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1958

Clyde Lovellette is traded from the Cincinnati Royals to the St. Louis Hawks in exchange for Gerry Calvert, Wayne Embry, Darrell Floyd, Jim Palmer, and Ken Sidle.

1962

Patrick Ewing is born in Kingston, Jamaica, one day before the country declared independence from England. At age 13, Ewing moved with his family to the United States, settling in the Boston area.

Otis Thorpe is born in Boynton Beach, Florida. At Lake Worth High School in Palm Beach County, he was rivals with fellow future NBA All-Star Derek Harper.

1973

The NCAA hands down a “death penalty” to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (then called Southwestern Louisiana) men’s basketball program after uncovering dozens of recruiting violations, including falsified high school transcripts. The program was allowed to reconstitute in the ’75-’76 season.

1984

The United States women’s team finishes preliminary round play at the Los Angeles Olympics with a perfect 5-0 record by defeating Canada 92-61. Anne Donovan leads the U.S. with 14 points, while Cheryl Miller adds 12 points and seven rebounds.

1992

The United States women’s team is stunned by the Unified Team (formerly the Soviet Union) in the Olympics semifinals in Barcelona, 79-73. Nataliya Zasulskaya leads the Unified Team with 20 points and eight rebounds, while the U.S. is hampered by poor shooting, going 35.8% from the field and just 25% (4-of-20) from three-point range. As of 2024, this is the last loss in Olympics play for the U.S. women’s team. In the other semifinal, China defeats Cuba 109-70.

2001

Anthony Edwards is born in Atlanta, Georgia. His “Ant Man” nickname came from his father when Anthony was only three years old.

2002

Legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn passes away at age 83.

2004

Heading into a month-long break for the Olympics, the WNBA stages “The Game at Radio City,” an exhibition match at Radio City Music Hall in New York between the U.S. national team and a team of WNBA All-Stars. The U.S. Olympic team wins 74-58.

2007

Iran wins its first ever FIBA Asia Cup, defeating Lebanon 74-69 in the final in Tokushima, Japan. Hamed Haddadi finishes with 31 points and 10 rebounds and is named tournament MVP. South Korea defeats Kazakhstan 80-76 for the bronze medal. Four-time defending champions China finish in 10th place but did not send Yao Ming and their other best players, who were instead prepping for the upcoming Olympics in Beijing.

2021

The United States men’s team defeats Australia 97-78 in the Olympics semifinals in Tokyo. Kevin Durant leads the Americans with 23 points and nine rebounds. The other semifinal is one of the most thrilling games in Olympics history, with France eking out a 90-89 victory over Slovenia thanks to a game-tying block at the buzzer by Nicolas Batum. Luka Doncic finishes with 16 points, 18 assists, and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.

2024

The 3×3 tournaments conclude at the Paris Olympics with semifinal and finals action. On the women’s side, Germany are the gold medalists, defeating 17-16 in the final. The defending gold medalists from the U.S. settle for bronze, defeating Canada 16-13 in the bronze medal game. The United States were defeated the semifinals by Spain in a controversial ending, with Spain clinching the game on a Sandra Ygueravide free throw after a questionable foul call. For the men, Netherlands wins the title 18-17 in an overtime thriller over France, while Lithuania defeats Latvia 18-16 in the bronze medal game. Netherlands’ Worthy de Jong is named MVP of the men’s tournament while Germany’s Sonja Greinacher is honored as such on the women’s side.

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