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1934

Celtics legend Tom Heinsohn is born in Jersey City, New Jersey.

1959

Stan Van Gundy is born in Indio, California. He was a star on the Alhambra High School team and then moved cross country to New York to play Division III college basketball under his father Bill at SUNY-Brockport.

1960

The group stage of the men’s tournament kicks off at the Olympics in Rome, with the United States defeating Italy 88-54 behind 17 points from Adrian Smith and 16 points from Oscar Robertson. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia makes its Olympics basketball debut with a 67-62 victory over Bulgaria. The Yugoslavian team (which now competes as Serbia) ultimately finished in sixth place in the tournament but has since won five Olympic medals, the third most all-time behind only the U.S. and Soviet Union.

1969

Billy Cunningham signs a contract with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA with the intention to join the team when his 76ers contract expires in 1971. When Cunningham instead re-signs with the Sixers two years later, the Cougars successfully sue him, forcing him to play in Carolina for two seasons.

1977

Morris Peterson is born in Flint, Michigan. In 2018, he opened a sports bar in his hometown called Mo Pete’s Bar & Grill.

1989

James Harden is born in Los Angeles, California. He led Artesia High School in nearby Lakewood to back-to-back California state titles in 2006 and 2007.

1999

NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner Naz Reid is born in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

2000

The Houston Comets clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive WNBA title by defeating the New York Liberty 79-73 in game two of the WNBA Finals to finish a sweep. Cynthia Cooper, who had announced her impending retirement during the season, is named Finals MVP for the fourth straight time.

2001

Host nation Argentina, led by tournament MVP Manu Ginobili, wins its first ever FIBA AmeriCup title, defeating Brazil 78-59 in the final in Neuquén. Canada defeats Brazil 102-95 in the bronze medal game. As the United States had already secured a spot in the 2002 FIBA World Cup by virtue of being the hosts, USA Basketball opted to send a roster of junior college players, who lost all four games they played to get eliminated in the preliminary round.

2003

Jaylen Wells is born in Sacramento, California.

2004

Stephon Marbury sets the U.S. men’s Olympic single game scoring record with 31 points in a 102-94 quarterfinals victory over Spain in Athens. The record had previously been held by Charles Barkley since 1992 and would later be broken by Carmelo Anthony in 2012. Pau Gasol is the leading scorer for Spain with 29 points. In the other quarterfinals, Lithuania defeats China 95-75, Italy defeats Puerto Rico 83-70, and Argentina defeats Greece 69-64.

2006

In the Round of 16 at the FIBA World Championship, two-time defending champions (as Yugoslavia) Serbia and Montenegro are eliminated by Spain, who gets 19 points from Pau Gasol in an 87-75 victory. In other action, Carmelo Anthony leads the United States with 20 points in a 113-73 win over Andrew Bogut and Australia.

2011

Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton is charged with murder in a shooting death reportedly related to his involvement with the Crips gang in Los Angeles. Crittenton, who played three seasons with the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Wizards before ending his career with a firearms incident in the Wizards locker room, was eventually sentenced to 23 years in jail and served 10 of them before getting released in 2023.

2012

The inaugural FIBA 3×3 World Cup concludes in Athens. The Serbia men’s team wins gold with France earning silver and Ukraine the bronze. The U.S. women, led by Skylar Diggins and Chiney Ogwumike, earn the gold medal, defeating France in the final game. The U.S. men’s team had been eliminated by Serbia in the quarterfinals round.

2023

The United States opens play at the FIBA World Cup with a 99-72 victory over New Zealand in Pasay, Philippines. Paolo Banchero finishes with 21 points while Anthony Edwards has 14 points and seven rebounds. The U.S. ultimately wins all three of its opening round games by double digits, subsequently defeating Greece and Jordan.

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