Steve Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player and the current head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Kerr is a six-time NBA champion, winning three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs as a player, and one with the Warriors as a head coach. Kerr has the highest career three-point percentage (45.4%) for any player with at least 2,000 shot attempts in NBA history. On May 14, 2014, the Golden State Warriors named Kerr the team’s head coach. The Warriors went on to win the 2015 NBA Finals, making Kerr the first rookie coach to win a championship since 1982. On April 13, 2016, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season.
Ken Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969) nicknamed “Junior” and “The Kid,” is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home-run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the sixth-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. In 2016, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving a record 99.32% of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver‘s record of 98.84%. He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey Sr.
Steve Prefontaine, nicknamed “Pre,” was an American middle- and long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born on January 25, 1951, in the coastal logging town of Coos Bay, Oregon. Prefontaine once held the American record in seven different distance track events, from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He was recognizable for his mustache and his long locks of hair that parted as he ran. Following his collegiate career at the University of Oregon, Prefontaine was preparing for the 1976 Summer Olympics. He died on May 30, 1975, at the age of 24, in an automobile accident near Hendricks Park in Eugene, Oregon.
Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles and was ranked world No. 1. Ashe, an African-American, was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open or the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. In the early 1980s, Ashe is believed to have contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery. Ashe publicly announced his illness in 1992 and began working to educate others about HIV and AIDS through two Arthur Ashe Foundations. Ashe was born on July 10, 1943 and died from AIDS-related pneumonia on February 6, 1993. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
“Pistol Pete” Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University (LSU) and played for three NBA teams (Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans/Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics) until injuries forced his retirement in 1980. He is still the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer with 3,667 points scored (in only three seasons) and an average of 44.2 points per game. All of his accomplishments were achieved before the three-point line and shot clock were introduced to NCAA basketball. Often celebrated as one of the best ball-handlers and offensive creators of all time, Maravich was born on June 22, 1947 and died while playing pickup basketball on January 5, 1988 of a rare congenital heart defect.
Andy Murray is a Scottish professional tennis player, currently ranked world No. 3. He started playing tennis at the age of three, entered his first competitive tournament at age five and was playing league tennis by the time he was eight. Murray won the junior U.S. Open in 2004 and turned professional the following year. He has since won the 2012 U.S. Open and the 2013 Wimbledon Championships in men’s singles. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Murray won a gold medal in singles, defeating Roger Federer. From 2008 to 2015, Murray was the runner-up in six Grand Slam finals, losing three each to Federer and Novak Djokovic. Murray was born on May 15, 1987.
Tony Hawk, nicknamed “The Birdman,” is an American professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk is well-known for completing the first documented 900 and is widely considered one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vert skateboarding. His series of licensed video game titles have been published by Activision since 1999. In 2002, Hawk created the Boom Boom HuckJam, an extreme sports exhibition and tour that was launched in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, Hawk has made numerous appearances in films, other media and his own series of video games. He has also been involved in various philanthropic activities, including his own Tony Hawk Foundation that helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas. Hawk was born on May 12, 1968.
Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson’s performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create “pound for pound” rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight. Robinson was 85-0 as an amateur with 69 of those victories coming by way of knockout, 40 in the first round. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951 had a professional record of 128-1-2 with 84 knockouts. From 1943 to 1951 Robinson went on a 91-fight unbeaten streak, the third longest in professional boxing history. Renowned for his flamboyant lifestyle outside the ring, Robinson is credited with being the originator of the modern sports “entourage.” After his boxing career ended, Robinson attempted a career as an entertainer, but struggled, and was challenged financially until his death. Robinson was born on May 3, 1921 and died on April 12, 1989. In 2006, he was featured on a United States Postal Service commemorative stamp.
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour. A U.S. resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions. She became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2005 and last held the ranking in 2012. Sharapova’s 34 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles—two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open—rank third among active players, behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Sharapova is the reigning champion in singles at the French Open. She won a silver medal for Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987.
My wife, daughter and I returned to Oregon late last night after visiting family in Pennsylvania. Today we will be attending Linework NW, a free illustration and comics festival in Portland. It starts at noon at the Norse Hall, which is in Northeast Portland near Voodoo Doughnut Too. Last night we stayed at the Nordic Motel (fairly close to the airport), so I guess between Norse and Nordic we’re accidentally pretending to be visiting Scandinavia today?
Peyton Manning is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A five-time NFL MVP, he played for the Indianapolis Colts for 14 seasons (1998-2011). Manning was chosen by the Colts with the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. His playing career and statistics have ranked him among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. From 1998 to 2010, Manning led the Colts to eight division championships, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLI). Manning’s pre-snap routine has earned him the nickname “The Sheriff,” and he is one of the most recognizable and parodied NFL players (e.g., Manning Face). He was born on March 24, 1976.
Kyrie Irving is an American professional basketball point guard for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. He was born in Melbourne, Australia but grew up in New Jersey. He played collegiately at Duke University and was selected first in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers. In the NBA, Irving has achieved a number of accolades including being the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 2014 NBA All-Star Game MVP. In the ongoing 2014-15 NBA season, Irving owns the top two highest-scoring games. On January 28, he scored 55 points against Portland, including 11 three-pointers. On March 12, he scored a career-high 57 points against San Antonio. Irving was born on March 23, 1992.
Anthony Davis, Jr., nicknamed “The Brow” for his trademark unibrow, is an American professional basketball power forward/center for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. In his one season of college basketball at the University of Kentucky, Davis was the consensus national player of the year. He was selected first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by New Orleans, and is a two-time NBA All-Star. Davis won a gold medal on the U.S. national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was born in Chicago on March 11, 1993.
Russell Westbrook Jr. is an American professional basketball point guard for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He has established himself as one of the most athletic players in NBA history and attacks the basket relentlessly. Westbrook played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics who then relocated to Oklahoma City six days later. Westbrook is a four-time NBA All-Star, and he was named the 2015 NBA All-Star Game MVP. He won a gold medal on the U.S. national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Jim Brown is a retired National Football League (NFL) player and actor. He is best known for his record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the Cleveland Browns (1957-1965). In 2002, Sporting News named him the greatest professional football player ever. Brown is widely considered one of the greatest professional athletes in the history of the United States. Since 1964, he has appeared in over 40 films, including The Dirty Dozen (1967). In 1969, Brown starred in 100 Rifles with Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch; it was one of the first films to feature an interracial love scene. Brown was born on February 17, 1936.
Klay Thompson is an American professional basketball shooting guard for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. He played college basketball for three seasons at Washington State University before being selected by Golden State with the 11th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. In 2014, Thompson and teammate Stephen Curry set an NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers in a season as the pair were given the nickname the “Splash Brothers.” Thompson was named to the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, just days after a 52-point performance in which he scored an NBA-record 37 points in one quarter (he made all 13 of his shots, including nine from three-point range). Born on February 8, 1990, Thompson is the son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson.
Calvin Johnson, nicknamed “Megatron,” is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Johnson’s nickname “Megatron” was given to him by former Lions wide receiver Roy Williams. In March 2012, Johnson signed an eight-year, $132 million contract extension with the Lions, one of the largest contracts ever. In December 2012, Johnson broke the single-season record for receiving yards with 1,964. (The previous record of 1,848 yards was set by Jerry Rice in 1995.) At 6′ 5″ with great hands and quickness, Johnson can catch almost anything. He was born on this day in 1985.
Note: Despite near-superhuman skills, Johnson is not to be confused with the sentient robotic lifeform from the planet Cybertron (nor is he the archangel Metatron). NBA forwards LeBron James and Kevin Durant recently tweeted their appreciation of what Johnson is able to do on the field, with LeBron calling Megatron his favorite athlete.
Ronaldo is a retired Brazilian footballer. Popularly dubbed “the phenomenon,” he is one of only three men to have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times or more, along with Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi. He also won the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002. At age 17, he was a part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup he received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament in helping Brazil reach the final. He won a second World Cup in 2002 where he scored twice in the final, and received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer. Having suffered a string of serious injuries throughout his career, Ronaldo retired from soccer in 2011. He was born on this day in 1976.
Kevin Garnett is an American professional basketball power forward and center. He has played for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007), Boston Celtics (2007-2013) and Brooklyn Nets (2013-present). Garnett is a 15-time NBA All-Star and won the All-Star MVP award in 2003. In 2004, he led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). After spending 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, Garnett was traded to the Celtics in a blockbuster trade in 2007. In his first season with Boston, he helped lead them to the 2008 NBA championship and was named Defensive Player of the Year. In the 2000 Summer Olympics, Garnett won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s national basketball team.
Reggie Miller is a retired American professional basketball player and current NBA commentator. He played his entire 18-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers (1987-2005). Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in pressure situations and most notably against the New York Knicks, for which he earned the nickname “Knick Killer.” When he retired, he held the record for most career three-point field goals made; he is currently second on the list behind Ray Allen. A five-time All-Star selection, Miller led the league in free throw accuracy five times and won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Pacers retired his No. 31 in 2006. Miller was born on this day in 1965.
I will never forget Miller’s eight points in 8.9 seconds in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals to defeat the Knicks and Patrick Ewing. I was watching that game on May 7, 1995 as a 16-year-old obsessed with basketball. Aside from Michael Jordan, most of my favorite players were three-point specialists, as that was often my role when I played team basketball. Another memorable Miller moment was his two-handed choke sign (and his infamous one-handed choke/nut grab taunt) directed at irritating Knicks fan Spike Lee during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Here are a couple of relevant matchups: Reggie Miller vs. Spike Lee and Reggie Miller vs. Patrick Ewing.
Maria Sharapova – No. 863
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently ranked No. 2 on the WTA Tour. A U.S. resident since 1994, Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions. She became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2005 and last held the ranking in 2012. Sharapova’s 34 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles—two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open—rank third among active players, behind Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Sharapova is the reigning champion in singles at the French Open. She won a silver medal for Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987.
My wife, daughter and I returned to Oregon late last night after visiting family in Pennsylvania. Today we will be attending Linework NW, a free illustration and comics festival in Portland. It starts at noon at the Norse Hall, which is in Northeast Portland near Voodoo Doughnut Too. Last night we stayed at the Nordic Motel (fairly close to the airport), so I guess between Norse and Nordic we’re accidentally pretending to be visiting Scandinavia today?