Ralph Paul Siewert (Born: December 31, 1923 Died: November 21, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the St. Louis Bombers and Toronto Huskies during the inaugural 1946–47 season of the Basketball Association of America. At 7 feet 1 inch tall, he was the first seven-footer to play professional basketball.
Chris Ford (Born: January 11, 1949) is credited with sinking the first three-pointer behind the 23 ft. 9 in. arc. The league shortened the distance to 22 feet for three seasons before returning it to the original distance in 1997. The three-point shooting arc, an innovation of the old American Basketball Association, was adopted by the NBA beginning with the 1979-80 season.
There are 4 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams that do not end in "S". Miami Heat - Miami Heats would just sound awkward. Oklahoma City Thunder - Does Thunder even have a plural? Orlando Magic - Magic plural is more appropriate for high fantasy literature. As in, "Tolkien created the various magics of Middle-Earth." Utah Jazz - Jazzs. Just doesn't look right.