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1941

Marv Albert is born in New York City, New York. Before becoming a broadcaster, he was a ball boy for the Knicks.

1958

Rory Sparrow is born in Suffolk, Virginia. His first love was baseball but he transitioned to basketball full time in high school

1974

NCAA All-American Kerry Kittles is born in Dayton, Ohio.

1976

Antawn Jamison is born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His name was supposed to be “Antwan” but the hospital made a typo and his parents opted to keep the new spelling.

1979

Earl Watson is born in Kansas City, Kansas. After retiring as a player, he founded the Earl Watson Early Childhood Center in his hometown, a preschool for at-risk youth.

1984

Larry Bird and the Celtics win game seven of the NBA Finals over Magic Johnson and the Lakers 111-102. The Lakers almost pull off a 14-point comeback at the Boston Garden (where the floor temperature topped 90 degrees) but fall short. Bird finishes with 20 points and 12 rebounds and is named Finals MVP.

1990

Jrue Holiday is born in Los Angeles, California. Both his father Shawn and mother Tonya played basketball at Arizona State.

1991

The Bulls defeat the Lakers 108-101 in game five of the NBA Finals, clinching the first of six titles for Michael Jordan, who is named Finals MVP. In the last NBA Finals appearance of his storied career, Magic Johnson finishes with 16 points, 20 assists, and 11 rebounds.

1992

Michael Jordan scores 46 points as the Bulls defeat the Trail Blazers 119-106 in game five of the NBA Finals to take a 3-2 series lead. This was the Trail Blazers’ final home game at the Memorial Coliseum, as they moved into the new Rose Garden Arena for the ’92-’93 season.

2002

The Lakers defeat the Nets 113-107 in game four of the NBA Finals to complete a sweep and earn their third consecutive title, with Shaquille O’Neal being named Finals MVP for the third time. The contest also serves as the final radio broadcast for the legendary Chick Hearn, who retires afterwards due to health issues.

2008

The Celtics pull off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, erasing a 24-point deficit to defeat the Lakers 97-91 in game four of the NBA Finals, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

2017

The Warriors close out a dominant season with a 129-120 victory over the Cavaliers in game five of the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant scores 39 points and is named Finals MVP in his first season in Golden State.

2023

The Denver Nuggets clinch their first championship in franchise history with a 94-89 victory over the Heat in game five of the NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic finishes with 28 points and 16 rebounds and is named Finals MVP.

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