Zeke Freak
On this day in 1985, the Detroit Pistons’ Isiah Thomas scored 25 points, dished out 24 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds in a double-overtime loss to the Washington Bullets. Thomas is one of only five players in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 20 assists, and 10 rebounds in a game (a total of 10 instances):
Oscar Robertson (3 times)
Russell Westbrook (3 times)
Magic Johnson (2 times)
Isiah Thomas
Luka Doncic
Teammate Bill Laimbeer snagged a game-high 21 rebounds. Thomas and Laimber are one of only four sets of teammates since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 20-assist game and a 20-rebound game, respectively, in the same game (a total of five instances):
Isiah Thomas & Bill Laimbeer (Feb. 7, 1985)
John Stockton & Karl Malone (March 22, 1988)
Stockton & Malone (April 20, 1988)
Jalen Rose & Jermaine O’Neal (April 18, 2001)
Chris Duhon & David Lee (Nov. 29, 2008)
Steve Nash’s Birthday
On this day in 1974, Hall of Famer Steve Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. An eight-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Nash averaged 14.3 PPG and 8.5 APG in 1,217 career games.
Nash had four qualifying seasons in which he shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line, the most such seasons in NBA history. The only other player to record multiple such seasons is Larry Bird with two.
Nash is one of only three players in NBA history with career shooting percentages of at least 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free throw line:
Stephen Curry (42.8%, 90.9%)
Steve Nash (42.8%, 90.4%)
Mark Price (40.2%, 90.4%)
Nash ranks fifth on the NBA’s all-time assist list with 10,335. He led the league in total assists six times, tied for the third-most such seasons in NBA history:
9 — John Stockton
8 — Bob Cousy
6 — Steve Nash
6 — Oscar Robertson
4 — Kevin Porter
Garnett Reaches Milestone
On this day in 2013, the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in a 116-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Garnett reached 25,000 career points when he hit an 11-foot turnaround fadeaway with 8:08 remaining in the second quarter.
Garnett is one of only four players in NBA history to reach career totals of 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kevin Garnett
LeBron James
Karl Malone
Garnett had three seasons in which he was his team’s outright leader in total points, rebounds, and assists. Only three players in NBA history have recorded more such seasons: LeBron James (5), Nikola Jokic (5), and Elgin Baylor (4).
Wilt Scores 65
On this day in 1966, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Wilt Chamberlain scored 65 points and grabbed 29 rebounds in a 132-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain made 28 of his 43 shots from the field, setting a still-standing franchise record for most field goals attempted in a game.
This was one of 32 career 60-point games for Chamberlain, by far the most such games in NBA history:
32 — Wilt Chamberlain
6 — Kobe Bryant
4 — Michael Jordan
4 — James Harden
4 — Damian Lillard
3 — Elgin Baylor
Chamberlain is responsible for 32 of the 81 games in NBA history in which a player scored at least 60 points (39.5%). He’s the only player to record a 60-point game for multiple franchises, having done so with the Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers.