1990

Maurice Cheeks becomes the first NBA player to reach 2,000 career steals, by nabbing four in a 106-98 Spurs victory over the Clippers. A four-time 1st-Team All-Defensive honoree, Cheeks broke Gus William’s career steal record in 1986 and eventually retired in 1993 with 2,310 steals, which is now sixth all-time.

1920

North Carolina and Duke square off in men’s basketball for the first time, with the Tar Heels defeating the Blue Devils 36-25. North Carolina would go on to win 17 of the team’s first 19 match-ups.

1957

Mark Eaton is born in Inglewood, California. He was a bench player at Westminster High School and was working a mechanic job when a college coach discovered him.

1966

Fennis Dembo is born in Mobile, Alabama. The 12th of 12 children in his family, his name was a variation on the French word “finis,” indicating that his mother was done having kids.

1978

Just a few weeks after getting waived by the Warriors, Charles Johnson signs a 10-day contract with the Bullets. He would eventually become a key component of their 1978 title run.

2010

JamesOn Curry checks in for 3.9 seconds of playing time for the Clippers in a 95-89 loss to the Celtics, logging no points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks. This would ultimately go down as the shortest career in NBA history, as Curry, who had been signed previously to a 10-day contract, was waived by the Clippers two days later and spent the remainder of his pro career in the G-League and with European clubs.

2012

Dwight Howard becomes the Magic’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Nick Anderson with his 10,651st point during a win over the Pacers. Howard would play just 37 more games with Orlando before getting traded to the Lakers, but still holds the record at 11,435 points.

2014

Carmelo Anthony sets the Knicks single game franchise record with 62 points in a 125-96 victory over the Hornets. It breaks the mark previously set by Bernard King with 60 points on Christmas Day of 1984.

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