History

NBA Birthdays: Players born on July 28

With a player born on each day, our birthday series continues with the NBA players born on July 28.

Joel Bartilotta, Rotowire.com

September 23, 2025 3:45 PM

Manu Ginobili is among players born on July 28.

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 28.

Manu Ginobili (1977)

Ginobili was a pioneer for Argentine basketball who carved out a storied career in the NBA with the Spurs. San Antonio took a chance on him with the 57th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. That was a match made in heaven, with Ginobili spending his whole 16-year career with that organization. It took Ginobili a few years to join the NBA after playing overseas, but he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2003. Ginobili made his first All-Star team just two years later.

What made Ginobili so special was his ability to spark the Spurs off the bench, finishing Top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting nine times. He actually took down that award in 2008, finishing 10th in MVP voting that year as well. In that career year, Ginobili averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Ginobili’s impact on winning was his most valuable asset, helping the Spurs win four titles. He officially retired in 2018, averaging 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals throughout his Hall of Fame career.

Doug Collins (1951)

There aren’t many people in the history of the NBA who have made as much of an impact as Collins over the last 50 years. He was the top pick in the 1973 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries slowed him down in his rookie season, but Collins broke out in his third season. That was his first of four straight All-Star appearances, finishing 20th in MVP voting that year. During that four-year span, Collins averaged 19.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He had to retire from playing in 1981 due to injuries, but that wasn’t close to the end for Collins.

After some time as an assistant in college, Collins officially became the Chicago Bulls head coach in 1986. He helped kickstart the Michael Jordan era in Chicago but only spent three years there. Collins spent time as the Detroit Pistons head coach in 1995 and then with the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers after that. He then transitioned into a broadcasting gig, becoming one of the best color commentators in the NBA. Since then, Collins has been in Chicago’s front office and still holds that position today. All of that earned Collins a Hall of Fame induction in 2024.

Bill Bradley (1943)

Bradley’s public profile is equal parts basketball player and politician. Some of the nicknames Bradley was called include “Dollar Bill”, “The Secretary of State” and “Mr. President”. Those were fitting names for the Princeton grad who spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford right after graduation. He was taken second overall in the 1965 NBA Draft and debuted in 1968. Bradley finished 25th in MVP voting in 1972 and then followed that up with a career year in 1973. Bradley made his sole All-Star appearance that year, averaging a career-high 16.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He spent all 10 years of his career with the New York Knicks before officially retiring in 1977. Bradley also helped them win titles in 1970 and 1973, which earned him induction into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Want to see every NBA player born on July 28? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order: