NBA

This Day in NBA Sports History: May 22, 1963-2020

By MJ Aranda-Norman May 22, 2025 · 2 min read

The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 22. Coach Jerry Sloan passed away, Toronto’s team nickname, Dominique Wilkins vs Larry Bird, and the NBA heads to Philadelphia. What happened on this day in NBA history?

May 22, 2020

Legendary coach Jerry Sloan died at 78. At his passing, Sloan’s 1,221 career wins were the fourth-highest total in NBA history. Since Sloan became the head coach of the Utah Jazz, he helped the team advance to the playoffs 16 seasons in a row. He has led the Jazz to 6 division championships, 10 seasons with over 50 wins, and two NBA Finals, both of which were lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

May 22, 1994

Toronto officially unveiled the Raptors as the team’s nickname. Toronto was scheduled to enter the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1995-96. The NBA officially named Toronto the 28th franchise in November 1993. Along with the Raptors, the Vancouver Grizzlies entered the NBA in 1995, becoming the first two teams based in Canada. The Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, leaving the Raptors as the lone Canadian franchise.

May 22, 1988

Considered one of the 60 greatest NBA playoff moments, the duel between Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird featured a basket-after-basket exchange in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston ultimately won 118-116.

Wilkins finished with 47 points and Bird 34, with 20 coming in the fourth quarter. Wilkins recalled, “I couldn’t miss. He couldn’t miss. That’s the greatest game I’ve ever played or seen anyone play.

They were two guys who didn’t want to lose.” The teams shot .588% from the field, the second-highest mark in playoff history.

May 22, 1963

The NBA approved the franchise shift of the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia. The franchise was purchased by Philadelphia’s Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman.