With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including four leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.
Below are the most notable NBA players born on July 8.
Bucky Bockhorn (1933)
This shooting guard was the 18th overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals. They took him with that pick after an incredible college career, with Bockhorn making Dayton’s All-Century Team and Hall of Fame years after his playing days. He spent his whole seven-year NBA career in Cincy, establishing himself as one of their best players during the 1960s. Bockhorn’s best season was in 1962, when he averaged a career-high 15.8 points and 4.6 assists with 4.7 rebounds per game.
Bockhorn also set a record alongside Oscar Robertson, becoming the first duo in NBA history to record a triple-double in the same game. He officially retired in 1965, averaging 11.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.5 apg throughout his seven-year career. After his playing days, Bockhorn spent time as Dayton’s basketball color commentator and had their practice court named after him (Bockhorn Court).
Want to see every NBA player born on July 8? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Don Ray (1921)
- Jim Mooney (1930)
- Bucky Bockhorn (1933)
- Dave Sorenson (1948)
- Bayard Forrest (1954)
- Sylvester Gray (1967)
- Wang Zhizhi (1977)
- Britton Johnsen (1979)
- Hakim Warrick (1982)
- Sonny Weems (1986)
- Grant Jerrett (1993)
- Jordan Adams (1994)
- Ty Jerome (1997)
- Ashton Hagans (1999)
- Cam Whitmore (2004)
