Timeline of NBA in 1990s as league celebrates 75th season

Published Feb. 23, 2022 3:24 p.m. ET

Associated Press

A timeline of the National Basketball Association in the 1990s, including milestone moments around the world and in the league’s history as the NBA celebrates its 75th season:

Feb. 11, 1990: Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison. He was the Black South African leader of the movement to end apartheid — the country's institutionalized system of white supremacy and racial segregation. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and became South Africa's first Black president in 1994.

June 14, 1990: The Detroit Pistons beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win their second consecutive championship. Isiah Thomas is Finals MVP.

Jan. 17, 1991: The Gulf War begins with the United States leading a coalition effort including NATO, Egypt and other Arab nations. The U.S. effort, named Operation Desert Storm, lasts 42 days before President George H.W. Bush declares a cease-fire Feb. 28.

March 3, 1991: Rodney King leads police on a chase in Los Angeles before surrendering. King is beaten by four Los Angeles police officers, and the incident is recorded by someone with a video camera. The video is released, and the four officers are indicted on March 15.

May 27, 1991: The Chicago Bulls finally get past the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons.

June 5, 1991: Michael Jordan makes one of the signature plays of his Finals career in the fourth quarter of Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. With tongue wagging, “His Airness” launches down the lane with the ball in his right hand and arm extended. He hangs in the air before switching to his left hand as he descends for a layup off the glass.

Nov. 7, 1991:

Dec. 8, 1991: Mikhail Gorbachev signs an agreement allowing Belarus and Ukraine to break away from the U.S.S.R., an agreement that says the Soviet Union “no longer exists.” Nine other republics declare their independence weeks later. Gorbachev resigns as president on Dec. 25, saying “An end has been put to the Cold War and to the arms race.”

Feb. 9, 1992:

April 29, 1992: A jury finds the four police officers charged in the

June 3, 1992: Michael Jordan scores 35 points and makes six 3-pointers in the first half of a 122-89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He famously

Aug. 7, 1992: The “Dream Team,” the first U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team to field active NBA players,

Dec. 15, 1992: Dr. Dre's “The Chronic,” featuring Snoop Dogg, is released.

June 20, 1993: John Paxson’s

Oct. 6, 1993:

May 7, 1994: The

June 1, 1994: Indiana's Reggie Miller torches the New York Knicks for

June 17, 1994: Former NFL running back O.J. Simpson, a suspect in the stabbing murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, gets in a white Ford Bronco driven by former Buffalo Bills teammate Al Cowlings and

June 22, 1994: Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon closes out a season during which he wins a championship and is league MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

March 18, 1995: Michael Jordan announces he's coming out of retirement via a fax with the words, “I'm Back.”

March 28, 1995: Michael Jordan, wearing No. 45 instead of his usual No. 23,

April 19, 1995: A Ryder rental truck explodes in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City shortly after 9 a.m.,

May 7, 1995: Indiana’s Reggie Miller

June 14, 1995: The Houston Rockets sweep the Orlando Magic to win their second consecutive NBA title.

Oct. 3, 1995: In what some called the “Trial of the Century,”

April 24, 1996:

June 16, 1996: The Chicago Bulls set a record with 72 regular-season wins, then

June 26, 1996: One of the best NBA Drafts ever: Allen Iverson is the No. 1 pick. Kobe Bryant is selected No. 13. Other top players selected in the first round include Steve Nash, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic and Jermaine O’Neal.

Aug. 3, 1996: The U.S. men's basketball team

Nov. 15, 1996: Space Jam, a live-action/animated sports comedy film featuring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny and starring several other NBA stars, is released.

March 12, 1997: Philadelphia 76ers rookie Allen Iverson

May 19, 1997: Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone is presented with the league MVP award. He would win again in 1999.

June 11, 1997: A severely ill Michael Jordan scores 38 points to lead the Bulls to a win over the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It

June 14, 1998: Michael Jordan

July 1, 1998: The NBA lockout begins. The work stoppage shortens the season to 50 games per team and causes the All-Star Game to be canceled.

Dec. 19, 1998: President

Jan. 13, 1999: Michael Jordan retires for the second time.

Jan. 20, 1999: The lockout ends after an agreement is reached that includes a salary cap and a rookie pay scale.

Feb. 12, 1999: President Bill Clinton is acquitted.

June 25, 1999: The San Antonio Spurs

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