“If Tim Duncan had Knicks on his jersey, he’d be a god.” – Tony Parker

Did You Know: Tim Duncan is 2-1 in Game 7s, including a win in Game 7 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

Happy 50th Birthday, Charles Barkley!

Nicknamed “Chuck”, “Sir Charles”, and “The Round Mound of Rebound”, Charles Barkley established himself as one of the NBA’s most dominating power forwards. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 5th pick of the 1984 NBA Draft. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player and during the NBA’s 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States’ Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 2000, Barkley retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a successful career as a television NBA analyst.

Feb. 14, 1966 – Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA scoring record at 20,884 points

The scoring record was previously held by Bob Pettit at 20,880. Chamberlain would eventually finish his career with a total of 31,419 points, which currently ranks him fourth all-time.

Since retiring, Chamberlain’s point total has been surpassed by only Michael Jordan (32,292), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Kobe Bryant (30,913, as of February 13, 2013) is the only active player close to surpassing Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA career scoring leaders list.

Chamberlain holds numerous NBA all-time records in scoring, rebounding and durability categories. He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season. He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists. Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game in a season, a feat he accomplished nine times. He is also the only player to average at least 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over the entire course of his NBA career.

Although he suffered a long string of professional losses, Chamberlain had a successful career, winning two NBA championships, earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, the Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams. Chamberlain was subsequently enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected into the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996.

Feb. 4, 1993 – The Boston Celtics retired Larry Bird’s #33

Bird finished his career with averages of more than 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, while shooting 49.6% from the field, 88.6% from the free throw line and 37.6% from three-point range.

Larry Bird – #33 – Boston Celtics
Drafted sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1978 NBA Draft.
Small Forward | 6’9” | 220 lbs. | Born: December 7, 1956

* Played all 13 seasons with Celtics
* Three-time NBA champion
* Three-time NBA MVP
* No. 33 retired by Celtics
* Named to NBA’s 50th anniversary team
* Twelve-time NBA All-Star
* Two-time NBA Finals MVP
* Three-time Three-point Shootout champion
* Member of the 1992 Dream Team
* Nine-time All-NBA First Team