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1942

Jim Calhoun is born in Braintree, Massachusetts. In addition to starring on the basketball team at Braintree High School, he also lettered in football and baseball.

1948

The Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals (now Sacramento Kings), Fort Wayne Pistons, and Indianapolis Jets officially join the BAA from the NBL, effective with the upcoming ’48-’49 season.

Dolph Schayes (NYU) is selected #4 overall by the Knicks in the BAA Draft but opts to instead sign a contract with the NBL franchise the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. The Blackhawks soon after trade Schayes to the Syracuse Nationals, and he joins the NBA with the team in the 1949 merger.

1959

Danny Schayes is born in Syracuse, New York while his father Dolph is playing for the Syracuse Nationals.

1965

Rony Seikaly is born in Beirut, Lebanon. A dual citizen, he represented the U.S. and Lebanon national teams in international competition.

1970

The sixth FIBA World Championships kick off in Yugoslavia. It’s the first FIBA Worlds to be hosted outside of South America and the host Yugoslavians get a bye to the second round. In opening round play, the United States starts off with a 74-53 victory over Cuba, while the Soviet Union defeats Uruguay 71-53.

1973

Jerome Williams is born in Washington, D.C. After graduating from Magruder High School in nearby Rockville, he received no NCAA scholarship offers and subsequently played for two years at the junior college Montgomery.

Earl Monroe scores 23 points to lead the Knicks to a 102-93 victory over the Lakers in game five of the NBA Finals, clinching the second title in franchise history. Willis Reed is named Finals MVP. In the final NBA game of his career, Wilt Chamberlain finishes with 23 points and 21 rebounds for the Lakers.

1974

A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skyhook in the final seconds of double overtime caps one of the greatest games in NBA Finals history, a 102-101 Bucks victory over the Celtics that evens the series at 3-3.

The New York Nets win their first and only ABA title with a 111-100 victory over the Utah Stars in game five of the ABA Finals. Julius Erving, who was acquired before the season via trade with the Virginia Squires, is named Playoffs MVP, becoming just one of just two players, along with Connie Hawkins, to earn ABA MVP and ABA Playoffs MVP in the same season.

1976

Nykesha Sales is born in Bloomfield, Connecticut. She was named High School Player of the Year by USA Today while starring at Bloomfield High School.

1981

Samuel Dalembert is born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His family relocated to Montreal when he was a teenager and he played for the Canadian national team after gaining citizenship in 2007.

1985

Despite an incredible performance from Isiah Thomas (37 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists) and an off shooting night from Larry Bird (7-of-22 from the field), the Celtics defeat the Pistons 123-113 in game six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to clinch the series. Robert Parish is the hero for Boston, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

1987

Wilson Chandler is born in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He was named Michigan Mr. Basketball in 2005 while starring for Benton Harbor High School.

1989

Three-time WNBA All-Star Danielle Robinson is born in San Jose, California.

1996

Tyus Jones is born in Burnsville, Minnesota. His father and mother were both high school basketball stars and he was named after the UCLA point guard Tyus Edney.

2000

Shaquille O’Neal is honored as NBA league MVP for the first, and ultimately only time in his career. Kevin Garnett finishes a distant second place in voting. O’Neal is presented the trophy at halftime of game two of the Lakers’ Western Conference Semifinals series against the Suns, who almost pull off a subsequent upset with a late rally. But a 21-year-old Kobe Bryant is the hero for Los Angeles, hitting the game-winning jumper with 3.1 seconds left in a 97-96 victory.

2001

In the first and only EuroLeague Finals played in a best-of-five format, Manu Ginobili is named Finals MVP when he leads Kinder Bologna to an 82-74 victory over TAU Ceramica in the winner-take-all game five.

2002

In the lowest scoring NBA postseason game in the shot clock era, the Celtics defeat the Pistons 66-64 in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The teams shoot a combined 34.7% from the field and just 10.3% (4-of-39) from three-point range.

2012

Aided by an unfortunate injury to Derrick Rose, the 76ers become just the fifth #8 seed in NBA history to win their first round playoff series, closing out the #1 seed Bulls with a 79-78 victory in game six.

2016

Stephen Curry of the Warriors is named league MVP for the ’15-’16 season and is the first ever unanimous winner, with all 131 first place votes. Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs finishes second in voting.

2019

Despite Kevin Durant missing the game with a strained calf, the Warriors manage to finish their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Rockets with a 118-113 victory in game six. Stephen Curry leads Golden State with 33 points while Chris Paul finishes with 27 points and 11 rebounds in his final game in a Rockets uniform (he’s traded to the Thunder in the subsequent offseason).

2021

Russell Westbrook surpasses Oscar Robertson as the NBA’s all-time leader with his 182nd triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 21 assists, and 13 rebounds in a Wizards loss to the Hawks.

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