1993
Michael Jordan holds a press conference to officially announce his retirement from the NBA. News of his retirement had broken the night before, when, appropriately enough, Jordan was at Comiskey Park to throw out the first pitch at a White Sox playoff game. He briefly pursues a pro baseball career before returning to the Bulls in March of 1995.
1964
Ricky Berry is born in Lansing, Michigan while his father Bill was a star player on the Michigan State team.
1973
Rebecca Lobo is born in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family relocated to Massachusetts where she was a high school star but Lobo returned to her birth state in college, playing at the University of Connecticut.
Yugoslavia defeats Spain 78-67 in the EuroBasket Final in Barcelona. The host Spaniards had previously pulled off a semifinals stunner over the eight-time defending champion Soviet Union, who settles for third place. It’s Yugoslavia’s first ever EuroBasket title and the first ever medal for Spain, whose Wayne Brabender is named tournament MVP.
1978
The United States is upset 81-80 by Italy in the second round of the FIBA World Championship. It winds up being the first of four defeats in the tournament for the U.S. team, the most ever for an American squad in FIBA Worlds competition.
1985
Sylvia Fowles is born in Miami, Florida. She led Edison High School to two Florida state titles.
1990
Quincy Acy is born in Tyler, Texas.
1998
Due to the ongoing lockout, the NBA announces that the preseason for ’98-’99 has been cancelled. It took an additional three months for the lockout to be lifted, with the regular season ultimately getting reduced from 82 games to 50.
2002
Jonathan Kuminga is born in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He represented the DR Congo national team during qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, alongside his brother Joel Ntambwe.
2004
LeBron “Bronny” James, Jr. is born in Akron, Ohio. His father LeBron was 19 years old at the time and the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year.
2020
The Seattle Storm defeat the Las Vegas Aces 92-59 in game three of the WNBA Finals, completing a sweep. Breanna Stewart leads the Storm with 26 points and is named Finals MVP. The game is played in front of a mostly empty arena on the campus of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where the 2020 season took place under strict COVID-19 protocols. The Storm become the third WNBA franchise, along with the Minnesota Lynx and (now defunct) Houston Comets to win four titles, while the Aces notably made their Finals debut.