This Day in Basketball History

1984 - The NBA's first All-Star Saturday

The NBA holds events on the Saturday of All-Star Weekend for the first time. Larry Nance of the Phoenix Suns wins the inaugural Slam Dunk Contest, beating favorites Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins in Denver. There was no 3-point competition until the following year in 1985.

1988 - Pistons draw record crowd

A Boston Celtics-Detroit Pistons game at the Pontiac Silverdome draws a then-NBA regular-season record 61,983 fans. The record lasts more than 10 years, until the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks draw 62,046 to the Georgia Dome in March 1998.

Birthdays

1955 - Greg Ballard
1967 - Stacey King
1985 - Marc Gasol
1992 - Markel Brown