December 5

From Hoopedia

• 1895 - The first basketball game played in China takes place at the Tianjin (then called Tientsin) YMCA, under the guidance of Dr. Willard Lyon.

• 1979 - Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers breaks his second backboard of the season in a game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Philadelphia Spectrum.

• 1995 - Portland's Jermaine O'Neal becomes the youngest player ever to play in a regular season NBA game at 18 years, one month and 22 days of age. That recorded lasted until Andrew Bynum broke it in 2005. O'Neal breaks the record set by Bill Willoughby of the Atlanta Hawks in 1975.

• 1997 - Former Arizona State Sun Devils players Steven Smith and Isaac Burton, Jr. plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit sports bribery in a point shaving scheme. They admitted taking payoffs for shaving points in four Arizona State home games in the 1993-94 season.