Below are the most notable NBA players born on May 3.
Domantas Sabonis (1996): It can be difficult to follow the path of an NBA father, but Sabonis has been one of the best big men in the NBA over the last decade. “Domas” was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. A blockbuster trade involving Paul George sent him to the Indiana Pacers in his sophomore season, which proved to be an incredible landing spot for the big man.
Sabonis finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2019 and followed that up with back-to-back All-Star appearances over the next two seasons. That was his final year in Indiana, with Sabonis being the key piece to a Tyrese Haliburton blockbuster trade. Sabonis has gone on to lead the league in rebounds in three of his four seasons in Sacramento, making another All-Star appearance in 2023. He’s also finished Top 10 in MVP voting twice over the last three years, averaging 19.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists in his four seasons with the Kings.
Jeff Hornacek (1963): Karl Malone and John Stockton get a lot of the credit for Utah’s success in the 90s, but Hornacek was a key piece to that perennial contender. It all started when Hornacek was the 46th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He spent his first six seasons with the Suns, making an All-Star appearance in 1992. That was a career year for the sharpshooter, averaging a career-high 20.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. That’s why Utah went out and got him in 1993, with Hornacek spending his final seven seasons with the Jazz. He helped them reach the Finals twice in 1997 and 1998, and led the league with a 95 percent mark from the free-throw line in 2000. That was Hornacek’s final season, averaging 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals throughout his 14-year career.
Want to see every NBA player born on May 3? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Jack Dwan (May 3, 1921)
- Nat Militzok (May 3, 1923)
- Joe Ellis (May 3, 1944)
- Gar Heard (May 3, 1948)
- Toby Knight (May 3, 1955)
- Kelvin Ransey (May 3, 1958)
- Tyronn Lue (May 3, 1977)
