This Day in NBA History (June 13)
This Day in NBA History (June 13)
1989: The Detroit Pistons completed a Finals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 105-97 Game 4 victory, winning the first NBA title in franchise history.
1993: The Phoenix Suns downed the host Chicago Bulls 129-121 in triple-overtime in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, only the second triple-OT game in Finals history. The other was in the 1976 NBA Finals, when the Celtics defeated Phoenix 128-126 in Game 5 at Boston Garden. Kevin Johnson of Phoenix set a Finals record by playing 62 minutes and teammate Dan Majerle set a mark by playing 59 minutes without committing a personal foul.
2000: Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo was named one of the 20 winners of the President’s Service Awards, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service. The honor was presented to Mutombo during ceremonies at the White House. Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National Service, the Awards are the most prestigious national recognition given for volunteer community service directed at solving the country’s critical social problems. Created in 1982, the President’s Service Awards also provide the opportunity to focus public attention on the important efforts made by the nation’s volunteers, who now number more than 109 million people of all ages. In addition to the 20 award winners, 31 individuals and organizations have been named citationists or finalists. Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to aid poor and disadvantaged people in his native country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). He personally donated $3 million for construction of a 300-bed general hospital in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, and spearheaded the effort to raise another $12 million needed to complete the project. Additionally, he was actively involved in the country’s efforts to vaccinate 10 million children under the age of five.
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