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1930

Dick Groat is born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. In addition to basketball and baseball, he also played on the varsity volleyball team at Swissvale High School.

1948

George Mikan scores 19 points in his NBA debut, an 84-72 Minneapolis Lakers victory over the Baltimore Bullets. Mikan and the Lakers had previously played in the NBL.

1961

Wilt Chamberlain scores 58 points in a Philadelphia Warriors win over the Pistons. This begins a streak of 65 games in which Chamberlain scores 30 or more points, which is by far the all-time NBA record.

1975

Clinton “Mikki” Moore is born in Gaffney, South Carolina. His jersey #32 was retired in 2025 by his alma mater, Blacksburg High School.

Lorenzen Wright is born in Oxford, Mississippi. His father Herb played basketball at Memphis University and professionally in Finland.

1977

Billy Cunningham is hired as head coach of the 76ers, replacing Gene Shue, who was fired six games into the ’77-’78 season despite leading the team to the NBA Finals just a few months prior. Cunningham, who helped the 76ers win a title as a player in 1967, would eventually lead them to another one as a coach in 1983.

1986

The highly influential video game “Double Dribble” is released in arcades in the United States. Its impact would increase exponentially less than a year later, when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System.

1987

Maurice Lucas has his jersey #20 retired by the Trail Blazers. Acquired via the ABA dispersal draft in 1976, Lucas spent five seasons with Portland, making three All-Star teams and helping lead the team to a championship in 1977.

1988

Brazilian Rolando Ferreira becomes the first player born in South America to play in the NBA, finishing with one point and two rebounds in a Trail Blazers win over the Suns.

1989

The expansion Orlando Magic play their first NBA regular season game, a 111-106 home loss to the New Jersey Nets. Terry Catledge is Orlando’s leading scorer with 25 points.

Following two years of military service, David Robinson finishes with 23 points and 17 rebounds in his much anticipated NBA debut, as the Spurs defeat the Lakers 106-98.

2000

Tyrese Maxey is born in Dallas, Texas. He was named Texas Mr. Basketball in 2019 while starring for South Garland High School.

Malik Sealy has his jersey #2 posthumously retired by the Timberwolves. Sealy spent two seasons with Minnesota before passing away at age 30 in a car accident.

2016

Stephen Curry shoots 0-for-10 from three-point range in a Warriors loss to the Lakers, ending his record streak at 157 consecutive games with a three-point field goal. He would later shatter his own record with a new streak starting in 2018.

Chris Paul becomes the all-time leader in assists in Clippers franchise history, recording his 3,499th during a 99-88 victory over the Grizzlies. The record had previously been held by Randy Smith.

On this date: full archive

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