On March 15, 2011, JaVale McGee did something that has only been done three times in the past 20 years.
As a member of the Washington Wizards, McGee's team couldn't come away with a win against the Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls, but he did make his mark in NBA history.
The Wizards centre blocked 12 shots, becoming one of three players to block that many shots in a game since 2000.
That is tied for the most blocked shots by a player in a single game in that timeframe, with Hassan Whiteside and Keon Clarke being the other two to achieve the feat.
McGee is also one of 18 players in NBA history to record 12 or more blocks in a game, but the NBA didn't begin recording blocks as a stat until 1974 after all-time shot-blocking greats like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain had already retired.
McGee also had 11 points and 12 rebounds in this contest, giving him a triple-double on the night. He is one of 33 players in NBA history – again, since blocks became an officially recorded stat in 1974 – to record a triple-double with blocks.
The Wizards top performer in this contest, aside from McGee, was Jordan Crawford who had 27 points, playing all 48 minutes of the game. For the Bulls, Rose had a team-high 23 points and seven assists in the win.
Other notable events from March 15:
- In 1991, Moses Malone - a member of the Atlanta Hawks - grabbed his 15,000th career rebound. He finished with 16,212 rebounds in his career - the fourth-most in NBA history.
- In 1992, Lenny Wilkens - coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers - became the fifth coach in NBA history (joining Red Auerbach, Jack Ramsay, Dick Motta and Bill Fitch) to record 800 career victories. He would finish with 1,332 wins - the second-most in NBA history.
- In 2002, Miami Heat broadcaster Eric Reid reached a career milestone when he broadcasted his 1,000 regular-season game as the Heat took on the Nets in New Jersey.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
