Today in NBA History: April 6

On April 6, 1995 Danny Ainge of the Phoenix Suns hit two three-pointers in a victory over the Washington Wizards, making him the third player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career three-pointers. The current Celtics general manager joined Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller in accomplishing the feat. Ainge was a 37.8% three-point shooter in his career, and finished with 1002 in his 16 year career. Amazingly, 62 other players have surpassed that mark since Ainge, with several more close to reaching 1,000. As three-pointers have become more integrated into the game, the milestone has become less meaningful than it once was. Celtics sharpshooter Ray Allen now sits atop the list of most career three-pointers with 2708 and counting.

On April 6, 1996 Robert Parish of the Charlotte Hornets played his 1,561st game, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most games played in NBA history. Parish would go on to play 1,611 games, a record that still stands today. The Hall of Fame center entered the league in 1976 and played 21 seasons, finishing his 20-year career at age 43 with the Chicago Bulls. The Louisiana native played for the Warriors, Celtics, Hornets and Bulls, averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. Parish won three championships with the Celtics and one with the Bulls, and was part of the original “Big 3” with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. This record could be in tact for quite some time, as the closest active player is Jason Kidd with 1309 games played.

On April 6, 1998 Michael Jordan became the first player in NBA history to be named to the All-Defensive First Team nine times. In case you forgot how good MJ was, here are some more statistics and awards to remind you: Six NBA Championships, five NBA Finals MVP, five MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, 14 All-Star selections,  1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 1988-89 Defensive Player of the Year, etc. Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals in 15 seasons in the NBA. Jordan now runs the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, proving that being great at basketball doesn’t translate to the front office. Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have since joined Jordan at nine All-Defensive First Team selections.

 

Thanks to www.courant.com for the picture.