BA legends Billy Cunningham, Tom Heinsohn and Red Holzman were among six men inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Shaquille O'Neal of Orlando is named the NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 23.4 points (eighth in the NBA), 13.9 rebounds (second) and 3.53 blocks per game (second), leading the Magic (41-41) to an improvement of 20 wins over the previous season.
The Seattle SuperSonics (20) and Houston Rockets (13) combine for 33 three-point field goals made in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinal series, a 105-101 Seattle win. The 33 three-pointers made is the most ever in an NBA playoff game.
Former NBA stars George Gervin, David Thompson, Gail Goodrich and George Yardley are four of the six individuals inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The other two inductees are Kresimir Cosic and Nancy Lieberman-Cline.
Robert Horry of the Los Angeles Lakers sets an NBA playoff record by making all seven of his 3-point field goal attempts in the Lakers' 103-101 loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Michael Jordan becomes the first player in history to be selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times when the NBA announced the 1997-98 NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams.
Former Syracuse Nationals' star Paul Seymour died after a long battle with heart disease at the age of 70.
Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose each notched 40 points in the Pacers' 108-91 triumph over Philadelphia in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Their productivity gained the duo entrance into an exclusive club, as they became the fourth pair of teammates in NBA history to score 40 or more points in the same playoff game. It was the first time the feat had been accomplished since May 5, 1995, when Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon scored 41 and 40 points, respectively, in a first-round game against Utah.
The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 4-1 in the NBA Finals, capturing their first league championship since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis.
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls got the ball on the right side of the court with his team trailing by one point in the closing seconds of a deciding Game 5 of their 1989 Eastern Conference First Round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jordan drove just inside the top of the key and while falling away from the basket to his left nailed an 18-footer over the outstretched fingertips of leaping Cavaliers' defender Craig Ehlo for a 101-100 victory.
In one of the biggest upsets in NBA Playoff history, the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets eliminated the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics 98-94 in overtime in Game 5 of their Western Conference First Round series at the Seattle Coliseum. The Nuggets, who won the last three games of the series, became the first # 8 seed to upset a # 1 seed since the First Round of the NBA Playoffs went to a best-of-5 format in 1984. Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo fell to the floor after grabbing the final rebound, clutching the ball as tears of joy streamed down his face.
Indiana's Reggie Miller scored eight points (two three-pointers, two game--winning free throws) over the final 16.4 seconds of the game, helping lead the Pacers to a shocking 107-105 come-from-behind win over host New York in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. The Pacers went on to win the series in seven games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Toronto Raptors 109-102 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, winning the series 4-0.
The Knicks claimed their first NBA title by defeating Los Angeles 113-99 in Game 7 of the Finals. New York was led by the inspirational play of injured center Willis Reed, who limped onto the court and scored the game's first two baskets, and guard Walt Frazier, who led the Knicks with 36 points and 19 assists.
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scored 226 points in the Bulls' five-game Eastern Conference first round series against Cleveland, breaking Bernard King's record of 213 set in 1984.
The Los Angeles Lakers held the Utah Jazz to just eight points in the first quarter of Game 1 of their Western Conference semifnials series, a 110-91 Lakers' victory, with the Jazz setting a record low for first quarter points scored in an NBA Playoff game.
Utah's Karl Malone (3,712 points) passed Magic Johnson (3,701) for the sixth position all-time in playoff scoring.
John Nucatola, one of the original referees in the NBA when it was formed as the Basketball Association of America in 1946, dies at the age of 92. Nucatola, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a referee in 1978, was the NBA's Supervisor of Officials from 1970 to 1977. He officiated in more than 2,000 games during his career at the collegiate, Olympic and professional levels. Born November 17, 1907, in New York, Nucatola was once called basketball's "greatest official" by Hall of Famer Clair Bee. After a playing and coaching career of 22 years, Nucatola became a referee in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC). He later went on to officiate games in the ACC and Ivy League and became one of the founders of the College Basketball Officials Association. He officiated in 18 NCAA and 18 NIT tournaments while conducting over 1,200 clinics worldwide.
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Atlanta Hawks 100-99 in the Eastern Conference semifinals for a 4-0 series win.
George and Gordon Gund, co-owners of The Coliseum, assumed ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former NBA legends Lenny Wilkens and K. C. Jones were among three men inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Wilkens would get the call from the Hall again 10 years later, when he was inducted as a coach.
Longtime NBA head coach and former NBA player Buddy Jeannette were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The NBA announced that Stu Jackson, former President and General Manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies, would join the NBA as Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations, effective June 1. On June 6, 2000, the NBA announced that, effective July 1, Jackson would assume the responsibilities previously held by Rod Thorn as head of the NBA's Basketball Operations department. Jackson's new duties would include chairing the league's Competition and Rules Committee, overseeing officiating, and imposing discipline for misconduct by players and coaches. The NBA said Jackson would report to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Russ Granik.
Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly, winner of 2 NBA Championships, dies in Jupiter, Florida at the age of 78.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky-hook with three seconds remaining in the second overtime gave Milwaukee a 102-101 victory over Boston in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics, however, took the deciding seventh game.
Sleepy Floyd of Golden State set NBA playoff records with 29 points in the fourth quarter and 39 points in the second half as the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-121 in Game 4 of the West Semifinals. Floyd finished the game with 51 points.
Former NBA players Julius Erving, Walt Bellamy, Dan Issel, Dick McGuire, Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stephen Curry of the Warriors becomes the first unanimous NBA MVP winner after breaking his own record for 3-pointers in a season (402) and leading Golden State to an NBA-record 73-9 season. In winning the MVP, he became the 11th back-to-back MVP winner in NBA history and the first since Steve Nash in 2004-05 and 2005-06 to accomplish the feat.
Before a capacity crowd of 21,564 at the Richfield Coliseum, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-78 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston went on to win the series 4-2 and later the NBA Championship, but the 1975-76 season still stands as the Miracle of Richfield.
One of the NBA's most memorable moves took place on this date. Julius Erving started out on the right side and drove past Lakers' forward Mark Landsberger along the baseline. As Erving elevated toward the basket, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came over to block a layup attempt. Erving changed course in mid-air and floated behind the backboard to the other side of the basket then wrapped his right arm behind Kareem and laid in a reverse layup. "Here I was trying to win a championship and my mouth just dropped open," recalled Lakers' guard Magic Johnson, then a rookie. "I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out or should we ask him to do it again?'" The Lakers would win the series in six games.
NBA legends Bob Lanier and Connie Hawkins and long-time NBA coach Jack Ramsay were among nine individuals inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Phoenix Suns 153-151 in double-overtime in Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinal Round series, the highest-scoring NBA