History

NBA Birthdays: Players born on Sept. 25

Which NBA players were born on each day of the year? Check out a day-by-day breakdown of the calendar to find out.

Scottie Pippen is one of 11 NBA players born on Sept. 25.

With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.

Below are the most notable NBA players born on Sept 25. 

Scottie Pippen (Sept. 25, 1965): A force on both ends of the floor, Pippen paired with Michael Jordan to help lead the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s. Pippen averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his career, but his impact went far deeper than the numbers.

One of the most versatile and talented players ever, Pippen orchestrated the offense like a point guard, rebounded like a power forward, scored like a shooting guard and defended on the perimeter like few others. Pippen was an eight-time All-Defensive First Team selection (plus two Second Team honors), a seven-time All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA selection (three on the First Team) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 1992 and 1996. 

Chicago acquired Pippen via a draft night trade with Seattle, which selected Pippen with the fifth pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. After an 11-year run in Chicago, Pippen played a season in Houston and four in Portland before returning to Chicago to close his career in 2003-04. That final season marked the only time in his 17-year career that Pippen’s teams did not reach the NBA Playoffs. Pippen’s 208 Playoff games were the second most all-time when he retired and remains 10th all-time entering the 2024-25 season.

Pippen was named one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. In 2010, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both an individual player and a member of the 1992 Dream Team. His No. 33 was retired by Chicago and hangs in the United Center rafters.

Bob McAdoo (Sept. 25, 1951): A three-time NBA scoring leader, McAdoo was the 1973 Rookie of the Year and the 1975 Most Valuable Player when he averaged a career-best 34.5 points per game for the Buffalo Braves, who drafted him second overall in 1972. One of the best shooting big men of all time, McAdoo changed the perception of where and how a center could score during his 14 seasons in the NBA. In addition to his four-plus seasons in Buffalo, McAdoo played for the Knicks, Celtics, Pistons, Nets, Lakers and Sixers, enjoying a late-career resurgence with the Lakers as a key member of championship teams in 1982 and 1985.

The five-time NBA All-Star amassed 18,787 points (22.1 ppg), 8,048 rebounds (9.4 rpg) and 1,147 blocks (1.5 bpg) over 852 NBA games before closing his career with a six-year run in Italy. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Chauncey Billups (Sept. 25, 1976): Nicknamed “Mr. Big Shot” for his ability to deliver in clutch moments, Billups was a five-time NBA All-Star and the 2004 Finals MVP after leading the Detroit Pistons to their third NBA championship. Drafted by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Billups played for seven NBA teams throughout his 17-year career, primarily with the Pistons (2002-08, 2013-14) and hometown Denver Nuggets (1998-2000, 2008-11). The three-time All-NBA selection and two-time All-Defensive Team selection also played for the Celtics, Raptors, Timberwolves, Knicks and Clippers. 

Over 1,043 games, Billups totaled 15,802 points (15.2 ppg), 2,992 rebounds (2.9 rpg), 5,636 assists (5.4 apg) and 1,830 3-pointers (38.7% shooting), while his 89.4% career free throw percentage is tied for seventh all-time entering the 2024-25 season. Following his playing career, Billups turned to coaching, serving as an assistant with the Clippers for a season before becoming head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021. He is set to enter his fourth season at the helm in 2024-25, shortly after being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024.

Carl Braun (Sept. 25, 1927): A two-sport star from Brooklyn, Braun garnered attention from baseball’s New York Yankees and basketball’s New York Knicks. After briefly pitching in the Yankees’ minor league system, Braun focused on hoops and became an offensive star with the Knicks. As a rookie in 1947, Braun scored a then-NBA record 47 points in a win over Providence – the mark stood as a Knicks single-game scoring record for 12 years. Braun led the Knicks in scoring in his first seven seasons, earning five All-Star selections and two All-BAA/NBA Second Team selections during that time. After a 12-year run in New York, Braun closed his career with a season in Boston, winning the 1962 NBA championship with the Celtics. 

In addition to his 10,625 points, 2,122 rebounds and 2,892 assists over 788 career games, Braun helped add the term “swish” into the basketball lexicon. Marty Glickman, the Knicks radio man who made the term famous during his broadcasts, credits the genesis of the word to Braun, who would say “swish” after releasing a shot that he knew was going in during warmups. Braun was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Want to see every NBA player born on Sept. 25? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:

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