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

On this date in basketball history: February 4

The Pistons trade away Bob Lanier; Bird and Laimbeer see their jerseys get retired; Roy Williams is re-introduced to the Duke-UNC rivalry

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1980

Bob Lanier is traded from the Pistons to the Bucks in exchange for Kent Benson and a first round pick. After nine-and-a-half seasons and seven All-Star appearances with Detroit, Lanier closed out his career with four-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee. He left the Pistons as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocks.


1929

Neil Johnston is born in Chillicothe, Ohio. He starred on both the basketball and baseball teams at Chillicothe High School and Ohio State.

1962

Vern Fleming is born in New York City, New York. He was inducted in the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

1979

The Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit is the site of the NBA All-Star Game, where David Thompson scores 25 points and is named MVP, leading the Western Conference to a 134-129 victory over the East. Thompson goes down as the only player to win MVP awards in both the ABA and NBA All-Star Game.

1981

Two-time NBA Three-Point Contest winner Jason Kapono is born in Long Beach, California.

1983

Dajaun Wagner is born in Camden, New Jersey. While starring for Camden High School in 2001, he became the first player in New Jersey high school basketball history to score 100 points in game.

1993

Larry Bird has his jersey #33 retired by the Celtics during a pre-game ceremony at the Boston Garden.

1995

Bill Laimbeer has his jersey #40 retired by the Pistons. Over 13 seasons with Detroit, Laimbeer was part of two championship teams and named to four All-Star Games.

1998

NCAA All-American Malik Monk is born in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

2004

Chris Duhon hits a game winning lay-up to give #1 Duke an 83-81 overtime victory over rival North Carolina. It was the first coaching match-up in the long-standing rivalry between Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and UNC’s Roy Williams.

2008

Bobby Knight retires from coaching, handing over his head coaching position at Texas Tech to his son Pat. Knight steps away as the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I history, with 903 victories.