise postseason scoring record that had stood for 41 years.

2002

Tim Duncan of the Spurs is officially announced as MVP of the ’01-’02 NBA season, his first of two consecutive awards. Jason Kidd is a close second in voting, followed by Shaquille O’Neal in third place.

2008

Rick Carlisle is hired as head coach of the Mavericks, replacing the fired Avery Johnson. Carlisle would eventually lead Dallas for 13 seasons, which included a 2011 championship.

2010

Amar’e Stoudemire scores 29 points as the Suns finish a Western Conference Semifinals sweep of the Spurs with a 107-101 victory in game four. It breaks a streak of four straight playoff series in which San Antonio had defeated Phoenix.

2015

An improbable banked-in buzzer beater from a 37-year-old Paul Pierce gives the Wizards a 103-101 victory over the Hawks in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Washington takes a 2-1 series lead but the Hawks eventually win in six games.

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