Stacey Augmon gained the nickname "Plastic Man" due to his athletic ability to "stretch". When he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the ninth pick of the 1991 NBA Draft, Bill Walton famously said "Russell begat Kareem, Kareem begat Magic, and so Magic has begat the Plastic Man."

The first professional basketball league was founded in 1898. Six teams took part in the National Basketball League, and the first champions were the Trenton Nationals, followed by the New York Wanderers, the Bristol Pile Drivers and the Camden Electrics. The league was abandoned in 1904.

In 1984, the league renamed the trophy to honor outgoing NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien. O'Brien, who served as commissioner from 1975-84, was previously the Postmaster General under Lyndon Johnson and a chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Billed as the "World's Most Famous Arena", Madison Square Garden is home to the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Liberty.

Cousy was initially drafted as the third overall pick in the first round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, but after he refused to report, he was picked up by Boston. Cousy had a very successful career with the Celtics, playing on six championship teams, being voted into 13 NBA All-Star Games, and winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1957.

With 3,830 total blocks, Hakeem Olajuwon holds the record for most career blocks.

More commonly known as Dr. J, Julius Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets (now the NBA's Brooklyn Nets) and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.

Michael Jordan was the first player in NBA history to lead the league both in scoring and steals in the same season (1987-88, 1989-90, 1992-93).

San Diego Rockets were founded as an expansion team in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston.

Dick Motta served as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks from 1980-87 and again from 1994-96.