Known as one of the highest-flyers to ever play the game, Nate Robinson (center) headlines our May 31 birthday celebration.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three 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 May 31.
Happy Hairston (1942)
Hairston was the 35th overall pick in the 1964 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals. After limited playing time in his rookie year, Hairston broke out in his sophomore season. That was the first of 11 straight seasons averaging at least 13 points per game. Happy took his game to another level when he joined the Detroit Pistons in 1967, recording double-double averages in all three years in the Motor City.
That elite rebounding carried over when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969, spending his final six seasons in LA. He officially retired in 1975, averaging 14.8 points and 10.3 rebounds throughout his 11-year career. Hairston also won a title with Jerry West and the Lakers in 1972.
Nate Robinson (1984)
Robinson was selected 21st overall in the 2005 NBA Draft and carved out a solid 11-year career. This guard spent his first five seasons with the New York Knicks but really broke out in his final full season with them. Robinson finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2009, averaging 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals. Those were career-highs, but he still finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2013.
His biggest impact on the game was his elite dunking ability. At just 5-foot-9, Robinson was one of the greatest dunkers of all time, winning three of the four Slam Dunk Contests he entered (2006, 2009, 2010). He spent time with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans before officially retiring in 2016. Robinson averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.9 steals throughout his career.
Want to see every NBA player born on May 31? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Bob Evans (May 31, 1925)
- Bob Ferry (May 31, 1937)
- Ron Bonham (May 31, 1942)
- Isaiah Wilson (May 31, 1948)
- Billy Ray Bates (May 31, 1956)
- Duane Causwell (May 31, 1968)
- Keith Owens (May 31, 1969)
- Devin Gray (May 31, 1972)
- Matt Harpring (May 31, 1976)
- Marcus Vinicius (May 31, 1984)
- Shane Edwards (May 31, 1987)
- Moses Moody (May 31, 2002)
- Rayan Rupert (May 31, 2004)
