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1959

Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari is born in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

1975

Tina Thompson is born in Los Angeles, California. She would later be a high school (Morningside High) and collegiate (USC) teammate of fellow lifelong Angeleno Lisa Leslie.

1977

Al Attles has his jersey #16 retired by the Warriors. Starting with the franchise in Philadelphia, Attles spent his entire 11-year playing career with the Warriors, followed by 13 seasons as their coach, which included a championship in 1975. He became the first Warriors player to have their jersey retired, followed one year later by Nate Thurmond.

1984

Zaza Pachulia is born (as Zaur Pachulia) in Tblisi, Georgia (then the Soviet Union). After retiring as a player, he returned to his hometown to open a free basketball academy and was subsequently granted the Georgian presidential Order of Honor award.

Elvin Hayes takes the floor in a Rockets loss to the Celtics, breaking John Havlicek’s all-time NBA games played record with his 1,271st appearance. Hayes held the record for less than two years before it was broken by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

1985

Paul Millsap is born in Monroe, Louisiana. He was named Mr. Basketball Louisiana in 2003 while starring for Grambling High School.

Rookies Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon make their NBA All-Star debuts, while Olajuwon’s Rockets teammate Ralph Sampson is named MVP for leading the West to a 140-129 victory over the East at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. George Gervin drops 23 points in his ninth and final appearance while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar becomes the first player to be named to 15 NBA All-Star teams.

1989

Former Memphis State basketball coach Dana Kirk is sentenced to one year in federal prison on charges of tax evasion and obstructing justice, related to his role in the program’s recruiting scandal that happened under his watch between 1980 and 1984.

1991

Charles Barkley finishes with 17 points and 22 rebounds and is named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. The Eastern Conference holds on to win 116-114 when a potential game-winning three-pointer from the West’s Kevin Johnson was taken off the board due to basket interference.

1995

Bobby Portis is born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was named Mr. Basketball Arkansas in 2013 while starring at Hall High School.

2002

Despite being booed by the hometown fans (in the city of his birth), Kobe Bryant leads all scorers with 31 points and earns his first of four MVP awards as the Western Conference defeats the East 135-120 in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Mavericks teammates Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki make their All-Star debuts, as does Paul Pierce, while Karl Malone makes his 14th and final appearance.

2011

Ray Allen surpasses Reggie Miller as the all-time record holder with his 2,561st career three-point field goal in a Celtics loss to the Lakers. Miller is able to congratulate Allen in person, as he’s in attendance broadcasting the game for TNT.

2016

Chauncey Billups has his jersey #1 retired by the Pistons. He was an All-Star four times in seven seasons with the franchise, and Finals MVP in 2004. A lifetime Denver native, Billups specifically requested that his jersey retirement happen during a game against the Nuggets.

2017

Draymond Green becomes the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double without 10 points, finishing with four points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals in a 122-107 Warriors win over the Grizzlies.

2022

The Nets end one brief “superteam” experiment and start another one by trading James Harden to the 76ers, along with Paul Millsap, in exchange for Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, and two first round picks. Simmons winds up never taking the court that season alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and the Nets are ultimately eliminated in a first round sweep at the hands of the Celtics.

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