This Day in NBA Sports History: May 10, 1974-2022

The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 10. Hall of Famer farewell, Mr. Triple-Double, unanimous MVP, the 8 beat the 1, the most watched game on TV, Hall of Fame inductions, a playoff record, and a sky-hook for a game 7. I hope you are not in your office reading sports news because we’ll cover much of what happened over the years. Without further ado, let’s get started.

May 10, 2022

Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, dies at 73. Lanier was an 8-time All-Star who was well-known after his playing days for his community service work and as a respected ambassador of the game.

May 10, 2021

With 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists, Russell Westbrook surpassed Oscar Robertson for the all-time lead in triple-doubles in a Wizards’ 125-124 loss. The mark set by Robertson that had stood since his retirement in 1974 took 47 years to break. Westbrook’s performance was his 182nd career triple-double. Click here to see this historical moment.

May 10, 2016

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors became the first unanimous NBA MVP winner. That year, he broke his record for 3-pointers in a season, making 402, and led Golden State to an NBA-record 73-9 season.

In winning the MVP, he became the 11th back-to-back MVP winner in NBA history and the first since Steve Nash in 2004-05 and 2005-06 to accomplish the feat.

May 10, 2012

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of their first-round series to advance. Led by Andre Iguodala’s 20-point game, the No. 8-seeded 76ers upset the No. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls, marking the first time that happened in the first round in back-to-back years.

May 10, 1995

When Michael Jordan returned from retirement for the first time, all the hype was for the Bulls series against the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference: Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, and Horace Grant of the Orlando Magic.

Eventually, the Chicago team lost the series. Still, Chicago’s 104-94 win over host Orlando in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Round series drew a 7.9 rating on TNT. It was viewed in an average of better than five million homes, making it, at the time, the most-watched NBA game ever on cable television. After this loss, the Chicago Bulls became the NBA champions for the next 3 years in a row.

May 10, 1993

Julius Erving, Walt Bellamy, Dan Issel, Dick McGuire, Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

May 10, 1987

Sleepy Floyd of the Golden State Warriors set the NBA playoff record for most points in the second and fourth quarters, with 29 points in the fourth quarter and 39 points in the second half, as the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-121 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

May 10, 1974

With three seconds remaining in the second overtime, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives Milwaukee a 102-101 victory over Boston in Game 6 of the NBA Finals with his famous sky-hook. Check out the highlights and the winning shot here. The Celtics, however, took the deciding seventh game.