NBA Birthday Spotlight: Players born on Jan. 8

In the rich history of the NBA, there have been over 5,000 players who have graced the courts. Remarkably, there is at least one player born on every single day of the calendar year – with even three players born on leap day. Our detailed analysis of NBA players born each day of the year delves into the unique backgrounds and talents of these athletes.

Below are the most notable NBA players born on Jan 8.

Calvin Natt (1957)

Natt was the eighth overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. The forward was helpful out of the gate, averaging 19.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals in a remarkable rookie season. That made the in-season trade to the Portland Trail Blazers shocking, but Natt spent the next five years in Portland. He then joined the Denver Nuggets in 1984, making his sole All-Star appearance in his first of five years with the Nuggets. That 10-year span was the best part of Natt’s career, averaging 18 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He closed his career with one-year stints in Indiana and San Antonio before retiring in 1990.

Willie Anderson (1967)

Anderson was selected 10th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft, spending his first seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Chill finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in his debut season, averaging 18.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. That was the best season of his career, but Anderson still averaged 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals in his seven seasons in San Antonio. The winger spent time with the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat over the final three years of his career before retiring from the NBA in 1997. He played overseas for two years after that, as well.

Want to see every NBA player born on January 8? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:

Bill Closs (January 8, 1922)Hook Dillon (January 8, 1924)Greg Howard (January 8, 1948)Sam Smith (January 8, 1955)Cedric Hordges (January 8, 1957)Kevin McKenna (January 8, 1959)Granville Waiters (January 8, 1961)Todd Lichti (January 8, 1967)Larry Owens (January 8, 1983)Chris Douglas-Roberts (January 8, 1987)Craig Smith (January 8, 1991)Glenn Robinson III (January 8, 1994)Tony Bradley (January 8, 1998)Ignas Brazdeikis (January 8, 1999)Keon Ellis (January 8, 2000)Tre Jones (January 8, 2000)