Key dates in NBA history:
Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
January 1, 1974
Ernie DiGregorio of Buffalo handed out 25 assists in the Braves’ 120-119 win over Portland, establishing a single-game record for assists by a rookie. Seattle’s Nate McMillan tied DiGregorio’s mark in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 23, 1987.
January 1, 1979
John Y. Brown attended his first game as owner of the Boston Celtics. Brown, the former owner of the Buffalo Braves, and Irving H. Levin, who had owned the Celtics, decided to “trade” franchises in June of 1978. This unprecedented maneuver brought about the eventual relocation of the Buffalo Braves and the name change to the San Diego Clippers before the 1978-79 season.
January 1, 2012
All-Star Jimmy Butler made his Chicago Bulls’ debut in in a 104-64 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
January 1, 2020
NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern dies at 77 after a nearly month-long battle with a brain hemorrhage. Stern had been involved with the NBA for nearly two decades before he became its fourth commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984. By the time he left his position in 2014, a league that fought for a foothold before him had grown to a more than $5 billion a year industry and made NBA basketball perhaps the world’s most popular sport.
January 2, 1987
The Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-106 to give Coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory, at the time one of only two coaches (along with Red Auerbach) to reach that plateau.
January 2, 2000
19,600 fans watched the Miami Heat defeat the Orlando Magic, 111-103 in the first game at the Heat’s new American Airlines Arena.
January 2, 2021
Phoenix Suns legend and Hall of Famer Paul Westphal dies at age 70 in Arizona. A five-time All-Star, Westphal played in the NBA from 1972-84. After winning a championship with the Celtics, he made the finals in 1976 with Phoenix and, after his playing career ended, Westphal was the Suns coach. He guided Phoenix to the 1993 Finals and was also the coach of Seattle and Sacramento.
Jaunary 2, 2023
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell sets a franchise record with 71 points, most by any player in 17 years, as the Cavaliers rallied from 21 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 145-134 in overtime. Mitchell’s total matched the eighth-highest in league history and marked the most points by an NBA player since Lakers great Kobe Bryant scored 81 against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Wilt Chamberlain owns the NBA record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pa.
January 3, 1998
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Bill Fitch coached his 2,000th NBA game.
January 3, 2021
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry scores a 62 points in a 137-122 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished 18 for 31 and 8 of 16 on 3-pointers after beginning with a 21-point first quarter. His previous career high was 54 points on Feb. 27, 2013 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
January 4, 1975
The New Orleans Jazz set a then NBA record (for games played with the use of the 24-second shot clock) by scoring only 20 points in the first half of a 111-89 loss at Seattle. The record stood for nearly 25 years before the Los Angeles Clippers scored 19 points in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 14, 1999.
January 4, 1984
Adrian Dantley tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most free throws made in one game by converting 28 free throws (in 29 attempts) in Utah’s 116-111 victory over Houston at Las Vegas.
January 4, 1985
The Boston Celtics honored Team President Red Auerbach by retiring uniform #2 in ceremonies prior to a game against New York.
January 4, 1992
Boston’s Robert Parish became the fifth player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton, Wayne Rollins and George Johnson) to register 2,000 career blocks during the Celtics’ 100-96 road loss at Minnesota.
January 4, 2001
Fayetteville, North Carolina was named as the first city to be granted a franchise in the National Basketball Development League, the NBA’s new minor league. The NBA announced the NBDL would begin play in November 2001.
January 4, 2001
Michael Jordan of the Washington Wizards, by hoisting the second of two free throws with 5:28 remaining in the second quarter of an 89-83 victory against Chicago, became the fourth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.
January 4, 2005
Indiana Pacers center Jermaine O’Neal scores 55 points in a 116-99 win against the Washington Wizards.
January 5, 1962
Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia began a streak of 47 consecutive complete games, an NBA record.
January 5, 1988
Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pick-up game in California.
January 5, 1995
Bill Fitch became the fifth coach in NBA history to register 850 career victories with the Clippers’ 95-93 home win over Philadelphia.
January 5, 2001
Kings forward Chris Webber notches a career-best 51 points and 26 rebounds in a 93-91 overtime loss to the Pacers. Webber shot 24-for-47 overall and added five assists, three steals and two blocks in the defeat.
January 5, 2001
Tim Thomas of the Milwaukee Bucks connected on eight 3-point field goals in the second half of Milwaukee’s 119-115 victory over Portland, breaking the record of seven 3-pointers made in one half shared by 10 players.
January 5, 2011
The Celtics’ Rajon Rondo dishes out 23 assists in a 105-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
January 5, 2019
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings make history in the Warriors’ 127-123 win by combining to hit 41 3-pointers. The Warriors made 21 of 47 shots from distance, while the Kings hit a franchise-record 20 of 36 attempts. It also marked the first game in NBA history in which both teams made 20 3-pointers.
January 6, 1951
The Indianapolis Olympians defeated the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes–the longest game in NBA history.
January 6, 1991
The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 114-111 before a sellout crowd at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. It marked the Blazers’ 600th consecutive sellout at home.
January 6, 1995
Atlanta Coach Lenny Wilkens passed the legendary Red Auerbach to become the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, with 939 career victories, after the Hawks defeated Washington 112-90 at the Omni. Wilkens reached the victory record in his 22nd year as an NBA coach, including four as a player-coach. In tribute to Auerbach, Wilkens puffed on a postgame victory cigar.
January 6, 2001
Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson scores 54 points in a 107-103 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
January 6, 2021
Bradley Beal scores 60 points in the Washington Wizards’ 141-136 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, tying Gilbert Arenas’ single-game franchise mark set on Dec. 17, 2006. Beal went 20 of 25 from the floor, made 7 of 10 3-points and went 13 of 15 from the line.
January 7, 1951
Just one day after playing in the longest game in NBA history, a 75-73 win over the Rochester Royals in six overtimes, the Indianapolis Olympians were defeated by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, 83-79, with each of the Olympians’ five starters playing all 48 minutes.
January 7, 1972
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports.
January 7, 1995
Larry Brown posted his 500th career NBA coaching victory, following Indiana’s 88-83 road win at Houston.
January 7, 1998
LA Clippers coach Bill Fitch tied Dick Motta (935) for third on the coaching victory list after a 110-102 win over Vancouver.
January 7, 1998
Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal blocked three shots in a 114-102 win over Milwaukee to bring his career total to 1,002.
January 7, 1999
The NBA Board of Governors unanimously ratified the new six-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and the National Basketball Players Association, setting the stage for the 1998-99 season to get underway. The agreement runs through the 2003-2004 NBA season, with a league option for the 2004-05 season.
January 7, 2002
Anthony Johnson of the Mobile Revelers was signed to a 10-day contract by the New Jersey Nets, becoming the first NBDL player to sign a NBA 10-day contract.
January 8, 1985
The San Antonio Spurs, behind a near quadruple-double by guard Johnny Moore, beat Golden State 139-94. Moore had 26 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and nine steals.
January 8, 1993
Michael Jordan’s game-high 35 points led Chicago to a 120-95 win over Milwaukee, giving him exactly 20,000 points in the 620th game of his NBA career. Jordan was the second-fastest to reach 20,000 points behind only Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.
January 8, 1993
Robert Parish pulled down 11 rebounds in Boston’s 102-88 win over New Jersey, becoming the ninth player in NBA history to collect 13,000 career rebounds.
January 8, 1997
The Top Ten Teams in NBA History was announced: 1964-65 Boston Celtics, 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers, 1969-70 New York Knicks, 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers, 1985-86 Boston Celtics, 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers, 1988-89 Detroit Pistons, 1991-92 Chicago Bulls and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
January 8, 1998
Utah’s Karl Malone moved past former Boston Celtics great John Havlicek (26,395) and into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. In the same game Malone also started his 500th consecutive game and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6,712) to move into sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list for free throws made.
January 9, 1947
Don Martin of Providence became the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a matchup against Cleveland.
January 9, 1972
Milwaukee, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 120-104, ending the Lakers’ consecutive win streak at 33, the longest winning streak in major league sports history.
January 9, 1972
The NBA’s 2,000,000th point occurred in either the Baltimore-Phoenix or Detroit-Buffalo game.
January 9, 1991
Chicago’s Michael Jordan scored a game-high 40 points to lead the Bulls to a 107-99 win over Philadelphia at the Spectrum, reaching the 15,000 point mark for his career. Jordan reached 15,000 points in 460 games, quicker than any player in NBA history except Wilt Chamberlain (358 games).
January 9, 1993
Detroit retired Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier’s jersey #16 at halftime of the Pistons-Warriors game. Lanier played 91/2 seasons with the Pistons and finished his career in Milwaukee.
January 9, 1996
Toronto established an NBA record by becoming the first team ever not to hit a foul shot during the course of a game. The Raptors are 0-of-3 from the line during a 92-91 loss to visiting Charlotte.
January 9, 2001
Patrick Ewing of the Seattle SuperSonics scored his 24,000th career point, becoming the 13th player in NBA history to reach that total.
January 9, 2021
Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball finishes with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists off the bench in a 113-105 win against the Atlanta Hawks. At the time, Ball, 19, replaced Markelle Fultz as the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double by 177 days. Other notable players to post their first triple-double at young ages include Luka Doncic (19 years, 327 days), LeBron James (20 years, 20 days) and Magic Johnson (20 years, 75 days.)
January 10, 1985
Lenny Wilkens became the first person to coach in 1,000 NBA games when the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Golden State Warriors 89-86.
January 10, 1986
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scored his 34,000th career point, the only NBA player to reach that milestone.
January 10, 1994
Isiah Thomas of Detroit was added to the roster of Dream Team II, replacing the injured Tim Hardaway. The team would go on to win the gold medal at the 1994 World Championship of Basketball in Ontario, Canada.
January 10, 1996
In the Celtics’ 113-104 win against the Kings, Boston guard Dana Barros sank a three-point field goal in his 89th straight game, an NBA record streak that would be stopped in his next game.
January 10, 1998
Utah head coach Jerry Sloan won his 600th game with a 111-84 win at Houston.
January 10, 2003
The NBA announces that Charlotte, N.C., has been awarded NBA an expansion franchise. The team would be known as the Charlotte Bobcats before eventually changing to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014-15 season.
January 10, 2007
Dikembe Mutombo surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the second most prolific shot-blocker in NBA history, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon.
January 10, 2018
In a 125-106 loss to the LA Clippers, Kevin Durant scored his 20,000th career point, doing so in the 737th game in his career. To boot, Durant was 29 years and 103 days old when he reached that mark, making him the second-youngest to do so (trailing only LeBron James, who did it at 28 years and 17 days old).
January 10, 2019
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich moves into third place on the NBA’s all-time wins list with a 154-147 double-overtime victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In doing so, he passed former Utah Jazz coach and Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan with win No. 1,222.
January 11, 1947
The NBA voted to outlaw the use of zone defenses. When the league began play two and a half months earlier, it did so under college rules that permitted zones. But league officials felt that zones were slowing down the game and allowing teams to clog the middle and thus voted that they be prohibited.
January 11, 1967
San Diego was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Rockets. The franchise moved to Houston for the 1971-72 season.
January 11, 1984
Denver defeated San Antonio 163-155 in the second-highest scoring non-overtime game in NBA history. Golden State and Denver combined for 320 points on Nov. 2, 1990.
January 11, 2000
Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks, Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons and Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat were selected as the final three members of the 2000 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team, scheduled to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Named previously to the USA Men’s Senior National Team were Vin Baker and Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics; Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs; Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves; Tom Gugliotta of the Phoenix Suns; Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat; Allan Houston of the New York Knicks; Jason Kidd of the Phoenix Suns; and Steve Smith of the Portland Trail Blazers.
January 11, 2000
David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs is among seven inductees to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, in ceremonies taking place in Waco, Texas. Robinson, chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history is an eight-time All-Star and three-time U.S. Olympian who helped lead the Spurs to their first NBA championship in 1999.
January 11, 2001
The New York Knicks held an opponent under 100 points for an NBA-record 29th straight game when the Knicks dropped a 76-75 decision to the Houston Rockets. The streak snapped the 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1954-55 season.
January 12, 1966
Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics recorded his 1,000th career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston.
January 12, 1971
33-year-old Lenny Wilkens of Seattle became, at the time, the oldest MVP in All-Star history as he scored 21 points in the West’s 108-107 win in San Diego. Michael Jordan became the oldest All-Star Game MVP when he captured the award in 1998, nine days short of his 35th birthday.
January 12, 1996
Boston’s Dana Barros misses all nine of his three-point attempts during the Celtics’ 105-92 loss to visiting New York, ending his NBA record streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer at 89.
January 12, 2000
Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills died in an automobile accident near Charlotte Coliseum, following the team’s shootaround. He was 30 years old. The Hornets’ game that evening against the Chicago Bulls was postponed and rescheduled. The nine-year NBA veteran became a member of the Hornets on August 19, 1997, when he was signed as a free agent. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award and started the Bobby Phills Educational Foundation.
January 12, 2007
Ray Allen scores a career-best 54 points in a 122-114 Sonics win in overtime against the Jazz. Allen shot 17-for-32 overall, went 8-for-12 on 3-pointers and made all 12 of his free throw attempts.
January 13, 1962
Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia scored 73 points to lead the host Warriors to a 135-117 win over the Chicago Packers. The 73 points was, at the time, the most points ever scored by an NBA player in a regulation game, and it remains tied for the third-highest total in NBA history.
January 13, 1999
Chicago’s Michael Jordan announced his second retirement from the NBA, just prior to the start of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season.
January 13, 2001
The Atlanta Hawks retired Dominique Wilkins’ No. 21 in ceremonies before a cheering, packed house at Philips Arena. Wilkins joined Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson as the only Hawks to have their numbers retired.
January 13, 2008
The Orlando Magic knock down an NBA-record 23 3-pointers in 37 attempts (62.2%). Jameer Nelson leads the way, going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc as the Magic defeat the Sacramento Kings 139-107.
January 13, 2015
Mo Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves scores 52 points in a 110-101 win over the Indiana Pacers.
January 23, 2023
The San Antonio Spurs host the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome and set the NBA’s single-game attendance record with 68,323 fans. The previous record of 62,046 was set on March 27, 1998, when the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls at the Georgia Dome.
January 14, 1966
The Philadelphia 76ers, led by Wilt Chamberlain, won the first of what was then an NBA record 36 consecutive home games, defeating Boston 112-110. The Celtics broke the mark by winning 38 games in a row at home during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.
January 14, 1993
Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz blocked two shots in a 96-89 win over Seattle, becoming only the second player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to record 3,000 career blocks.
January 14, 1993
Uniform #77, symbolic of the Blazers’ 1977 championship season, is retired in honor of former Coach Jack Ramsay. He joins Harry Glickman, Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, Geoff Petrie and Larry Weinberg in being selected to the organization’s Walk of Fame in Memorial Coliseum.
January 14, 1994
Boston’s Robert Parish scored 21 points in the host Celtics’ 102-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the 12th player at the time to score 22,000 points in his career.
January 14, 2000
Mark Cuban purchases a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks from H. Ross Perot, Jr.
January 15, 1892
The 13 original rules of basketball were printed in the Springfield YMCA training school newspaper.
January 15, 1957
Attempting a length-of-the-court pass to Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman stunned an NBA All-Star Game audience in Boston Garden when his 70-foot pass swished through the net. After the shot, Cousy asked Sharman, “Don’t you ever pass?”
January 15, 1965
In one of the biggest trades in NBA history, the San Francisco Warriors, in the middle of a then league record 17-game losing streak, traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and cash.
January 15, 1987
Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird was named Man of the Year by The Sporting News and Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press, marking the first time one athlete had gained both distinctions.
January 15, 1990
Golden State Coach Don Nelson became the second man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games both as a player and a coach (joining Lenny Wilkens) when the Warriors lost to the Indiana Pacers 144-105.
January 15, 1994
In dropping a 104-87 decision to San Antonio at Reunion Arena, the Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record with their 17th consecutive home loss, breaking the mark of 16 set by Orlando in 1990. The Mavericks’ home losing skein would increase to 19 before they would defeat Sacramento, 108-101 on January 29.
January 15, 1996
Washington’s Brent Price began a NBA record streak of hitting on 13 straight three-point field goal attempts over three games. Terry Mills of the Detroit Pistons tied the record by hitting 13 straight in December of 1996.
January 15, 1997
Seattle’s Sam Perkins tied Jeff Hornacek’s NBA single-game record by connecting on eight three-point field goals without a miss, during the Sonics’ 122-78 win over visiting Toronto. Seattle also set an NBA record in the game with 27 steals.
January 15, 1998
Chicago’s Michael Jordan notched the 28,000th point of his career in the Bulls’ 106-96 loss to Philadelphia.
January 15, 2000
Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan became the 12th coach in NBA history to reach the 700-victory plateau when the Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-75 at Delta Center.
January 16, 1962
Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 42 points, the most ever in an All-Star Game, and grabbed 24 rebounds as he won MVP honors even though his East team lost to the West 150-130. The West’s Bob Pettit had an All-Star record 27 rebounds.
January 16, 1966
Chicago was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls.
January 16, 1990
The Milwaukee Bucks retired Sidney Moncrief’s #4 jersey.
January 16, 1993
Michael Jordan scored 64 points, but Chicago was upended in overtime by visiting Orlando 128-124. The Magic was led by rookie center Shaquille O’Neal, who posted 29 points and 24 rebounds.
January 16, 2013
In the third quarter of the Miami Heat’s 92-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James becomes the youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points. James, at 28 years, 17 days, passed Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days.
January 17, 1961
The Cincinnati Royals’ 22-year-old rookie sensation, Oscar Robertson, became the youngest player to receive All-Star MVP honors. Robertson scored 23 points and handed out 14 assists in a 153-131 victory for the West at Syracuse.
January 17, 1992
Boston’s Robert Parish became the 16th player in NBA history to reach the 20,000-point plateau for his career, after scoring 14 points in the Celtics’ 98-95 win over Philadelphia at Boston Garden.
January 17, 1992
Milwaukee’s Moses Malone became the sixth player in NBA history to appear in 1,200 games–along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Robert Parish–as he scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Bucks to a 90-85 win over New York at the Bradley Center.
January 17, 1994
Patrick Ewing became the first New York player to reach the 15,000-point mark for his career, scoring a game-high 34 points in the Knicks’ 106-94 win over visiting Minnesota.
January 17, 1994
The Sacramento Kings-Los Angeles Lakers game at the Great Western Forum was postponed due to an earthquake in Los Angeles. Also, due to damage caused by the earthquake, the Los Angeles Clippers were forced to move two games out of the LA Sports Arena.
January 17, 2012
In the third quarter of the Miami Heat’s 92-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James becomes the youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points. James, at 28 years, 17 days, passed Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days.
January 17, 2014
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant scores 54 points in a 127-121 win over the Golden State Warriors.
January 18, 1972
The Lakers’ “Mr. Clutch,” Jerry West, sank a last-second, 20-foot jumper to lead the West team to a 112-110 All-Star victory over the East, as he garnered MVP honors.
January 18, 1983
Dick Motta becomes the fifth NBA coach to log 600 wins as Dallas knocked off Golden State 112-102 in Oakland.
January 18, 1998
Former Boston Celtics center Robert Parish is honored by having his No. 00 raised to the FleetCenter rafters at halftime of a game vs. Indiana. The game marked the return of Larry Bird to Boston as head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
January 18, 2002
Alex Hannum, the first coach to win championships in both the ABA and NBA, and one of only two coaches to win NBA titles with different teams, died at his home in San Diego. He was 78.
January 18, 2016
The Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker scores 52 points in a 124-119 win over the Utah Jazz.
January 19, 1977
Norm Van Lier of the Chicago Bulls sank a shot measured at 84 feet in a game at San Antonio, but the Spurs still won, 115-107.
January 19, 1996
Washington’s Brent Price missed his fourth three-point field goal attempt, after extending his NBA record streak to 13 straight field goal attempts without a miss.
January 19, 1998
Los Angeles Lakers’ broadcaster Chick Hearn announced his 3,000th consecutive game. Hearn last missed a broadcast on November 20, 1965.
January 19, 2000
Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships as a player, returned to the NBA when he joined the Washington Wizards as part owner and President of Basketball Operations, overseeing all aspects of the team. Jordan has also joined Lincoln Holdings, LLC, as a partner and investor. Lincoln Holdings owns the Washington Capitals and is a minority partner in Washington Sports & Entertainment, including the Washington Wizards.
January 20, 1952
George Mikan scored 61 points, a career-high for the NBA’s first superstar, as he led the Minneapolis Lakers to a 91-81 double-overtime victory over the Rochester Royals.
January 20, 1967
Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers made all 15 of his field goal attempts against the Los Angeles Lakers, at the time the NBA record for most field goals made without a miss in a single game. Remarkably, Chamberlain bettered the mark twice before the 1966-67 season ended, including his NBA record 18-for-18 performance against Baltimore on February 24, 1967.
January 20, 1970
Cincinnati’s Tom Van Arsdale and Phoenix’s Dick Van Arsdale become the first brothers to play in the same All-Star Game. Dick scored eight points for the West team, while Tom scored five for the East, which won the game 142-135 at Philadelphia.
January 20, 1995
Karl Malone reached 20,000 career points after hitting for a game-high 28 points in Utah’s 94-84 win over visiting Cleveland.
January 20, 1996
Denver’s Dale Ellis connected on a pair of three-point field goals during the Nuggets’ 115-110 home loss to Sacramento, allowing him to become the first NBA player with 1,200 career three-pointers.
January 20, 1999
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association signed the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, paving the way for training camps to open after the first regular-season work stoppage in NBA history.
January 20, 2000
Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz reaches the 43,000-minute plateau in Utah’s 94-89 victory over Vancouver to become the eighth player in NBA history to pass that mark.
January 20, 2001
Former New York Knicks’ General Manager Eddie Donovan, who built the roster of the Knicks’ 1970 NBA championship team, died in New Jersey at age 78.
January 20, 2007
Coach Jerry Sloan passes Larry Brown for fourth on the NBA’s all-time win list (1,010) after the Utah Jazz defeat the Chicago Bulls 95-85 at the United Center.
January 21, 1954
For the first time in All-Star history, an overtime period was needed to decide a winner. Boston Celtics’ guard Bob Cousy’s 10-point overtime scoring burst gave the East a 98-93 victory and brought Cousy All-Star MVP honors.
January 21, 1958
Bob Pettit of St. Louis became the first member of the losing team to win the All-Star MVP award, scoring 28 points and grabbing 26 rebounds, even though the East beat the West 130-118.
January 21, 1990
Golden State’s Don Nelson became the 10th NBA coach to win 600 games, following the Warriors’ 120-115 road win at Boston. That improved his overall record to 600-404 in his 13th season of coaching in the NBA, and at 49 Nelson was the second youngest to reach that plateau. Red Auerbach was 43 when he won his 600th game.
January 21, 1991
Dick Motta of Sacramento coached in his 1,648th regular season game, a 97-94 victory over Houston, at the time an NBA record for the most regular-season coaching appearances.
January 21, 1994
The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Seattle SuperSonics 91-87, Dallas’ 19th consecutive loss at Reunion Arena, establishing an NBA record for the most consecutive home games lost.
January 21, 1998
Michael Jordan made 14 field goals to increase his career total to 10,524, passing John Havlicek (10,513) for fifth place on the NBA’s all-time field goals made list.
January 21, 2002
New Jersey’s Jason Kidd recorded his 5,000th career assist in his 531st game, thus becoming the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to reach that milestone, joining Oscar Robertson (467 games), Magic Johnson (472), John Stockton (483), Isiah Thomas (490) and Kevin Johnson (519). Kidd registered 15 assists in a 113-105 loss to Dallas.
January 21, 2010
Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player ever to reach 25,000 points at 31 years, and 151 days; beating Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days.
January 21, 2015
Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons dishes 21 assists in a 128-118 win over the Orlando Magic.
January 22, 1968
The NBA Board of Governors granted franchises to the cities of Milwaukee and Phoenix.
January 22, 1992
Philadelphia’s Charles Barkley pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds to help lead the 76ers to a 119-109 win over New York at the Spectrum. Those 14 boards helped Barkley set a 76ers record for career rebounds, with 6,642, surpassing former leaders Billy Cunningham and Wilt Chamberlain.
January 22, 1998
The NBA has reached six-year agreements with ABC, ESPN and AOL Time Warner to have ABC, ESPN, TNT and a new AOL Time Warner/NBA jointly owned national cable sports network televise NBA games beginning with the 2002-03 season.
January 22, 2006
Kobe Bryant scores 81 points in a 122-104 Lakers victory against the Toronto Raptors. His point total in that game is the second-highest in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962.
January 22, 2018
New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins finishes with 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists in a 132-128 double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls. He becomes the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to notch 40-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and 10-plus assists in a game.
January 22, 2020
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson makes his much-anticipated NBA debut in a 121-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Williamson scored 17 straight points in a four-minute stretch as the crowd was worked into a frenzy watching his exploits.
January 23, 1959
In the NBA All-Star Game in Detroit, St. Louis’ Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor of Minneapolis became the first co-winners of the MVP award as their West team won 124-108.
January 23, 1980
George Gervin of San Antonio scored 55 points in a 144-130 Spurs’ victory over the Pacers in Indianapolis.
January 23, 1992
Houston’s Otis Thorpe became the 10th player in NBA history to play in 500 consecutive games, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Rockets’ 109-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at The Summit.
January 23, 1998
Denver tied the single-season record of 23 consecutive losses set by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995-96. The streak halted with a 99-81 win the next day vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.
January 23, 1998
Michael Jordan scored in double figures for the 800th consecutive game in a 100-98 OT win over New Jersey. Jordan would add 40 more double-figure scoring games to his NBA record before retiring for the second time at the end of the 1997-98 season.
January 23, 2000
Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson becomes the sixth coach in NBA history to win 900 career games when the Mavericks defeat the Detroit Pistons 99-91 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
January 23, 2015
The Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson scores 52 points in a 126-101 win over the Sacramento Kings. In the win, Thompson set an NBA record for points in a quarter by scoring 37 in the third. It broke the record of 33 points previously held by George Gervin and Carmelo Anthony.
January 23, 2018
LeBron James sinks a left wing jump shot with 1.1 seconds left in the first quarter in San Antonio to cross the 30,000 career points threshold. He becomes the youngest player and seventh all-time to reach 30,000 career points, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki.
January 24, 1956
With the West defeating the East 108-94 in the sixth All-Star Game in Rochester, Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks captured the first of his NBA record four All-Star Game MVP awards, leading his team with 20 points and 24 rebounds.
January 24, 1985
NBA players announced plans to aid famine victims in Ethiopia by donating their winners’ and losers’ shares from the 1985 All-Star Game. The NBA matched this sum to bring the donation to more than $100,000.
January 24, 1990
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Pat Riley became the 13th coach to reach the 500-victory plateau, getting there faster than any coach as the Lakers downed the Pacers 120-111. At 500-184 Riley surpassed Don Nelson, who was 500-317 when he reached that milestone.
January 24, 2014
The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony scores 62 points in a 125-96 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.
January 24, 2021
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry nails a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz to pass Hall of Famer Reggie Miller for No. 2 on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list. Miller amassed 2,560 3-pointers in his career over 1,389 games while Curry surpassed Miller in his 715th career game.
January 25, 1960
Wilt Chamberlain scored 58 points, the most ever by an NBA rookie, as Philadelphia beat Detroit 127-117 at Bethlehem, PA. Chamberlain tied his record less than a month later.
January 25, 1986
Manute Bol of the Washington Bullets blocked 15 shots in a 111-103 win over Atlanta. His total is tied for second (Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal had 15 rejections at New Jersey on November 20, 1993), behind the NBA record of 17 blocks by the Lakers’ Elmore Smith on October 28, 1973.
January 25, 1988
Jazz guard Rickey Green scored the NBA’s 5,000,000th point on a 24-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded ending the third quarter of Utah’s 119-96 victory over Cleveland.
January 25, 1996
In the closest NBA All-Star balloting returns since 1977, Grant Hill of Detroit edges Chicago’s Michael Jordan 1,358,004 votes to 1,341,422, out of more than 6.4 million ballots cast. Hill leads all vote-getters for the second straight year.
January 25, 1998
Michael Jordan led all players in votes received for a record ninth time in his career and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest starter in NBA All-Star Game history after the final returns in the 1998 McDonald’s NBA All-Star voting program.
January 25, 1999
Former NBA referee Sid Borgia passed away.
January 25, 2015
The Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside blocks 12 shots in a 96-84 win over the Chicago Bulls.
January 25, 2016
DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings scores 56 points in a 129-128 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
January 25, 2020
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers scores on a driving layup with 7:23 left in the third quarter to pass Kobe Bryant as the No. 3 scorer in NBA history. With that basket, James had 33,644 points and he finished the game at 33,655. Bryant finished his career with 33,643, all with the Lakers.
January 26, 1973
George Gervin made his debut for the Virginia Squires of the ABA against Utah. The Stars won 127-121.
January 26, 1980
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost at home to Indiana 115-114, but had cause to celebrate as Austin Carr became the franchise’s first 10,000-point scorer.
January 26, 1990
Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Lenny Wilkens won his 700th career game, 85-84 over Minnesota.
January 26, 1991
Houston guard Vernon Maxwell became the fifth player in NBA history to score 30 points in a quarter, joining Wilt Chamberlain, David Thompson, George Gervin and Michael Jordan. Maxwell, who finished with 51 points, hit for 30 in the final quarter of the Rockets’ 103-97 home win over Cleveland. Gervin holds the NBA record for scoring the most points in a quarter (33) in San Antonio’s 153-132 loss to New Orleans on Apr. 9, 1978.
January 26, 1993
New Jersey’s Chuck Daly became the 15th coach in NBA history to register 500 career victories, after the Nets defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 106-91.
January 26, 1995
With a record 6,254,427 ballots cast by fans in the Foot Locker NBA All-Star Voting program, Detroit’s Grant Hill became the first rookie to ever lead all NBA players in All-Star votes received, earning the nod on 1,289,585 ballots.
January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during his 20-year career all with the Lakers, dies in a helicopter crash in California. The accident also claims the life of Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people.
January 27, 1982
Geoff Huston of Cleveland handed out a club record 27 assists in a 110-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors. At the time, it was the fourth-highest assist total in NBA history.
January 27, 2017
The Houston Rockets’ James Harden scores 51 points in a 123-118 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
January 27, 2018
With a free throw in the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony becomes the 21st player to reach 25,000 career points. At the time, Anthony scored 13,970 points with Denver, 10,186 points with New York and 845 with OKC.
January 28, 1975
The ABA’s eighth All-Star Game was held in San Antonio. The East squad beat the West squad 151-124. Freddie Lewis was named MVP. He had 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. The game featured future NBA stars Julius Erving, George Gervin, Dan Issel, and Moses Malone.
January 28, 1980
New York Coach Red Holzman won his 600th game, only the second (after Red Auerbach) coach at the time to reach that plateau, as the Knicks defeated Golden State 107-103.
January 28, 1985
Bill Fitch became the sixth coach in NBA history to post 600 wins as the Houston Rockets beat New Jersey 97-93.
January 28, 1988
Michael Adams of Denver began a record streak of 79 consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal. The streak, which stretched over two seasons, lasted from January 28, 1988 against Milwaukee through January 23, 1989 against Indiana. Dana Barros bested the streak by hitting 89 consecutive during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
January 28, 1998
Indiana’s Reggie Miller had one steal in an 85-84 win over Washington to give him 1,000 for his career.
January 28, 2015
Kyrie Irving scores 55 points in a 99-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
January 29, 1971
Hal Greer of the Philadelphia 76ers became the sixth player in NBA history at the time to score 20,000 points as the Sixers lost to Milwaukee 142-118.
January 29, 1980
Norm Nixon played a then NBA record 64 minutes for Los Angeles as the Lakers dropped a 154-153 four-overtime decision to Cleveland. This record was matched by Sleepy Floyd of Golden State seven years later and broken by Dale Ellis of Seattle, who played 69 minutes in a five-overtime game at Milwaukee on Nov. 9, 1989.
January 29, 1984
The NBA’s first All-Star Saturday took place in Denver at McNichols Arena. The inaugural Schick Legends Classic was won by the West, 64-63. The first Nestle Crunch Slam-Dunk winner was Larry Nance, who used a two-ball windmill dunk to beat favorites Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins.
January 29, 1988
The Detroit Pistons drew a then NBA regular season record crowd of 61,983 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome, and the fans went home happy after watching the Pistons down Boston 125-108. The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Atlanta Hawks broke the attendance record by drawing 62,046 fans to the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998.
January 29, 2000
Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz became the third player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points, as he finishes with 35 in a 96-94 loss to Minnesota at Target Center. Malone’s historic basket came when he made a layup with 8:53 left in the third quarter, and thus took his place in NBA annals alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 career points) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419).
January 30, 1994
The #32 worn by Kevin McHale for 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics was retired during halftime ceremonies at Boston Garden. McHale, a seven-time NBA All-Star, scored 17,335 points, grabbed 7,122 rebounds and blocked 1,690 shots during his career, playing a key role on Boston teams that won three NBA Championships.
January 30, 1996
Chicago defeats host Houston 98-87, led by Scottie Pippen’s 28 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Bulls post the 10th perfect month in NBA history (at least 12 games played) with a 14-0 record.
January 30, 1996
Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers comes out of retirement, helping lead the Lakers to 128-118 victory over Golden State at the Great Western Forum with 19 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson had last appeared in an NBA game during the 1991 NBA Finals against Chicago.
January 30, 2002
By scoring 18 points in a 90-78 triumph over Chicago at the Delta Center, Utah’s Karl Malone became the second player in NBA history to register 34,000 career points, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points).
January 30, 2002
With a 88-71 victory over Atlanta, the Detroit Pistons recorded the 2,000th victory in franchise history. The Pistons became the sixth NBA franchise to reach that milestone, joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.
January 31, 1994
Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins became the 11th player in NBA history to score 23,000 career points, netting 24 in the Hawks’ 90-85 win at Dallas.
January 31, 1997
San Antonio’s Dominique Wilkins scored 27 points in the Spurs’ 97-95 loss to Minnesota, giving him 26,009 career points. Wilkins was only the sixth NBA player to score 26,000 points.
January 31, 2001
Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach George Karl guided the Bucks to a 116-111 win over Denver, notching his 600th NBA coaching victory. Karl became the 17th NBA head coach to reach the milestone, and he was the sixth-fastest to 600 wins in NBA history.
January 31, 2015
A 91-85 win against the 76ers moves the Hawks to 17-0 for January, setting a new NBA record. The Hawks’ mark helped them pass the 1971-72 Lakers, who went 16-0 in December 1971 and the 2013 Heat, who went 17-1 in March 2013.
January 31, 2018
James Harden of the Houston Rockets becomes the first player in NBA history to log a 60-point triple-double. Harden finished with 60 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and a block in a 114-107 win against the Orlando Magic. Additionally, Harden set the Rockets’ franchise record for points in a game, besting Calvin Murphy’s 57-point mark set on March 18, 1978.
