This Day in NBA Sports History: Jun 2, 1985-2020

The best of this day in NBA sports history. June 2. Wes Unseld dies, Rod Thorn joins the league office, Supersonics reach the finals, Kareem becomes the All-Time scoring champion. What happened on this day in NBA history? Here’s the lowdown on all of the crucial moments in NBA History that have shaped the game. 

Wes Unseld Dies

Washington Bullets legend and Hall of Famer Wes Unseld dies at 74. Unseld was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year in 1969 and led the Bullets to an NBA title in 1978. One of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, Unseld retired in 1981 and took a position in the Bullets’ front office, where he also served as a coach for seven seasons (1987-94).

Rod Thorn Joins the League Office

The New Jersey Nets named Rod Thorn, then the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, as the team’s new president. He joined the league office in February 1986 and was responsible for all on-court operations, including scheduling, officiating, game conduct, and discipline. Thorn, who served as an assistant coach with the Nets from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1976 to 1978, had spent more than four decades in professional basketball, having held roles as player, assistant coach, head coach, general manager, and league referee.

Supersonics Reach the Finals

Seattle, led by Shawn Kemp’s 26 points and Gary Payton’s 21, defeated visiting Utah 90-86 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, earning the SuperSonics a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1979, where they would face Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s Chicago Bulls. That’s why it’s important to this day in NBA Sports History.

Kareem Becomes the All-Time Scoring Champion

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers became the all-time leading scorer in the NBA playoffs, surpassing Jerry West’s 4,457 points. The Lakers defeated Boston 136-111 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a series they would go on to win in six games. Abdul-Jabbar was eventually surpassed in playoff points by Chicago’s Michael Jordan and, most recently, in the 2025 season, by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Final Thoughts: This Day In NBA Sports History

If you missed the last article entitled This Day In NBA Sports History, read about it here on June 1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shawn Kemp, and household names like Wes Unseld have set the stage for the NBA’s success in basketball today. When you think of those names, the first things that come to mind are their performances on the court and lasting legacies.