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1923

Don Barksdale is born in Oakland, California. He was cut three times from the Berkley High School basketball team due to an unwritten quota on Black players.

1959

The Philadelphia Warriors receive a one-time exemption from commissioner Maurice Podoloff to use their NBA Draft territorial pick on Wilt Chamberlain, who played his college ball at Kansas but attended high school in Philadelphia.

1968

J.R. Reid is born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His father Herman was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1967 but never suited up in an NFL game.

The Hawks play their final home game in St. Louis, a 129-103 win over the Warriors in game five of the Western Conference Semifinals (the Warriors would go on to clinch the series in game six). In the ensuing offseason, the Hawks re-locate from St. Louis to Atlanta.

1969

Steve Smith is born in Highland Park, Michigan. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 for his contributions at Pershing High School and at Michigan State University.

1975

UCLA defeats Kentucky 92-85 in the NCAA Tournament National Final in San Diego for the 10th and final championship in the coaching career of John Wooden, who announced his retirement before the game. Richard Washington is named Most Outstanding Player.

1981

The Indiana Pacers make their NBA playoffs debut with a 124-108 loss to the 76ers in game one of a first round series. The Pacers are the last of the four former ABA franchises to make a postseason appearance, following the Spurs and Nuggets in 1977, and the Nets in 1979. Philadelphia would go on to win game two to sweep the series.

1983

As part of the latest collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners, a salary cap is agreed upon to be instituted starting in the ’84-’85 season. The NBPA manages to negotiate some concessions thanks to a successful lawsuit, including a minimum number of jobs (meaning franchises couldn’t fold) and a set percentage of revenue for players.

1985

Old Dominion defeats Georgia 70-65 in the National Final of the NCAA women’s tournament in Austin, Texas. Tracy Claxton is named Most Outstanding Player while Georgia’s Katrina McClain and Teresa Edwards are named to the All-Tournament team.

1986

Louisville wins its second men’s national championship, defeating Duke 72-69 in the National Final of the NCAA Tournament in Dallas. Pervis Ellison is named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. This was the first of an eventual 13 Final Four appearances for Duke under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

1990

Auburn upsets Louisiana Tech 81-69 in the National Semifinals of the NCAA women’s tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Lady Techsters had entered the tournament unbeaten and came into this game with a 32-0 record. Auburn advances to the National Final for the third consecutive season.

1991

In a National Final overtime thriller in New Orleans, Tennessee defeats Virginia 70-67 to capture the women’s NCAA tournament title. Virginia’s Dawn Staley is named Most Outstanding Player despite the losing effort.

1996

Tennessee defeats Georgia 83-65 in the NCAA women’s tournament National Final in Charlotte. Pat Summit’s team becomes the first program to win four women’s titles. Michelle Marciniak is named Most Outstanding Player while freshman teammate Chamique Holdsclaw joins her on the all-tournament team.

1997

Arizona stuns Kentucky 84-79 in overtime in the National Final of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. The Wildcats become the first team ever to defeat three #1 seeds in the same NCAA Tournament, having previously upended Kansas in the Regional Semifinals and North Carolina in the National Semifinals. Miles Simons scores 30 points and is named Most Outstanding Player.

2001

James Wiseman is born in Nashville, Tennessee. He was named Tennessee Mr. Basketball in 2019 while starring for Memphis East High School.

2002

Connecticut completes an undefeated season with an 82-70 victory over Oklahoma in the NCAA women’s tournament National Final. Swin Cash is named Most Outstanding Player.

2009

Vlade Divac has his jersey #21 retired by the Kings.

2022

Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes the all-time leading scorer in Bucks franchise history, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a win over the Nets. Antetokounmpo’s record setting basket to reach 14,212 points is a game-tying three-pointer to force overtime, where Milwaukee prevails.

2025

For the first time in franchise history, the Jazz lose 60 games in a season, falling to 16-60 with a 110-106 loss to the Hornets. Heading into the ’24-’25 season, which they ultimately finished with a 17-65 record, the Jazz were the only active NBA franchise left without a 60-loss season in their history.

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