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1956

Marques Johnson is born in Natchitoches, Louisiana. To escape segregation, his family relocated to Los Angeles when Johnson was five years old.

1970

Alonzo Mourning is born in Chesapeake, Virginia. He led Indian River High School to the 1987 Virginia state title.

1981

Dave Cowens has his jersey #18 retired by the Celtics. The former Rookie of the Year and league MVP had been retired for just a few months at the time but later came back out of retirement to play for the Bucks (wearing #36).

1986

Spud Webb becomes a household name by defeating his Hawks teammate Dominique Wilkins in the Slam Dunk Contest, despite a 14-inch height disadvantage.

1987

Seattle is the site of arguably the most star-studded and eventful All-Star Game in NBA history, with the West defeating the East 154-149 in overtime. Hometown star Tom Chambers (who was an injury replacement for Ralph Sampson) scores 34 points and is an unlikely MVP. The game also features Magic Johnson breaking Bob Cousy’s record for career All-Star assists, Pistons stars Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer reportedly leading a “freeze-out” of Michael Jordan on the East offense, Charles Barkley making his debut, and Julius Erving scoring 22 points in his 11th and final appearance.

1989

Courtney Vandersloot is born in Kent, Washington. She was named Washington state Player of the Year in 2007 while starring for Kentwood High School.

1990

Klay Thompson is born in Los Angeles, California while his father Mychal is playing for the Lakers.

1992

Craig Hodges wins the NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest in Orlando for the third time, tying him with Larry Bird for the most contest titles. Meanwhile, Cedric Ceballos nails his infamous blind-folded dunk to win the Slam Dunk Contest.

1996

Jason Kidd sets the Mavericks single game franchise record with 25 assists in a 136-133 triple overtime victory over the Jazz.

1997

At age 18, Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest player ever to win the Slam Dunk Contest, doing so in a competition so underwhelming that the NBA opted to discontinue the event a year later, replacing it with the 2Ball Contest.

1998

Rui Hachimura is born in Toyama, Japan. His given name Rui is actually a baseball reference, as the Japanese word for “base.”

Michael Jordan is named All-Star MVP for the third and final time, leading the Eastern Conference to a 135-114 victory over the West in New York. At season’s end, Jordan becomes the only player (as of 2025) to earn All-Star MVP, league MVP, and Finals MVP all in the same season twice, having already accomplished it in ’95-’96. Debut appearances are made by a rookie Tim Duncan and a 19-year-old Kobe Bryant, who breaks Magic Johnson’s record as the youngest All-Star in league history.

2018

Dwyane Wade is traded from the Cavaliers to the Heat in exchange for a second round pick, allowing the franchise legend to finish his career back in Miami.

2019

Moses Malone has his jersey #2 posthumously retired by the 76ers. A league MVP and Finals MVP for Philadelphia in ’82-’83, Malone had reportedly initially declined invitations for years to have a jersey retirement ceremony before finally relenting in 2015 just before his passing from heart disease.

2022

Domantas Sabonis is traded from the Pacers to the Kings, along with Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and a second round pick, in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.

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