NBA Birthdays: Players born on Sept. 17

Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA titles as a coach, is one of 11 NBA players born on Sept. 17.

With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three leap-day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.

Below are the most notable NBA players born on Sept 17. 

Phil Jackson (Sept. 17, 1945): Jackson had a notable NBA career as a player and a coach. As a player, he was a key reserve on two championship teams with the New York Knicks (1970 and 1973). As a coach, Jackson won six championships with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s (1991-93, 1996-98). He would win five more with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02 led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol). With both franchises, Jackson utilized Tex Winter’s triangle offense and a coaching philosophy influenced by Native American and Eastern philosophy that garnered him the “Zen Master” nickname. Jackson holds the NBA record for championships won as a coach (11).

Rasheed Wallace (Sept. 17, 1974): The fourth overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets (now Wizards), Wallace played 16 NBA seasons for six NBA teams. He played primarily for the Portland Trail Blazers (7.5 seasons) and Detroit Pistons (5.5 seasons), helping the Pistons win the 2004 NBA title after arriving at the trade deadline that season. In 1,109 career games, the versatile power forward amassed 16,006 points (14.4 ppg), 7,404 rebounds (6.7 rpg), 1,994 assists (1.8 apg), 1,460 blocks (1.3 bpg), 1,090 steals (1.0) and 1,086 3-pointers made (1.0). He is one of five players entering the 2024-25 season with at least 1,000 blocks and 3-pointers made.

Want to see every NBA player born on Sept. 17? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:

  • Al Carlson (Sept. 17, 1951)
  • Kermit Washington (Sept. 17, 1951)
  • Junior Bridgeman (Sept. 17, 1953)
  • Greg Kelser (Sept. 17, 1957)
  • Lester Conner (Sept. 17, 1959)
  • Doug Smith (Sept. 17, 1969)
  • Mirza Teletovic (Sept. 17, 1985)
  • Alfonzo McKinnie (Sept. 17, 1992)
  • Udoka Azubuike (Sept. 17, 1999)

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