On This Day (April 3)

Notable events from NBA history that occurred on April 3.

Postseason High for Kareem

On this day in 1970, rookie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored a postseason career-high 46 points as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 115-106 in Game 5 of the Eastern Division Semifinals, taking the series four games to one. The only rookie in NBA history to score more points in a playoff game is Wilt Chamberlain, who did so twice (53 and 50 points).

Abdul-Jabbar also hauled in a game-high 25 rebounds. He’s one of only three players in NBA history to record at least 45 points and 25 rebounds in a playoff game (a total of seven instances):

• Wilt Chamberlain (5 times)

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• Hakeem Olajuwon

Abdul-Jabbar averaged 36.2 PPG and 15.8 RPG for the series, shooting 58.3% from the field. Abdul-Jabbar is one of only six players in NBA history to average at least 35 PPG and 15 RPG in a playoff series, and he’s one of only three players to do so multiple times (Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain).