On Feb. 24, the NBA had some records happen from basketball greats as well as a memorial service for the tragic passing of an NBA legend. There were also some sports history moments, along with Olympic achievements.
NBA Records and Remembering a Legend
This day has witnessed great streaks, records from basketball greats, and a celebration of life:
- 1978: Kevin Porter of the New Jersey Nets sets an NBA record with 29 assists in a game.
- 1982: The Boston Celtics begin an 18-game winning streak.
- 1987: Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 36,000th point in a 97-93 win over the Suns in Phoenix.
- 2020: A memorial service for Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kobe died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, on January 26th, 2020. Four other people died in the crash, including his daughter Gigi Bryant.
Sports History
This day has also seen some great remarkable individual achievements:
- 1932: Malcolm Campbell sets the world land speed record with a speed of 253.96 mph, driving his famous Blue Bird car at Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1982: Wayne Gretzky scores an NHL-record 78th goal of the season. At the end of the season, The Great One would end up with 92 goals.
- 1989: Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Duran wins fourth world title in different weight divisions when he beats Iran Barkley in a 12-round split decision in Atlantic City. The 37-year-old Duran won the WBC middleweight title.
Winter Olympics
Some of these Olympic moments include ski jumping and the men's USA hockey Gold medal finish:
- 1952: Norway goes 1-2 in the men's ski jumping event at the Oslo Winter Olympics, with Arnfinn Bergmann winning gold ahead of teammate Torbjorn Falkanger.
- 1960: Austria goes 1-2 in the men's slalom at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. Ernst Hintersteer wins gold ahead of teammate Hias Leitner.
- 1980: The USA ice hockey team clinches the gold medal with a 4-2 win over Finland at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The win came after the 4-3 "Miracle on Ice" victory against the Soviet Union.
- 1988: Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykanen wins his third gold medal at the Calgary Winter Olympics, as part of the winning large hill team. He was the normal and large hill individual champion.
Looking back on Feb. 24, there were some great moments in hockey history and, of course, a sad moment for the NBA. The 1980 U.S. men's hockey team's run to the gold featured the "Miracle on Ice," which remains one of the greatest moments in American sports history. Wayne Gretzky's 92 goals in a single season is still the most ever, and he also holds the second-highest mark with 87. Finally, Kobe Bryant's Mamba Mentality and cultural impact on basketball are considered by some to be just as significant as his accolades and records.
