Head coach Pat Riley became the second coach in NBA history to amass 1,000 regular season victories when the Miami Heat opened the season with a victory over the Orlando Magic.

Dick Klein was an athlete and businessman who founded the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls, he served as the team's first general manager , died at age 80.

13-time NBA All-Star, basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain passed away at his home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 63.

Boston Celtics legend Kevin McHale, is enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

As a result of stalled collective bargaining negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association, the NBA announced that all 114 preseason games for 1998 have been canceled.

Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer, were among five officials added to the NBA's 58-member staff.

North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith announced his retirement after 36 seasons and two national championships.

The Comets’ Cynthia Cooper had 25 points, including 14 in the second half, and Tina Thompson added 18, but the key to the victory was a 9-minute, 24-second stretch of the second half in which the smothering Houston defense held New York to just four point

To help celebrate the NBA's 50th anniversary, the list of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History was announced.

Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls announced his retirement from the NBA at a news conference in Deerfield, IL., it was a temporary retirement.