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Most Significant Sports History on December 4th
Learn about December 4th's most significant sports history including Kobe's game-winner over D-Wade, 3PM and rushing records, and more!
Noah Graham / Getty Images
Giving way to one of the late Kobe Bryant’s iconic buzzer-beating game-winners, December 4th is known for a number of significant feats by legendary players. Two rookie RBs made NFL history exactly twenty years apart, and Steph Curry cemented his legacy as one of, if not the greatest shooter in NBA history. Additionally, Andrew Wiggins set a Timberwolves franchise record just a few months before becoming Curry’s teammate in the Bay.
YEAR: 2009
SIGNIFICANCE: Kobe Bryant drilled an iconic game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer on Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade
In 2009 on this exact date, Kobe Bryant gifted the world an early Christmas present by adding to his prestigious catalog of captivating clutch-shots. It was an all-out duel between shoo-in HOF two-guards Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant who put on a gorgeous game for their respective Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers sides at the Staples Center. The Heat held onto a slim 107-105 lead with 3.2 seconds. However, everybody in the arena knew when the “Black Mamba” is around, no lead is ever safe with his strikes being as potent as they are precise.
Directly off the inbound pass, Wade took on the nearly impossible task of guarding a vintage Kobe Bryant who quickly maneuvered to the top of the key and proceeded to put up a prayer left-legged 3-point shot. The ball released from the unwavering hands of Bryant, then found its way to the sweet spot of the backboard and was drilled home as the buzzer sounded to give Bryant 33 points and cap off an exhilarating win for L.A. This was their eighth straight victory and would move them to 15-3 on the young season in which they would go on to win the championship.
YEAR: 2017 & 2019
SIGNIFICANCE: Stephen Curry became the quickest to make 2K career 3’s AND Andrew Wiggins broke the T-Wolves’ 3PM record
As the only unanimous MVP in league history, Golden State Warrior Steph Curry has made his mark on the world, ushering in a new era of basketball known as the 3-point revolution. While he has plenty of gas left in the tank, he’s already made impressive headway. On this date in 2017, he became the fastest player to make 2,000 career 3-pointers in only 597 games — destroying Ray Allen’s efficient record of 824 games. Curry is also one of just eight players in NBA history with 2,000 or more 3-pointers made. To bolster his resume even more, Steph is already third in total made 3-pointers with 2,495, averaging 3.6 per game at a proficient 43.5% rate.
Adding to this day’s significance, a year ago the No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins blew by Anthony Peeler on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ list for most franchise made 3-point shots with his 466th three-pointer. Achieving this only took the Canadian Wiggins until the age of 24 to topple the previous record. Wiggins would end up getting traded to the Golden State Warriors a couple months later where he’d play alongside “Splash Brothers” Step Curry and Klay Thompson. The Timberwolves’ 3-point record stands at 520 where Wiggins left it, but big man Karl Anthony-Towns continues to creep up on that number with 507 and counting.
Andrew Wiggins hits his @Timberwolves franchise record-setting 466th 3-pointer❗️ #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/mkug8ep7UZ
— NBA (@NBA) December 5, 2019
OTD in 1977 @dallascowboys legend @Tony_Dorsett, as a rookie, recorded his lone 200-yard rushing game. pic.twitter.com/j4bXCvaINN
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) December 4, 2013
YEAR: 1977 & 1997
SIGNIFICANCE: Tony Dorsett rushed for 200 YDS as a rookie AND Corey Dillon broke the rookie record (246 RUSH YDS)
Trading a first and three second-rounders for the right to draft Tony Dorsett at second overall in the 1977 Draft, to say that he arrived in Dallas with lofty expectations would be an understatement. A Heisman-winning National Champion at Pittsburgh, he prompted the trade by informing the expansion Seahawks he would not sign if selected by Seattle at number two. Though some thought his smaller frame (5’11”, 192 lbs) would prove detrimental to his career longevity, the future HOFer provided an instant impact for the Cowboys as a rookie, breaking the 1,000-yard threshold with 12 TDs in 14 games (only 4 starts).
On this date in a 24-14 victory over the Eagles, Dorsett became just the third rookie in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game, joining Jim Brown (1957) and Tommy Wilson (1956) with a 206-yard performance. Finding the end zone twice, he finished the day by ripping off a monster 84-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to all but seal the victory. Along with Rookie of the Year honors, Dorsett would be a key cog in the Cowboys run to Super Bowl XII and became the very first player to win a college National Championship, then the Super Bowl in the following season.
20 years later to the exact date, Bengals rookie Corey Dillon joined that same group but took it to a new level. On 39 carries in a 41-14 blowout of the Tennessee Oilers, he totaled 246 rushing yards to break Jim Brown’s 40-year rookie record of 237 yards. Scoring four TDs in addition to the record yardage output, “Clock Killin” Dillon essentially single-handedly sealed the Thursday night victory by carrying (pun intended) Cincinnati to a 38-0 third-quarter lead.
During his rookie season in 1997, Corey Dillon rushed 39 times for 246 yards and 4 TD's in a 41-14 win over the #Oilers breaking Jim Brown's rookie single game record that had stood for 40 years. here's clip of CD breaking record - FUN GAME! #bengals #CincinnatiFootballHistory pic.twitter.com/KzcGsqiW3Z
— Bengal Jim’s BTR (@bengaljims_BTR) March 19, 2020
This Day in Sport History - 1996 - Orlando Magic tie NBA record of fewest points scored since inception of 24 second with 84-57 loss.
— Tactics IQ Limited (@TacticsIQ) December 4, 2011
YEAR: 1996
SIGNIFICANCE: Orlando Magic scored the fewest points in a game since the inception of the shot clock era
On this day in 1996, a rather unattractive contest comprised of lackluster scoring took place between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the subpar Orlando Magic in their first year after Shaq departed for Los Angeles. The two teams sat at a balanced head-to-head record of 15-12 in the Cavaliers advantage, but this game’s outcome was more lop-sided than their matchup’s history indicated.
The Magic’s horrific scoring was mind-boggling and stands as a dark spot on the Orlando franchise’s reputation, losing the brutal beatdown 84-57. Their minuscule 57 points represented the least number of points scored by a team in a game since the shot clock was introduced in 1954, with their squad’s scoring leader that day being Gerald Wilkens with 10 insignificant points in a sporting event that will live on in history.
YEAR: 1976
SIGNIFICANCE: Aurelio Rodriguez snapped Brooks Robinson‘s 16-year Gold Glove streak at third base
After nearly two full decades of defensive mastery at the hot corner, Baltimore Orioles 3B Brooks Robinson was finally dethroned by Detroit Tigers 3B Aurelio Rodriguez. This was Rodriguez’s first career Gold Glove award and it signaled the end of an era for baseball. Robinson in 1976 was in his age-39 season and played just 71 games that season, followed by 24 games in 1977—the final year of his career. His career offensive numbers alone are not Hall of Fame worthy (105 OPS+), but his 78.4 career WAR just goes on to show how valuable the man was on defensive side of the field as one of the greatest to ever hold down the hot corner.
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