The Portland Trail Blazers’ championship run culminated on his day 39 years ago with a 109-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, capping one of the most memorable Finals triumphs in NBA history.
They had been heavy underdogs going into the series, even more so when they lost the first two games in late May, losing by 18 points in the second match.
They were always in control of Game 6 though, centre Bill Walton having a massive game with 20 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists and eight blocks.
George McGinnis missed a game-tying jump shot with four seconds left, prompting wild scenes inside the Memorial Coliseum.
The buzzer sounded after the miss and Portland won by 2 points, earning them the title.
Other memorable events on this day:
1952: Jersey Joe Walcott, 38, retains world heavyweight title with unanimous decision over Ezzard Charles.
1994: The New York Knicks advance to NBA finals for the first time since 1973 after a 94-90 Game 7 win sees them beat the Indiana Pacers 4-3.
1999: Steffi Graf wins her sixth French Open title and her first grand slam in almost three years, ranked the 2nd best moment in women’s finals in France, beating No.1 seed Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
