This Day in NBA Sports History: May 19, 1976-2021

The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 19. The Western Conference Play-in Tournament, the Clippers win the draft lottery, Magic Johnson is named MVP, and Kevin Garnett celebrates a birthday. What happened on this day in NBA history?

May 19, 2021

In the opening games of the State Farm NBA Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs 100-96 with a strong game from Dillon Brooks, who scored 24 points, 8 of them in the fourth quarter. Jonas Valanciunas had a great game, adding 23 rebounds and 23 points, and Ja Morant added 20 points and six assists.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 103-100. The Warriors could not secure a victory despite Stephen Curry’s 37 points. The Lakers secured the seventh seed with their victory, while the Grizzlies advanced to face the Warriors in another Play-In game with the eighth seed at stake.

May 19, 2009

The Los Angeles Clippers won the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft lottery. They used the first overall draft pick to draft Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma. This was the Clippers’ first lottery win since the 1998 NBA Draft, when they selected Michael Olowokandi out of the University of the Pacific.

May 19, 1987

Magic Johnson, guard from Los Angeles Lakers was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 23.9 ppg and a league-high 12.2 assists. He became the first guard in 23 years to gain that honor.

May 19, 1976

On this day in Greenville, S.C., 15-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett was born. Kevin Maurice Garnett, aka “The Big Ticket,” played 21 seasons in the NBA, considered one of the best power forwards of all time. He was recognized for his intensity. He is one of five players to have won both the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

He jumped directly from high school to the NBA in 1995, selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2007 he was traded to the Celtics helping the team to prevail the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.