A dedication to basketball history, catalogued and ranked for posterity, then presented in convenient list form

On this date in basketball history: November 12

The original Baltimore Bullets join the NBA; Kevin Love grabs 31 rebounds; Jimmy Butler is traded from the Wolves to the Sixers

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1947

The Baltimore Bullets, having defected from the American Basketball League (ABL), start play as the eighth BAA franchise by losing their season opener 63-55 to the Washington Capitols. The Bullets quickly turn things around, winning their next nine games in a row, and ultimately end the season with a shocking NBA Finals upset over the Philadelphia Warriors.


1979

Corey Maggette is born in Melrose Park, Illinois. His #50 jersey was retired at Fenwick High School, where he was a McDonald’s All-American.

1988

Jantel Lavender is born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was named Ohio Ms. Basketball in 2007 while leading Central Catholic to a state title.

Russell Westbrook is born in Long Beach, California. He was lightly recruited out of Lauzinger High School but managed to catch the eye of Ben Howland, coach at Westbrook’s dream school, UCLA.

1992

Davis Bertans is born in Valmiera, Latvia. Along with his older brother, Dairis, he represented his home country at the 2023 FIBA World Championship, leading the team to a surprise fifth place finish.

Alfonso “Trey” Burke is born in Columbus, Ohio. He became close friends at a young age with Jared Sullinger and the pair teamed up to lead Northland High School to the 2009 Ohio state title.

1994

Jamal Mashburn becomes just the second player in NBA history, along with Rick Barry, to record a 50-point double-double before their 22nd birthday, by finishing with 50 points and 10 rebounds in a 124-120 Mavericks win over the Hornets. Only two more players have accomplished the feat since: LeBron James and Kevin Porter, Jr. Mashburn also breaks the Mavericks single game scoring record, held since 1985 by Mark Aguirre.

1995

Two-time WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

2002

Paolo Banchero is born in Seattle, Washington. His mother, Rhonda, is the all-time leading scorer at the University of Washington and also played four seasons in the WNBA.

2010

Kevin Love grabs 31 rebounds in a 112-103 Timberwolves win over the Knicks, breaking Al Jefferson’s single game franchise record and becoming the first NBA player to surpass 30 rebounds in a game since Charles Barkley in 1996.

2014

Kobe Bryant surpasses John Havlicek as the NBA’s all-time leader in career missed field goals, with his 13,418th missed attempt during a 107-102 Lakers loss to the Grizzlies. Bryant would eventually extend his record mark to 14,481 by the time of his 2016 retirement.

2018

Jimmy Butler is traded from the Timberwolves to the 76ers, along with Justin Patton, in exchange for Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and a second round pick. It ended a lengthy stand-off between the T-Wolves and Butler, who had asked for a trade ahead of training camp.

2019

Tony Parker has his jersey #9 retired by the Spurs. Over 17 seasons in San Antonio, Parker was an All-Star six times, an NBA champion four times, and became the franchise’s all-time leader in assists.

2024

Bill Self becomes the winningest coach in University of Kansas history, surpassing the legendary Phog Allen with his 591st win, a 77-69 victory over Michigan State.

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