On This Day (Dec. 4)
On This Day (Dec. 4)
Notable events from NBA history that occurred on December 4.
Bernard King’s Birthday
On this day in 1956, Hall of Famer Bernard King was born in Brooklyn, New York. A four-time All-Star and one-time scoring champion, King had career averages of 22.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 874 games.
King shot 51.8% from the field for his career. Excluding active players, only five players in NBA history have averaged at least 20 PPG with a higher field goal percentage:
58.2% — Shaquille O’Neal
55.9% — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
54.1% — Charles Barkley
54.0% — Adrian Dantley
54.0% — Wilt Chamberlain
A clutch scorer, King scored at least 40 points in 25% of his career playoff games (seven out of 28), the second-highest such percentage in NBA history among players with at least 15 games played:
28.6% — Luka Doncic (8/28)
25.0% — Bernard King (7/28)
21.2% — Michael Jordan (38/179)
14.1% — Allen Iverson (10/71)
13.1% — Jerry West (20/153)
Scoring Milestone for West
On this day in 1973, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jerry West compiled 26 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, and five steals in a 120-103 win over the Phoenix Suns. The 35-year-old West became the third player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.
West played just 31 games that season due to a strained groin. He retired at the end of the campaign due to a contract disagreement with Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke.
Elite Company for Bellamy
On this day in 1964, the Baltimore Bullets’ Walt Bellamy scored 37 points and grabbed 37 rebounds in a loss to the San Francisco Warriors. The 37 rebounds were a career high and are still the Washington Wizards’ single-game record.
Bellamy is one of only five players in NBA history to record a 35-point, 35-rebound game:
Wilt Chamberlain (35 times)
George Mikan
Bob Pettit
Walt Bellamy
Jerry Lucas
2,000 Threes for Curry
On this day in 2017, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists in a 125-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He made five 3-pointers, becoming the eighth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career 3-pointers made.
Curry reached that mark in 597 games, 74 fewer than any other player in NBA history:
597 — Stephen Curry
671 — Damian Lillard
760 — James Harden
824 — Ray Allen
1,015 — Kyle Korver
Career High for Dantley
On this day in 1982, the Utah Jazz’s Adrian Dantley scored a career-high 57 points in a 131-124 victory over the Chicago Bulls. He made 20 of his 27 shots from the field (74.1%) and 17 of his 22 free throws (77.3%).
This was one of six 50-point games Dantley recorded with the Jazz, the most such games in franchise history. It’s one of four games in which he scored at least 50 points on 70% shooting from the field, the third-most such games in NBA history:
10 — Wilt Chamberlain
6 — Michael Jordan
4 — Adrian Dantley
3 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar