History

NBA Birthdays: Players born on May 9

NBA staff breaks down the NBA birthdays on May 9th.

Joel Bartilotta | Rotowire.com

May 9, 2025 9:01 PM

Calvin Murphy is one of many NBA players born on May 9th.

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 9.

Calvin Murphy (1948)

Murphy has gained recognition in his broadcasting career because of his buoyant style, but it tells a lot about how special he was as a player. “Cal” was the 18th overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets. While they moved to Houston the following season, Murphy spent his whole 13-year career with that organization. Murphy finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in a remarkable debut season, establishing himself as their starting point guard for the next decade.

His best season was in 1977, averaging a career-high 25.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Murphy followed that up with an All-Star appearance the following season, leading the league in free-throw shooting in two of his final three years in the NBA. He officially retired in 1983, averaging 17.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Murphy also ranks Top 3 in Rockets franchise history in points scored, rebounds and assists, while being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

Elmore Smith (1949)

“The Rejector” is one of the greatest nicknames ever, and Smith earned it with his elite rim protection. The big man was the third overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft by the Buffalo Braves. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 17.3 points and 15.2 rebounds per game. Blocks weren’t actually recorded until the 1973-74 season, but Smith led the league with 4.9 blocks per game that year, which was his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Many believe he was the league leader in that statistic throughout his first two years in the league as well.

He spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers as a reserve before an injury shortened his career, leading to his retirement in 1980. Smith averaged 13.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game throughout his eight-year career. His 17 blocks against the Trail Blazers in October of 1973 still stand as the single-game record.

Want to see every NBA player born on May 9? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order: