This Day In NBA Sports History: May 14, 1980-2003

The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 14. A Hall of Famer dies, Magic Johnson’s second retirement, Larry Bird clinches No. 14, and a not-so-good record in the finals. What happened on this special day?

May 14, 2003

Dave DeBusschere died in New York at the age of 62. He was an NBA Hall of Fame player, NBA coach, and commissioner of the ABA.

May 14, 1996

Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the NBA for the second time after returning to the NBA after four years of retirement. He returned to the Lakers as a coach, winning five of his first six games, but his coaching career was short-lived; his record was five wins and 11 losses. Johnson played 32 games in the regular season and his last four playoff games against the Houston Rockets.

May 14, 1981

The Boston Celtics won their 14th NBA Championship in Game 6 of the Finals, defeating Houston 102-91. Larry Bird scored 27 points and Cedric Maxwell added 19 to lead the Celtics to victory.

May 14, 1980

Not all records are good. Johnson set an NBA Finals record for turnovers, with 10 in Game 5 against Philadelphia. The Lakers still won 108-103 in Los Angeles. He redeemed himself with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in the following game in Philadelphia. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s absence due to an ankle injury allowed Johnson to play center, which yielded spectacular results.