This Day In Basketball History
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain dominates the Lakers
Eight months after recording his famous 100-point game, Wilt Chamberlain drops 72 points and 18 rebounds on the Los Angeles Lakers in a 127-115 loss for his San Francisco Warriors.
Chamberlain shoots 60 percent from the field (29/48) en route to his 72-point outburst, which still stands as the seventh-highest scoring game in NBA history (Wilt has five of the top-seven).
1989 - Debut of the Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves open their franchise history with a 106-94 loss to the SuperSonics in Seattle. Tyrone Corbin leads the T-Wolves with 20 points. Minnesota goes on to a 22-60 record in their inaugural campaign.
1995 - Northern Expansion
For the first time since the first game in league history way back in 1946 (New York Knickerbockers at Toronto Huskies), the NBA makes its return to Canada with the debuts of the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies take down the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden, while the Raptors beat the Nets in front of more than 30,000 fans at the SkyDome.
1995 - Alonzo Mourning/Glen Rice blockbuster
In a trade that also included LeRon Ellis, Pete Myers, Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves and a first round draft pick, the Charlotte Hornets send Alonzo Mourning to the Miami Heat in exchange for Glen Rice.
Mourning earns five All-Star berths, two All-NBA honors and two Defensive Player of the Year awards during his first stint in Miami, while Rice makes three consecutive All-Star games and averages 23.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and one steal in his three seasons with the Hornets.
2008 - Pistons, Nuggets swap Billups for Iverson
13 years to the day that Alonzo Mourning and Glen Rice headlined their own blockbuster, Chauncey Billups and Allen Iverson take center stage in an early season trade.
Despite coming off of six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances and getting off to a 2-0 start to the 2008-09 season, Pistons general manager Joe Dumars feels like Detroit needs a massive shakeup, sending Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb to Denver in exchange for Iverson.
Billups turns the Nuggets' season around, teaming with Carmelo Anthony to lead Denver to the Western Conference Final for the first time in 24 years.
Iverson struggles through the worst season of his career to this point, and the Pistons stumble to their first losing season in eight years. The Pistons squeak into the postseason, but it's their last trip there.
Birthdays
1985 - Tyler Hansbrough
1987 - Ty Lawson