Relive some key moments from Kevin Durant's rookie season.
Below is a day-by-day look at landmark moments, games, performances and more from this week in NBA lore.
Oct. 27
Oct. 27, 1956
Tom Heinsohn made his debut for the Boston Celtics at the New York Knicks. The Celtics won 115-112.
NBA TV looks back on Tom Heinsohn's legendary Celtics' career as player and coach.
Oct. 27, 1984
Hakeem Olajuwon (then known as Akeem) made his debut for the Houston Rockets at the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets won 122-111. Additionally, Olajuwon’s future teammate on the Rockets’ 1994 championship team, Otis Thorpe, also made his debut for the Kansas City Kings. The Kings lost that game, 140-119, to the Portland Trail Blazers.
On Oct. 27, 1984, No. 1 pick Akeem Olajuwon made his NBA debut for the Houston Rockets.
Oct. 27, 1992
The Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 104-102 in a preseason game held in Mexico City, before a crowd of 19,527 at the Mexico City Sports Palace. It was the first NBA game ever played in Latin America.
Oct. 27, 2010
Rookies DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Blake Griffin (LA Clippers) and Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz) all make their NBA debuts. They four players combined for 18 All-Star appearances (seven of which by George) and only Cousins won his debut — a 117-116 decision against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Oct. 28
Oct. 28, 1967
Walt Frazier made his debut for the New York Knicks vs. Detroit. The Pistons won 111-98.
Take a look back on the Hall of Fame career of Knicks legend Walt Frazier.
Oct. 28, 1973
Seven-foot center Elmore Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers blocked an NBA-record 17 shots in the Lakers’ 111-98 home victory over Portland.
Oct. 28, 1983
Clyde Drexler made his debut for the Portland Trail Blazers against the San Diego Clippers. Portland won 117-93.
Oct. 28, 1998
The NBA announced that it has canceled all games through November 30 and indefinitely postponed the entire 1998-99 season because of the stalled collective bargaining negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association.
Oct. 28, 1999
Jayson Williams of the New Jersey Nets donates over $2 million to his alma mater, St. John’s, in the name of his former college coach, Lou Carnesecca. Although the exact amount was not revealed, it was believed to be in the neighborhood of the $2.5 million donation that Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Smith made to his alma mater, Michigan State, a few years ago. The amount was the largest donation ever to St. John’s by a professional athlete. Williams said that he wanted to do something to honor Carnesecca, who he looked to as a mentor and a role model.
Oct. 28, 2003
Dwyane Wade made his debut for the Miami Heat against the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami lost 89-74.
Take a look at the 18-point, four-assist performance by Dwyane Wade in his NBA debut for the Heat!
Oct. 28, 2006
Legendary Boston Celtics coach, general manager and president Red Auerbach dies of a heart attack at the age of 89.
Oct. 28, 2008
Derrick Rose made his debut for the Chicago Bulls against the Milwaukee Bucks. Chicago won 108-95.
On, October 28, 2008, Derrick Rose recorded 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists in his debut with the Chicago Bulls.
Oct. 28, 2009
Stephen Curry made his debut for the Golden State Warriors against the Houston Rockets. Golden State lost 108-107.
Check out this longform behind-the-scenes look at Stephen Curry's regular season NBA debut on October 28, 2009.
Oct. 28, 2009
DeMar DeRozan made his debut for the Toronto Raptors against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Toronto won 101-91.
Oct. 28, 2009
James Harden made his debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Sacramento Kings. Oklahoma City won 102-89.
Oct. 28, 2010
John Wall made his debut for the Washington Wizards against the Orlando Magic. Orlando won 112-83.
Oct. 28, 2015
Rookies Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Kristaps Porzingis (New York Knicks), D’Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) all make their NBA debuts. Only Towns, Jokic and Porzingis would get wins on that day.
Oct. 28, 2016
Russell Westbrook scores 51 points in an 113-11- win over the Phoenix Suns.
Oct. 29
Oct. 29, 1961
Oscar Robertson handed out a franchise-record 22 assists during Cincinnati’s 139-132 win over visiting Syracuse. The “Big O” went on to average a triple-double (30.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 11.4 apg) for the Royals during the 1961-62 season, becoming the first NBA player to average double figures in assists.
Oct. 29, 1977
Boston Celtics standout John Havlicek became the second player in NBA history to connect on 10,000 career field goals, reaching the milestone in a 103-98 loss at Cleveland.
Oct. 29, 1982
Dominique Wilkins made his debut for the Atlanta Hawks at Detroit. The Pistons won 94-86.
Check out rookie Dominque Wilkins' highlights from his first game against the Pistons in 1982.
Oct. 29, 1982
James Worthy made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers against Golden State. The Warriors won 132-117.
Take a look at the 20-point, six-rebound performance James Worthy had for the Lakers on Oct. 29, 1982.
Oct. 29, 1994
On the second day of the two-day “NBA Challenge” in Mexico City, a sellout crowd of 21,268 at the Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) watched Seattle defeat San Antonio 124-95 in the championship game. Shawn Kemp led Seattle with 29 points and 10 rebounds. In the third place game, Houston defeated the LA Clippers, 111-103.
Oct. 29, 1996
In conjunction with the NBA’s 50th anniversary celebration, the list of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History was announced. It included: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, George Gervin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Earvin Johnson, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Pete Maravich, Kevin McHale, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell, Dolph Schayes, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens, and James Worthy
In this latest 'NBA Exclusive', go behind the scenes with the stars who were together in Cleveland in '97 for NBA All-Star’s celebration of the 50 greatest players.
Oct. 29, 2001
The now-defunct Fayetteville Patriots won the top selection in the NBDL’s Inaugural Draft Lottery.
Oct. 29, 2003
LeBron James made his NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings on the road, tallying 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 106-92 loss.
Relive LeBron James' rookie season debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003!
Oct. 29, 2003
Chris Bosh made his NBA debut against the New Jersey Nets in the Toronto Raptors’ 90-87 victory.
Then-rookie Chris Bosh states his NBA goals and dreams.
Oct. 29, 2003
Carmelo Anthony made his debut for the Denver Nuggets in an 80-72 win against the San Antonio Spurs.
Take a look back at Carmelo Anthony's 1st NBA game from Oct. 29, 2003.
Oct. 29, 2008
Russell Westbrook made his debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Milwaukee Bucks. Oklahoma City lost 98-87.
Oct. 29, 2008
Kevin Love made his debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Sacramento Kings. Minnesota won 98-96.
Oct. 29, 2010
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo records one of the most impressive triple-doubles in franchise history with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 24 assists in a 105-101 win over the New York Knicks. The 24 assists were the most in a game since 1996.
Oct. 29, 2018
Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors sets an NBA single-game record with 14 made 3-pointers in a 149-124 win over the Chicago Bulls. Thompson broke the mark set by Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (13) in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 7, 2016.
Oct. 29, 2018: Klay Thompson catches fire and makes an NBA-record 14 3-pointers in Chicago, finishing with 52 points in 3 quarters.
Oct. 30
Oct. 30, 1953
Red Holzman made his NBA coaching debut for the Milwaukee Hawks at home against the Minneapolis Lakers. The Hawks won 69-59. This game also marked the debut of Minneapolis’ Clyde Lovellette.
Oct. 30, 1954
Bob Pettit made his debut for the Milwaukee Hawks at home against Ft. Wayne. The Pistons won 91-72.
Relive great career of Hall of Famer Bob Pettit.
Oct. 30, 1954
Frank Ramsey made his debut for the Boston Celtics at Rochester. The Royals won 98-95.
Oct. 30, 1954
The NBA adopted the use of the 24-second clock (the brainchild of Danny Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals) and a limit of six team fouls per quarter, in an attempt to speed up play and eliminate stalling and deliberate fouls.
Oct. 30, 1980
The NBA announced its 35th Anniversary All-Time Team–Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, John Havlicek, George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Jerry West. Russell was voted the greatest player of all time, Red Auerbach of the Celtics the greatest coach and the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers the greatest team ever.
Oct. 30, 1981
Chuck Daly made his NBA coaching debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia. The 76ers won 128-104.
Oct. 30, 1981
Isiah Thomas made his debut for the Detroit Pistons at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pistons won 118-113.
On Oct. 30, 1981, Isiah Thomas recorded 31 points and 11 assists against the Bucks in his NBA debut with the Detroit Pistons.
Oct. 30, 1981
Pat Riley made his NBA coaching debut for the Los Angeles Lakers at home against Houston. The Rockets won 113-112 in double-overtime.
Oct. 30, 1993
In the first preseason game between two NBA teams ever played in Europe, the Orlando Magic, behind 14 fourth-quarter points from Dennis Scott, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 before a sold-out crowd of 9,483 at Wembley Arena in the opening of the two-game NBA London Games series.
Oct. 30, 1996
The WNBA announced the cities of the eight teams that would compete in the WNBA’s inaugural season — Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and New York in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah in the Western Conference.
Oct. 30, 2001
John Stockton stepped onto the floor with the Jazz on Opening Night, beginning his 18th season with the same team, establishing the longest tenure with one organization. Stockton had been tied with Hakeem Olajuwon, whose 17 consecutive seasons with the Houston Rockets ended when he joined the Toronto Raptors during the offseason.
Oct. 30, 2001
Tony Parker makes his NBA debut for the San Antonio Spurs in a 109-98 win against the LA Clippers.
Tony Parker reflects on his rookie season in this diary video from 2001.
Oct. 30, 2002
Amar’e Stoudemire makes his NBA debut for the Phoenix Suns in an 86-73 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.
Oct. 30, 2002
Yao Ming makes his NBA debut for the Houston Rockets in a 91-82 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Go back through Yao Ming's career and count down his top 10 plays in the NBA.
Oct. 30, 2002
On what Mayor Ray Nagin proclaimed as “Teal Day” in the city of New Orleans, the NBA returned to the Big Easy tonight as the Hornets defeated the Utah Jazz 100-75.
Oct. 30, 2013
Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his NBA debut for the Milwaukee Bucks in a 90-83 loss to the New York Knicks.
The Greek Freak: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Relive some great plays from Giannis Antetokounmpo's rookie season.
Oct. 30, 2023
Chris Paul comes off the bench for the first time in 1,366 career games in the Golden State Warriors’ 106-95 win against the Houston Rockets. Since the NBA began tracking starts in 1982, no player had appeared in more games and started them all than Paul had before his streak ended. Including playoffs, Paul started the first 1,365 games of his career.
Oct. 31
Oct. 31, 1950
Earl Lloyd became the first black player to compete in the NBA, playing for the Washington Capitols in a 78-70 road loss to the Rochester Royals.
Oct. 31, 1969
The Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Cincinnati Royals 129-121, giving Lenny Wilkens, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, his first coaching victory.
Oct. 31, 1997
Tim Duncan makes his NBA debut in the San Antonio Spurs’ 107-96 win against the Denver Nuggets.
Tim Duncan recounts his Draft night and rookie season in the league.
Oct. 31, 1997
Tracy McGrady makes his NBA debut in the Toronto Raptors’ 114-101 loss to the Miami Heat.
Oct. 31, 1997
Chauncey Billups makes his NBA debut in the Boston Celtics’ 92-85 win against the Chicago Bulls.
Oct. 31, 2007
Kevin Durant makes his NBA debut in the Seattle SuperSonics’ 120-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
One of the league’s most lethal scorers, Kevin Durant is a 2-time NBA champion and a Kia MVP winner.
Oct. 31, 2012
Damian Lillard makes his NBA debut in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 116-106 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Relive the best moments from Damian Lillard's NBA debut on Oct. 31, 2012.
Oct. 31, 2012
Draymond Green makes his NBA debut in the Golden State Warriors’ 87-85 win against the Phoenix Suns.
Oct. 31, 2012
Anthony Davis makes his NBA debut in the New Orleans Hornets’ 99-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Relive great moments and more from Anthony Davis' debut on Oct. 31, 2012.
Oct. 31, 2015
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors scores 53 points in a 134-120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Oct. 31, 2018
Derrick Rose of the Minnesota Timberwolves career-high 50 points in a 128-125 win over the Utah Jazz.
Relive Derrick Rose's career-high 50-point night vs. Utah on Oct. 31, 2018.
Nov. 1
Nov. 1, 1946
The New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 in the first NBA game, which was played in Toronto. Any fan taller than Toronto’s 6-8 center George Nostrand got in free.
Take a look back at some of the plays & moments from the NBA's inaugural game.
Nov. 1, 1949
Dick McGuire made his debut for the New York Knicks at the Chicago Stags. The Knicks won in overtime 89-87.
Nov. 1, 1949
Ed Macauley made his debut for the St. Louis Bombers against the Tri-City Blackhawks. The Bombers won 72-51.
Nov. 1, 1950
Bill Sharman made his debut for the Washington Capitols at home against the Indianapolis Olympians. The Capitols won 100-84.
Nov. 1, 1950
Bob Cousy made his debut for the Boston Celtics at Ft. Wayne. The Pistons won 107-84.
Bob Cousy was a playmaking maestro in the NBA's early days and a crucial part of Boston's 6 championship teams, too.
Nov. 1, 1986
Brad Daugherty makes his NBA debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 113-106 win against the Washington Bullets.
Nov. 1, 1991
Dikembe Mutombo makes his NBA debut in the Denver Nuggets’ 108-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Check out career highlights from 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee Dikembe Mutombo.
Nov. 1, 1996
Fifty years to the day that the first NBA game was played in Toronto between teams from New York and Toronto, the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 107-99.
Nov. 1, 1996
Ray Allen and Allen Iverson make their NBA debuts for the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. The Bucks won the game 111-103.
Allen Iverson had an incredible rookie debut in 1996, when he scored 30 points in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Steve Nash makes his NBA debut for the Phoenix Suns in their 96-82 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ben Wallace makes his NBA debut for the Washington Wizards in a 96-92 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Nov. 1, 2000
Pat Riley became only the second coach in NBA history to amass 1,000 regular season victories when the Miami Heat opened the season with a 105-79 victory over the Orlando Magic. Riley joined Lenny Wilkens as the only two coaches to achieve the mark.
Nov. 1, 2001
With the No. 1 selection in the inaugural NBDL Draft (known today as the NBA G League), the Fayetteville Patriots selected Chris Andersen, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Blinn (Texas) Community College.
On Nov. 1, 2001, the first G-League draft (then known as the D-League) was held, and Chris Andersen forever became the answer to a trivia question.
Nov. 1, 2001
Pau Gasol makes his NBA debut for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 90-80 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Check out Pau Gasol’s first NBA bucket in 2001, as well as his last NBA bucket in 2019!
Nov. 1, 2005
Chris Paul makes his NBA debut for the New Orleans Hornets in a 93-67 win against the Sacramento Kings.
Check out some behind-the-scenes moments and highlights from Chris Paul's first NBA game on Nov. 1, 2005!
Nov. 1, 2006
Kyle Lowry makes his NBA debut for the Memphis Grizzlies in a 118-117 loss to the New York Knicks.
Nov. 1, 2016
Vince Carter becomes the 24th player in NBA history to score 24,000 career points.
Nov. 2
Nov. 2, 1946
Red Auerbach made his professional coaching debut for the Washington Capitols in a 50-33 road win over the Detroit Falcons.
Nov. 2, 1949
Slater Martin and Vern Mikkelsen made their debuts for the Minneapolis Lakers at the Philadelphia Warriors. The Lakers won 81-69.
Nov. 2, 1990
The Golden State Warriors registered a 162-158 win over the Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena, with the 320 points setting an NBA record for the most points scored by two teams in a non-overtime game.
Nov. 2, 1990
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz 119-96 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan in the first regular season game played outside North America by any major professional sports league. The teams also met the next night in Tokyo, with the Jazz winning 102-101.
Nov. 2, 1996
The Heat’s Pat Riley became the eighth coach to win 800 games in Miami’s 97-95 win at Indiana. Riley accomplished this feat two weeks shy of his 15th coaching anniversary — quicker than any coach in NBA history.
Nov. 2, 1999
NBA.com tipped off the 1999-2000 season at 7 p.m. (ET) with a seven-hour, live simulcast of the debut of NBA.com TV, the league’s new 24-hour television network. NBA.com also offered for the first time free Japanese-language audio broadcasts of the 1999 NBA Japan Games, featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings in two regular season games at the Tokyo Dome, Nov. 6 and 7. Produced at NBA Entertainment’s facility in Secaucus, N.J., NBA.com TV combines real-time statistics, scores, and news from NBA.com with live studio-based programming, real-time “look-ins” of NBA games, game highlights, vintage NBA games, NBA videos and special programming from the award-winning archives of NBA
Nov. 2, 1999
LA Clippers rookie Lamar Odom scored 30 points in his NBA debut, a 104-92 loss to Seattle.
Nov. 2, 2005
Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum becomes the youngest player ever to play in a regular season NBA game at 18 years, six days, breaking Jermaine O’Neal’s 10-year old record by 46 days.
Nov. 2, 2013
Four-time NBA All-Star Walt Bellamy, a Hall of Famer, dies at the age of 74.
Take a look at the life of Walt Bellamy.
