---

1935

The first ever major international basketball competition takes place, with the inaugural EuroBasket kicking off in Geneva. 10 countries participate in a single elimination tournament over three days, with Latvia emerging victorious, defeating Spain 24-18 in the final.

1953

Jamaal Wilkes (nee Jackson Keith Wilkes) is born in Berkeley, California. His older sister Naomi was the first basketball star in the household, playing at Stanford University.

1961

Roy Hinson is born in Trenton, New Jersey. He played basketball in his home state at all three levels, starring at Franklin High School in Somerset and Rutgers University, then later spending three seasons with the Nets.

1966

Despite being the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, Dolph Schayes is fired as head coach of the 76ers and replaced by Alex Hannum.

1968

Bill Russell becomes the first Black head coach to win an NBA title (his 10th as a player), as the Celtics defeat the Lakers 124-109 in game six of the NBA Finals to close out the series. Russell, acting as player-coach, finishes the game with 12 points and 19 rebounds.

1976

Charlie Scott scores 31 points to lead the Celtics to a 104-100 victory over the Buffalo Braves in game six, clinching the Eastern Conference Semifinals series. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title while the Braves, who became the Clippers in 1978, would not advance this far in the postseason again until 2006.

1979

The Spurs clinch their first NBA Conference Finals appearance with a 111-108 victory over the 76ers in game seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. George Gervin leads San Antonio with 33 points and 12 rebounds while Julius Erving finishes with 34 points in the losing effort.

1980

NCAA All-American Troy Murphy is born in Morristown, New Jersey.

1983

Marques Johnson drops 33 points as the Bucks finish off a dominating Eastern Conference Semifinals sweep of the Celtics with a 107-93 victory in game four. It marks the only season in Larry Bird’s first nine years in the league (1980-1988) that the Celtics fall short of reaching the Conference Finals. It was also the first time ever that the Celtics were swept in a playoff series.

1984

Thabo Sefolosha is born in Vevey, Switzerland. In 2006, he became the first Swiss-born player in NBA history.

1990

Paul George is born in Palmdale, California. He grew up playing one-on-one against his older sister Teiosha, who played basketball at Pepperdine University.

1994

The Pacers finish a first round sweep of the Magic with a 99-86 victory in game three. It’s the first NBA playoff series victory in the history of the franchise, which had joined the league 18 years prior as part of the ABA merger. It also ends the postseason debut of Shaquille O’Neal, who averaged 20.7 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in the series.

1996

Magic Johnson’s brief comeback as a player ends with the Rockets defeating the Lakers 102-94 in game four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, clinching the series. A few days later, Johnson announced that he was retiring again, this time for good.

2000

The Suns defeat the Spurs 89-78 in game four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, clinching the series and eliminating the defending champions. Penny Hardaway and Rodney Rogers lead Phoenix with 23 points each. The Spurs were without Tim Duncan, who missed the entire series due to a knee injury suffered late in the regular season.

2001

Peja Stojakovic scores 37 points as the Kings defeat the Suns 89-82 in game four to clinch their Western Conference Quarterfinals series. It’s the Kings’ first playoff series victory in 20 years and first since re-locating to Sacramento in 1985.

2002

The New Jersey Nets pick up their first playoff series win in 18 years by defeating the Pacers 120-109 in overtime in a winner-take-all game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Jason Kidd scores 31 points for the Nets, who go on to make their first Conference Finals appearance and first NBA Finals appearance later in the postseason. The game had a controversial ending in regulation, with Indiana’s Reggie Miller hitting a game-tying three-point buzzer beater that replays showed left his hand after the buzzer and should not have counted.

2010

LeBron James is officially crowned as NBA league MVP for the ’09-’10 season. It’s a second consecutive award for James, who once again accepts the trophy during a ceremony in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Kevin Durant finishes a distant second in voting.

2014

Thanks to a Damian Lillard three-pointer in the final second, the Trail Blazers defeat the Rockets 99-98 in game six to close out their Western Conference first round series and advance.

2017

Isaiah Thomas scores 53 points in a 129-119 Celtics victory over the Wizards in game two of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. It’s the highest single game postseason total ever for an NBA player listed at 5’11” or shorter, and the second highest in Celtics franchise history.

2024

The Knicks make an incredible late comeback to stun the 76ers 104-101 in game two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Philadelphia leads the game 101-96 with 27 seconds left when a Jalen Brunson three-pointer cuts the lead to two. That’s followed by a Josh Hart steal leading to a Donte DiVincenzo three-pointer to give the Knicks the lead with six points in 14 seconds. The Knicks would go on to win the series in six games.

---