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1930

UNLV coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian is born in Euclid, Ohio, where his family had settled after fleeing the Armenian genocide.

1932

Holy Cross All-American and NIT MVP Togo Palazzi is born in Union City, New Jersey. He’s considered one of the greatest prep players in Hudson County (of New Jersey) history, starring at Union Hill High School.

1964

Torgeir Bryn is born in Oslo, Norway. In 1989, he became the first Norwegian player in NBA history, when he debuted with the Clippers.

1971

Brazil defeats Puerto Rico 73-71 in the gold medal game at the Pan American Games in Coli, Colombia. It marks the first time in six Pan Am tournaments in which a team other than the U.S. wins gold. The Americans had been previously eliminated in the preliminary round. Cuba, which upset the Americans in an earlier match, defeats Mexico for the bronze medal.

1979

Two-time NBA All-Star Rashard Lewis is born in Pineville, Louisiana.

1984

Chris Mullin leads the way with 20 points as the United States men’s team defeats Canada 78-59 in the Olympics semifinals in Los Angeles. In the other semifinal, Spain stuns Yugoslavia 74-61 to advance to the gold medal game for the first time.

1988

Danilo Gallinari is born in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy. His father, Vittorio, was a teammate of Mike D’Antoni on Olimpia Milano in the ’80s.

1990

The 11th FIBA World Championship gets underway in Argentina. It’s the first edition of the tournament to allow professional players from outside the United States, which sends its usual crop of NCAA stars, led by Alonzo Mourning and Kenny Anderson, who required overtime to win their opening game over Greece, 103-95.

1991

The now iconic “Be Like Mike” Gatorade commercial first airs in U.S. television. Featuring Michael Jordan highlights interspersed with kids imitating the Bulls superstar, it was a huge hit for the player and brand.

1992

Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis lead Lithuania to a 82-78 victory over the Unified Team (a collection of former Soviet republics, including Russia) in the bronze medal game at the Barcelona Olympics. The newly independent (and formerly Soviet) Lithuanian team later took the medal stand wearing tie-dye jerseys donated by the members of the Grateful Dead.

1994

Cameron Payne is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He led Lausanne Collegiate in Memphis to the Tennessee state title in 2013 before matriculating at Murray State.

1996

A’ja Wilson is born in Columbia, South Carolina. She was named after her father’s favorite song, “Aja” by Steely Dan.

1998

In the FIBA World Championship semifinals in Athens, Russia defeats the United States 66-64. Sergei Babkov leads the Russians with 30 points but Sergey Panov is the hero, hitting the game winning basket with two seconds remaining. In the other semifinal, Dejan Bodiroga scores 31 points to lead Yugoslavia to a 78-73 victory over host Greece.

1999

Brazil defeats the United States 95-78 in the gold medal game of the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. For the second straight Pan Am tournament, the U.S. opted to send a squad of CBA players, which included Michael Hawkins, Carl Thomas, and Damon Bailey.

2000

Chauncey Billups signs as a free agent with the Pistons. In six seasons with Detroit, the former role player blossoms into a three-time All-Star and Finals MVP.

2003

Gilbert Arenas signs a massive free agency contract with the Wizards, which his current team, the Warriors cannot match. This eventually leads to new rules being implemented on restricted free agency in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement.

2012

LeBron James drops a triple-double (11 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists) to lead the United States men’s team to a 119-86 victory over Australia in the Olympics quarterfinals in London. Kobe Bryant adds 20 points for the U.S. while Patty Mills leads the Aussies with 26 points. In the other quarterfinals, Andrei Kirilenko leads Russia to an 83-74 victory over Lithuania, Luis Scola leads Argentina past Brazil, 82-77, and in a heavyweight match-up, Spain outlasts France 66-59.

2016

The United States men’s team improves to 2-0 in group stage play at the Rio Olympics with an easy 113-69 victory over Venezuela. Paul George leads all scorers with 20 points while DeAndre Jordan adds 14 points and nine rebounds.

2021

Brittney Griner drops 30 points to lead the U.S. women’s team to a 90-75 victory over Japan in the Tokyo Olympics gold medal game. The dominant American roster also features A’Ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi. The host Japanese team earn their first ever medal in women’s Olympics play.

2024

After trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half and by 11 points with under eight minutes remaining, the United States men’s team mounts a late comeback to defeat Serbia 95-91 in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics tournament. Stephen Curry finishes with 36 points and eight rebounds, while LeBron James records just the fourth triple-double in Olympics history, with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic leads Serbia with 20 points, while Nikola Jokic finishes with 17 points and 11 assists. In the other semifinal, the hosts from France defeat Germany 73-69, led by 17 points from Guerschon Yabusele.

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