A dedication to basketball history, catalogued and ranked for posterity, then presented in convenient list form

On this date in basketball history: July 9

A disgruntled Wilt is traded to the Lakers; Lenny Wilkens is hired by the Cavs; LeBron leaves Cleveland again; Kawhi Leonard joins the Clippers

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1968

Wilt Chamberlain is shipped from the 76ers to the Lakers in exchange for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, and Darrall Imhoff. Disgruntled over the team’s refusal to name him player-coach, Chamberlain had requested the trade earlier in the summer. The superstar center would end up finishing his career in Los Angeles, a stint that included a Finals MVP award in 1972.


1922

Jim Pollard is born in Oakland, California. Before joining the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA, he was the 1947 AAU MVP for the Oakland Bitters.

1945

NBA champion Mike Riordan is born in New York, New York.

1947

The Detroit Falcons fold, becoming the second of four BAA teams to shutter after just one season in the league. The NBA would not return to Detroit until 1957, when the Pistons re-located from Fort Wayne.

1957

Jim Paxson is born in Kettering, Ohio. He followed in the footsteps of his father Jim, Sr. by playing college ball at the nearby University of Dayton.

1986

Lenny Wilkens is hired as head coach of the Cavaliers, replacing interim coach Gene Littles. Over seven seasons in Cleveland, Wilkens leads the team to five playoff appearances, and a then franchise record 57 wins in ’88-’89.

2005

Sheryl Swoopes is named MVP as the Western Conference defeats the East 122-99 at the WNBA All-Star Game in Connecticut. Diana Taurasi makes her All-Star debut as a starter for the West.

2010

David Lee is traded from the Knicks to the Warriors in exchange for Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf, and two second round picks.

2018

LeBron James signs as a free agent with the Lakers, leaving the Cavaliers after a second stint that lasted four seasons and included four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and one championship.

2019

Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard signs as a free agent with the Clippers, leaving the Raptors after just one season. He subsequently became the first player in NBA history to win Finals MVP and then play for a different team the next season.

2020

The controversial NBA “Bubble” officially gets started on the campus of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as the 22 participating teams begin training camp to prepare for the re-start of the ’19-’20 season.