The First Basketball Game You Ever Saw

[payitforward]

Posting in the post-game Thunder win thread a moment ago, I wrote:

"I just realized that the first basketball game I ever saw in person was a Globetrotters game to which my dad took me when I was... how old? no more than 6 or 7. I recollect vividly how utterly amazed I was by the players' height. &, of course, by the famous pregame ball-routine to ...oh wow I can't remember the tune -- it was "Sweet Georgia Brown" (I looked it up).

I was hooked on basketball instantly!"

The team still exists, & I'm sure it still offers great entertainment. But when I saw them, black players weren't allowed in the NBA, and the Globetrotters was made up of the best black players in the world.

For that matter, even after blacks did play in the league, you had to be finished w/ 4 years of college to qualify. For that reason, after his junior year Wilt Chamberlain spent a season as a Globetrotter!

All that made me wonder what other people's memories were of the first basketball game they saw. Hence this thread. So... do tell!

[Upper Decker]

First game I ever saw was the Celtics vs. the Bullets in the old Capital Centre--the name may he just been changed to the USAir Arena. Anyways, it was the first game after they traded for Chris Webber, which prompted Juwan Howard to sign almost immediately. Dee Brown hit two FT's with essentially zeros on the clock to tie and take the lead and get the victory. The crowd was chanting "we want webber!" from opening tip until he checked in. I seriously thought that was the start of a dynasty.

[ozthegap]

First full game I watched was game 1 of Lakers Vs Blazers in the WCF. I was never into basketball before then but hooked afterwards

[nate33]

I vaguely remember Kevin Porter, Elvin Hayes (the Big E!) and Wes Unseld from the 1980-81 season, coached by Gene Shue; but I have no recollection of the championship in 1978.

I remember some Bullets/Celtics games at the Cap Center, and I remember Larry Bird winning a game with a 3-pointer.

[BigA]

The Knicks beating the Lakers in the 1970 finals was the first time I remember paying attention to basketball.

The first NBA game I ever saw live was Bulls-Knicks at MSG. Pretty sure it was during the 70-71 or 71-72 season. I remember the Bulls won, it was the middle of winter, and it was on a weekend.

I also have a vague sense that Earl Monroe was already on the Knicks, so after checking Basketball Reference my best guess is it was the game January 8, 1972 which the Bulls won 113-108.

[doclinkin]

I saw the Globetrotters as a kid but watching the Larry vs Magic finals was probably the first competitive ball I'd seen that made any impression. 1984 and up.

I think my first in person game I'd seen other than the Globetrotters was a regular season Knicks game against the Mark Price Brad Daugherty Cavaliers. Boring but at the half we found our way down to the empty lower seats at MSG and sat kinda near Chris Rock.

Those Pat Ewing years were great and ripped my heart out every spring. I was at the Garden when John Starks slammed The Dunk on Ho Grant and Jordan.

Watch on YouTube

Saw another playoff game against the NJNets where Patrick Ewing was fouled out early and the MSG faithful went apeshxt on the refs and Oakley went for 24 points and 25 boards I think.

MJ killed all enjoyment of every summer though, stealing the souls of Knick fans everywhere every damn game. I stuck around past the Ewing era, into the Sprewell/Camby/Grandmama Johnson era, but it wasn't quite the same. And then for a while I quit basketball, until moving down here and latching on to coach Jim Lynam's loveable losers where I never had any real expectations of wins, but enjoyed any small signs of progress. Which is kinda where I am now. Enjoyed the Webber era. Loved the Hibachi era. Dream about a dynasty, but 'better and better' is better than good. Happy for now.

[Kanyewest]

1st two games I ever saw that I saw on TV was a doubleheader was in 1993 when I was growing up. The first one was Orlando vs Phoenix and the second game was the Bulls vs the Blazers. I didn't watch the entirety of both games as it was my first real exposure to basketball after the NFL season but the Bulls and Suns won and those two teams ended up playing each other in the finals.

The first game I attended was in 1997 when the Bullets lost to the Clippers by 3 points. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199603080WSB.html I remember Calbert Cheaney leading a comeback at the end of the game but they came up short.

The second game I attended was more memorable when Shaq had 49 points in an OT loss. Muresan attempted a 3 either at the end of regulation or at the end of the game. http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199603220WSB.html

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Can't quite remember if it was Meadowlark and Curly or the Big E and Wes. Sometime in the early 70s.

First college B-ball game was, I think UMd Vs the Art Schliester-led Ohio State Buckeyes in the NIT.

First G-town game was against Iona when freshman Bay Bay Durant went off against the Gaels at McDonough - I think that was a year BEFORE Jeff Ruland arrived at Iona.

Dudes. I'm old!

[TheBlackCzar]

Manut Bol jersey giveaway was one of my first.
Saw Supersonic, 76ers and can't recall the other team. I loved Mugsy and Manut (RIP).

[stevemcqueen1]

My first games were some Virginia Tech regular season games from the 1990 season that my dad took me too. I was four or five and remember nothing about them, I spent most of the time squirming around the section and trying to get popcorn and nachos.

I had cards and video games and stuff from that late 80's and early 90's era and I remember the Dream Team. I played the Hell out of NBA Jam TE. But I didn't start really watching basketball with interest until I was 8 and finally old enough to play youth league. That was the '95 season, so that one is really meaningful to me. Jordan came back and the Magic and Pistons were my favorite teams because Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill were awesome at the time. I also liked Karl Malone and the Jazz. Hell, a third of the league was my favorite team. Boy how disappointing that all ended up being. In general the 90's **** sucked for a DC sports child fan.

[sfam]

My family was based in Indiana (I grew up in Michigan), so early memories involved playing horse at a hoop tacked on a house whenever we visited.

The first games I ever remember being interested in watching on TV was in 1977. We had just moved to the area, and at 10 years old, I was just getting interested in watching sports. I started watching every now and then probably near the later half of the season. By the time the playoffs started the area was caught up in it, and I ended up watching a good bit of their Championship run. I obviously got hooked on the Bullets, and have gone on to watch regularly.

It's been all downhill ever since. My first year was still the best year I ever had as a Bullets/Wizards fan.