Template:June 8
From Hoopedia
- 1912 - Hall of Famer James Walter Kennedy the NBA's second commissioner (1963-1975) is born in Stamford, Connecticut.
- 1917 - Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White, who played in the inaugural National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship game in 1938, is born in Fort Collins, Colorado.
- 1979 - Owners of the New Orleans Jazz announce that the team will move to Salt Lake City and become the Utah Jazz.
- 1982 - Jamaal Wilkes scores 27 points and Magic Johnson posts three 13s -- 13 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists -- as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia, 114-104, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to win their second NBA title in three years.
- 1984 - As a courtside thermometer registers 98 degrees, Boston’s Larry Bird answers the challenge by shooting 15-for-20 from the field and scoring 34 points in Boston’s 121-103 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “I love to play in the heat” says Bird. “I just run faster and create my own wind.”
- 1986 - The Boston Celtics win their 16th NBA championship over the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird (right) is named series MVP. The Celtics have not won a championship since.
- 2002 - The Orlando Miracle and Cleveland Rockers square off for the longest game in WNBA history, in terms of time. The Miracle claim a 103-99 victory in a 2:57 contest that spans three overtime periods.
- 2005 - Baylor player Carlton Dotson pleads guilty to shooting teammate Patrick Dennehy during an argument. He is sentenced to 35 years in prison.
