NBA league was founded over 70 years ago and a lot of strange things have happened during its existence. While most NBA fans only remember record-breaking performances by the league's best players and teams, there have been some performances and events many fans don't know about.
In this article, we will write about some unusual records and stories that happened in the league's history.
Elgin Baylor's NBA finals record
Baylor played during the early years of the NBA as he entered the league in 1958, just 12 years after it was founded. He spent his entire career playing for the Lakers and was one of the best rebounders in the league's history, despite being only 6-foot-5.
In his best season, Elgin Baylor averaged 38.3 points and 18.5 rebounds per game.
What makes Baylor's career very interesting is the fact that he reached NBA finals eight times, yet he never won a championship ring. His 0-8 record in the finals is the worst among all players in league's history. It is important to note that Baylor performed well in the finals and he even holds the record for most points scored in a finals game with 61. However, his team was matched up against the tough Boston Celtics, who won eight straight championships.
Miami and Atlanta played two games in one night
On March 8, 2008, Miami Heat were set to play against the Atlanta Hawks, and the NBA decided they will replay the previous game between these two teams the same night.
The reason for replay was the incorrect call on Shaquille O'Neal in their previous game. This call fouled out the big man and allowed the Hawks to finish off the Heat, winning the game 117 to 111.
The league decided that the Hawks and the Heat will replay the last 52 seconds of their last game before they start the regular game.
Miami had a possession and were down by 3 points, but they failed to make a shot. Atlanta also missed their shots, but they ended up winning the game as no team converted a field goal. The Heat once again played without O'Neal, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns between these two games against the Hawks.
After the game, both teams took a 15-minute break before playing another one.
Coincidentally, the Atlanta Hawks won it again by 3 points, earning two wins in one night. These wins were very important for them as they were fighting to make the playoffs. At the end, the Hawks did make the playoffs as the eighth seed, but they were eliminated in the first round.
Kobe Bryant has most misses in NBA history
Despite being one of the best players to ever play in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has most misses than any other player in the league's history. Bryant was a volume shooter during his glorious NBA career, and that is the biggest reason why he ranks at the top of the all-time misses list.
In his 20-year career, Black Mamba missed 14481 shots in the regular season. To put it into perspective, John Havlicek is ranked second on this list, and he missed 13417 shots in his career.
Dirk Nowitzki has most misses among active players with 11912, which ranks him seventh on the list. It is interesting that Bryant also ranks first in the all-time playoff misses with 2485. Second place is taken by Michael Jordan who had 2309 missed field goals and LeBron James is ranked third with 2221.
Insane height difference: Bol & Bogues
Muggsy Bogues was only 5-foot-3 and he is the shortest player to ever play in the NBA. In 1987/88 season, Bogues' teammate was Manute Bol, who was 7-foot-7 and the tallest player in the league's history. This duo represents the biggest height difference in the NBA history, which was the mind-blowing 28 inches!
There's an interesting legend about Manute Bol, who was born in Sudan.
According to it, the former NBA center killed a lion in his youth. Another interesting thing is that when Bol wanted to get married, his father offered 35 cows to the father of the girl he liked, as cows were symbols of wealth and it was a tradition to exchange cows during marriage proposals. However, 35 cows were not enough and the girl eventually married the man who offered her 50 of them.
His teammate, Muggsy Bogues, blocked 39 shots during his 14-year NBA career. Despite being the shortest player to ever play in the league, Bogues managed to block some much taller players, including the 7-footer Patrick Ewing.
Pete Maravich predicted his future...and his death
Pete Maravich was one of the most popular NBA players and one of the best ball-handlers of all time.
Pistol Pete is one of the youngest players ever inducted to the basketball Hall of Fame and according to it, he was "perhaps the greatest creative offensive talent in history".
In 1974, Maravich had an interview with the Beaver County Times and he said, "I don't want to play 10 years in the NBA and die of heart attack at age 40." Back then, the guard was playing in his fourth season in the NBA, averaging the career-high 27.7 points per game. As it turned out, Maravich ended up playing ten years in the league, and he died of heart failure when he was 40.
