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1922

Nat Clifton is born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He received the nickname “Sweetwater” in childhood due to his love of soft drinks.

1957

Reggie Theus is born in Inglewood, California. Inglewood High School retired his #24 jersey in 2014.

1961

Mavericks legend Derek Harper is born in Elberton, Georgia.

Glenn “Doc” Rivers is born in Chicago, Illinois. He was named Mr. Basketball USA and a McDonald’s All-American in 1980 while starring for Proviso East High School.

1963

It’s a fourth consecutive EuroBasket title for the Soviet Union, which defeats host Poland 61-45 in the Final in Wroclaw. Yugoslavia beats Hungary in the bronze medal game. Despite his Spanish team finishing in seventh place, Emiliano Rodriguez is named MVP of the tournament.

1967

Tom Meschery has his jersey #14 retired by the Warriors. The ceremony happens before a game against Meschery’s new team, the SuperSonics, who selected him in their expansion draft in the prior offseason.

1968

The group stage gets underway in the men’s Olympics tournament in Mexico City. The U.S. team comes in looking vulnerable due to numerous star players (including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elvin Hayes) declining to participate but easily defeats Spain 81-46 in their opening game. Spencer Haywood, who becomes the youngest Olympic basketball player in American history at 19 years old, is the leading scorer with 12 points.

1977

Paul Pierce is born in Oakland, California. His family soon after relocated to the Los Angeles area, where he grew up as a Lakers fan.

1978

Three-time WNBA All-Star Marie Ferdinand-Harris is born in Miami, Florida.

Jermaine O’Neal is born in Columbia, South Carolina. He was named South Carolina Mr. Basketball in 1996 while starring for Eau Claire High School of the Arts.

John Havlicek has his jersey #17 retired by the Celtics. The ceremony happens ahead of the team’s ’78-’79 season opener, a 115-101 loss to the Cavaliers in their first game in 16 years without Havlicek on the roster,.

1988

Norris Cole is born in Dayton, Ohio. He led Dunbar High School to back-to-back Ohio state titles in 2006 and 2007 before matriculating at nearby Cleveland State.

1994

Yuta Watanabe is born in Yokohama, Japan. After playing at the high school and collegiate levels (at George Washington University) in the U.S., he made his NBA debut in 2004, becoming just the second Japanese player in league history.

2001

Cam Thomas is born in Yokosuka, Japan, where his mother was stationed during her time with the U.S. Army.

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