This Day in Basketball History
1969 - A young man's game
When the 1968-69 regular season officially ended on March 24th, two rookies sat on top of the heap, and capped off a couple of the NBA's most successful freshman campaigns by bringing home some serious hardware.
The NBA draft has always been more of a crapshoot than an exact science, but the San Diego Rockets (soon to relocate to Houston) and Baltimore Bullets (soon to shuffle over to Washington), absolutely nailed the top two picks in 1968, taking Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld, respectively.
Each team saw its win total jump at least 20 games with the new rooks on board, with Unseld's Bullets posting the league's best record a year after missing the playoffs. Hayes averaged 28.4 points to lead the league, becoming the first (and so far only) rookie since Wilt Chamberlain to earn that distinction. For his part in the Bullets' stunning turnaround, Unseld was awarded both Rookie of the Year and MVP. The only other player to do that? You guessed it: Wilt Chamberlain.
1979/1981/1999 - Retirement ceremony season
It turns out March 24th has been a popular day for jersey retirement ceremonies, especially for iconic cult favorites. In 1979 it was the Portland Trail Blazers making center Lloyd Neal's no. 36 the first they ever retired. Neal only played six full NBA seasons and never made an All-Star team, but was beloved in Portland for his tenacity and heart, which allowed him to overcome some familiar knocks about his lack of size for his position. He helped the Blazers win their only championship in 1977, but had his career cut prematurely short by a knee injury in 1979.
In 1981, the New York Knicks honored one of the most prominent members of its legendary 1970s squads in Dave DeBusschere, who, along with Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and coach Red Holzman, won championships in 1970 and 1973, still the only titles in franchise history. DeBusschere would go on to have a successful run as an NBA executive, first in the ABA's New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) front office, then as ABA commissioner, and later as director of basketball operations for the Knicks. He died of a heart attack in 2003.
In 1999 in was Nate McMillan's turn, as the Seattle SuperSonics retired his no. 10. McMillan, a point guard who spent his entire 12-year career with Seattle, never averaged more than 7.6 points in a season. But much like Lloyd Neal, McMillan won the love and respect of Sonics fans with his grit, savvy, and hard-nosed defense, ultimately earning himself the nickname "Mr. Sonic." McMillan still shares the NBA rookie record (with Ernie DiGregorio) for most assists in a game with 25. He stayed with the Sonics organization after retiring in 1998,serving as their head coach from 2001-05.
Birthdays
1958 - Mike Woodson
1983 - T.J. Ford
1984 - Chris Bosh