
2007
The Trail Blazers use the #1 overall pick of the NBA Draft on Ohio State’s Greg Oden, allowing the SuperSonics (who one year later relocate to Oklahoma City and become the Thunder) to select Texas’ Kevin Durant at #2. Due to various knee issues, Oden winds up playing just parts of three NBA seasons before retiring. Meanwhile, Durant blossoms into a league MVP winner and four-time scoring champ over nine seasons with the Thunder.
1949
Tom Owens is born in The Bronx, New York. He was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
1961
Two-time NBA All-Star Jeff Malone is born in Mobile, Alabama.
1966
Andrew Lang is born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was named an All-American while starring for Dollarway High School.
1971
Bobby Hurley is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He played under his father Bob, Sr. at St. Anthony High School and led them to four consecutive state titles.
1983
Virginia’s Ralph Sampson is the #1 overall pick of the Rockets in the NBA Draft. Later on, the Trail Blazers get a steal, landing Clyde Drexler (Houston) at #14 overall.
1992
The U.S. “Dream Team” makes its competitive debut at the Tournament of the Americas, an Olympic qualifying event in Portland, with a 136-57 victory over Cuba.
1993
Bradley Beal is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was named “Mr. Show-Me Basketball” in 2011.
1995
A group of NBA players, spearheaded by Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan, file a lawsuit against the NBA Players Association, claiming that the organization was not keeping players properly informed of ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The fight eventually turned even uglier, ending with the players collectively voting on whether to decertify the union to provoke an owner lockout.
Kevin Garnett becomes the first post-merger player to be drafted in the NBA directly out of high school when he’s selected fifth overall by the Timberwolves.
2000
The Nets select Kenyon Martin from Cincinnati with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. It goes down as one of the weakest classes in draft history, with only Michael Redd eventually making an All-NBA team.
2005
Larry Brown is hired by general manager Isiah Thomas as head coach of the Knicks. Brown signs the reportedly largest coaching contract in NBA history for five years but lasts just one season before getting fired.
The top two picks in the NBA Draft are Andrew Bogut (Utah) to the Bucks and Marvin Williams (North Carolina) to the Hawks, followed by eventual five-time All-Star Deron Williams (Illinois) to the Jazz, and future Hall of Fame inductee Chris Paul (Wake Forest) to the Hornets.
2007
Ray Allen is traded from the SuperSonics to the Celtics, along with Glen Davis, in exchange for Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West.
2012
The Pelicans draft the much-hyped Anthony Davis (Kentucky) with the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, though it’s Weber State’s Damian Lillard (#6 overall to the Trail Blazers) who winds up earning Rookie of the Year.
2017
Chris Paul is traded from the Clippers to the Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverly, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Lou Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, a first round pick, and cash considerations.
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