John Havlicek is among players born on April 8.
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 April 8.
John Havlicek (1940)
The Boston Celtics selected Havlicek ninth overall in the 1962 NBA Draft. He went on to finish 10th in MVP voting in a remarkable rookie season, following that up with a Second-Team All-NBA selection in his sophomore campaign.
Havlicek made his first of 13 straight All-Star appearances in 1965-66, finishing Top 10 in MVP voting in six of those. Most importantly, he helped Boston win eight titles throughout his 16-year career. He also added 11 All-NBA appearances and eight All-Defensive Teams to his Hall of Fame resume. Havlicek retired in 1978 and is known as one of the greatest Celtics of all time. Havlicek averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals throughout his career.
Terry Porter (1963)
Porter carved out an incredible 17-year career between 1985 and 2002, establishing himself as one of the best point guards during the ‘80s. He was selected 24th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, spending his first decade as a pro with that organization. He took over as their starting point guard in his sophomore season in 1986-87 and made his first of two All-Star appearances in 1990-91. Porter also finished ninth in MVP voting that season, making his final All-Star appearance two years later.
In those 10 years with the Blazers, Porter averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995, playing the next three years with the Timberwolves. Porter also played one season with the Miami Heat before closing his career with three years in San Antonio. Porter retired in 2002, averaging 12.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals throughout his 17-year career.
Want to see every NBA player born on April 8? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Paul Gordon (1927)
- Ralph O’Brien (1928)
- John Havlicek (1940)
- Jimmy Walker (1944)
- Larry Mikan (1948)
- Tommie Green (1956)
- Terry Porter (1963)
- Jared Reiner (1982)
- J.J. O’Brien (1992)
- Dario Saric (1994)
- Cedi Osman (1995)
- Zaccharie Risacher (2005)
