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1975

Naismith Player of the Year winner Joe Smith is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1976

The United States defeats Canada 95-77 in the men’s semifinals at the Olympics in Montreal. Scott May leads the Americans with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Tom LaGarde adds 16 points. In the other semifinal, Dragan Kicanovic (27 points) and Kresimir Cosic (20 points) lead Yugoslavia to an 89-84 upset over defending gold medalists the Soviet Union.

The inaugural women’s basketball Olympics tournament wraps up in Montreal, with the United States defeating Czechoslovakia 83-67 in round robin play to finish with a 3-2 record and earn a silver medal. Lusia Harris leads the U.S. with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Nancy Dunkle adds 14 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union, which had already clinched the gold medal, finishes the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record with a 98-75 win over Japan, behind 20 points and 18 rebounds from Uljana Semjonova. Bulgaria defeats the host Canadians 85-62 to clinch the bronze medal.

1980

The Soviet Union men’s team is stunned by Italy 87-85 in the semifinals round at the Olympics in Moscow. Renato Villalta leads the Italians with 21 points while Sergey Belov finishes with 20 points for the Soviets. At the conclusion of the semifinals round, this upset ends up being the difference in Italy playing in the gold medal match while the U.S.S.R. had to settle for a bronze medal game appearance.

1983

Delonte West is born in Washington, D.C. While starring at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in nearby Greenbelt, Maryland, he was named Basketball Player of the Year for the D.C. metro area.

1984

George Karl gets his first NBA head coaching job when he’s named as coach of the Cavaliers. The position lasts just two seasons but kicks off a lengthy career that includes over 1,100 wins.

1996

Scottie Pippen explodes for 24 points, while Penny Hardaway adds 15 points and 10 assists, as the United States men’s team defeats China 133-70 to improve to 4-0 in the group stage of the Olympics in Atlanta. The Chinese team features a 19-year-old Wang Zhizhi, who would eventually become the first Chinese player to reach the NBA.

2001

Walker Kessler is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He led Woodward Academy to the Georgia state title in 2020 and was named Georgia Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American.

2021

Luka Doncic makes a statement in his Olympics debut, finishing with 48 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to lead Slovenia to a 118-100 victory over Argentina in a group stage match in Tokyo.

2024

LeBron James is one of two flag bearers (along with tennis star Coco Gauff) for the United States Olympic contingent at the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Games. Other notable flag bearers in the procession are Giannis Antetokounpo for Greece, Dennis Schroder for Germany, and Emma Meesseman for Belgium. The ceremony also includes Tony Parker as one of the final torch bearers before the Olympic cauldron is lit.

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