NBA 20 Years Ago: Sprewell saga, dunk contest canceled, Jordan hoax and more

In the third edition of our NBA 20 Years Ago series, we explore the events of December 1997 in the NBA, including Latrell Sprewell being suspended for choking Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo, the Wizards opening a new arena, the Mavericks naming Don Nelson as coach, the slam dunk contest being canceled, and Michael Jordan being the victim of a hoax involving his mother's health during a game.

We discuss the initial reporting of the Sprewell scandal and the racial coding in much of the response, the Warriors deciding to terminate Sprewell's contract, the NBA suspending Sprewell for one year and the players union's reaction, Sprewell's first public apology and a press conference involving famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, and how the story became a national phemonenon and affected the NBA's perception.

We also talk about the NBA's first regular season game in Mexico, the Mavericks' dance team being robbed, Penny Hardaway's knee problems, Jordan passing a series of all-time scoring milestones, a hotel fight between Rod Strickland and Tracy Murray, one of the lowest-scoring games in NBA history, Adam Silver being promoted in NBA Entertainment, the NBA cracking down on profanity, Jerry Stackhouse being traded to the Pistons, Patrick Ewing suffering a major wrist injury, Karl Malone being creepy, Corliss Williamson and Derrick Coleman getting into an on-court scuffle, Bubba Wells breaking a record for fouling out the fastest, and much more.