A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Jan. 25, 1988, Jazz guard Rickey Green scored the NBA’s 5,000,000th point on a 24-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded ending the third quarter of Utah’s 119-96 victory over Cleveland.
That year, Frank Layden was the Jazz coach, and the roster included young stars Karl Malone and John Stockton, as well as aging veterans like Darrell Griffith, Kelly Tripucka and Darryl Dawkins.
And Green, who radio broadcaster “Hot” Rod Hundley had named “Fastest of the Them All.” Green was popular with fans and teammates, but Stockton was emerging as an NBA legend.
The NBA keeps score on everything, of course, and realized that the league collectively was nearing the 5 millionth point.
The plot
Per Deseret News game coverage, there were three games set for Jan. 25, and after the Philly-Washington game ended in overtime, the league was within 215 points of the milestone.
The Utah-Cleveland game and the Milwaukee-Golden State games were going on at the same time. As the historic moment neared, the Milwaukee-Golden State game went to a timeout.
Meanwhile in Utah — four points short of the historic mark — Green fouled Cleveland’s Mark Price with four seconds left in the quarter. Price made both free throws.
With just a few seconds left, and Utah up by 22, Layden wanted no turnovers, but Mark Iavaroni found Green wide open at midcourt and delivered a long pass. Green took a couple of dribbles, pulled up, and according to Deseret News sportwriter Kurt Kragthorpe, released the shot just in time.
The shot was called a three-pointer, but on review was actually a two-pointer, but it hit the milestone either way.
That night, the Jazz won big, the crowd gave him a standing ovation, Green signed the hall, and it now resides in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The next season, the 34-year-old Green was taken from the Jazz by the expansion Charlotte Hornets and played four more seasons in the NBA. Jerry Sloan took over from Layden as coach 18 games into the 1988-’89 season and Jazz became Stockton and Malone’s team for the next 15 years.
One personal note
This young reporter, still in college, occasionally picked up a few bucks as a stringer for The Associated Press.
My assignment that night? Sit courtside at the Delta Center and track the numbers, and call the details into the crusty old newsmen at AP headquarters who would write it up.
It was an early career highlight for me, and perhaps a last-second career highlight for the “Fastest of Them All.”
And for the record, the NBA, collectively, has now scored 13,822,000 points and counting.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Green, the Jazz during that era and NBA milestones:
“25 years later the Jazz are going strong”
“Rickey Green: From no playoffs to maybe all-the-way”
“Brad Rock: Mike Conley can thank this former Jazz player for setting the table for him in Utah”
“Stockton’s backup has tough job”
“Utah Jazz honor the 1983-84 team that ‘saved the franchise’”
“One game after latest Jazz miracle, Green returns as a Pacer”
“Commentary: The 25 best players in Utah Jazz franchise history”
