1997
Coaching legend Dean Smith makes an abrupt and surprise retirement announcement. Smith had spent 36 years as head coach at North Carolina, winning two national titles and compiling 879 victories, which was the record at the time. He is replaced by his longtime assistant, Bill Guthridge.
1924
Arnie Risen is born in Williamstown, Kentucky. He grew up during the Great Depression on a family tobacco farm with no running water.
1970
Kenny Anderson is born in Queens, New York. At Archbishop Malloy High School, he became the first player ever named all-city in New York four times.
1973
With the opening of the ’73-’74 season, the NBA begins officially tracking blocked shots and steals. Elmore Smith of the Lakers becomes the first player ever to lead the league in blocks per game, while Larry Steele of the Trail Blazers is the first to do so in steals.
1978
Juan Dixon is born in Baltimore, Maryland. His aunt Sheila Dixon was a member of the Baltimore City Council for over 20 years and then served as mayor of the city from 2007 to 2010.
1981
Darius Miles is born Belleville, Illinois. Between his junior and senior seasons at East St. Louis High School, he earned a gold medal with the U.S. basketball team at the inaugural World Youth Games in Moscow.
1992
Jerian Grant is born in Silver Spring, Maryland. At the time of his birth, his father Harvey was about to start his fifth NBA season with the Bullets while his uncle Horace was playing for the two-time defending champion Bulls.
1993
The roster is announced for “Dream Team II,” the United States men’s basketball team that would compete at the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Toronto. Highlights include Dominique Wilkins, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Shawn Kemp.
2009
Diana Taurasi leads the way with 26 points as the Phoenix Mercury defeat the Indiana Fever 94-86 in a winner-take-all game five of the WNBA Finals. Taurasi becomes the first player since Lisa Leslie in 2001 to earn league MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
