On September 5, 1979, Ann Meyers, who had been a four-time All-American guard at UCLA, scored a first for women's sports by signing a contract with the NBA's Indiana Pacers. She did not make the final cut, however, and later signed with the New Jersey Gems of the Women's Basketball League.

Ann Meyers

College

Conference Champions

Tournaments

Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75-64 to win the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 26.

Larry Bird wins a rebound from Greg Kesler in the NCAA Final

North Alabama won the NCAA Division II title, and North Park (Chicago) won the Division III title.

Indiana won the National Invitation Tournament.

Old Dominion defeated Louisiana Tech 75-65 to win the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship.

Professional

Attendance was down by 1.1 per cent in 1979, and 22 NBA teams played to only 60 per cent capacity. Television ratings for the CBS Sunday "Game of the Week" dropped significantly.

The Houston Rockets gave a new three-year contract to their center, Moses Malone, and the San Diego Clippers signed Portland Trail Blazers center Bill Walton, a free agent, for seven years; each contract was worth about $1 million a year. Larry Bird of Indiana State and Earvin Johnson of Michigan State signed multiyear pro contracts, each for about $600,000 per year.

Final Standings

Playoffs

After falling 3 games to 1 to the San Antonio Spurs, the Washington Bullets won three straight games and earned a spot in the NBA Finals. They were joined there by the Seattle SuperSonics, who defeated the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 3.

In the final series (May 20-June 1), the Sonics captured four straight games after losing the opening engagement

Wes Unseld guards Lonnie Shelton in the NBA Finals

SEE ALSO
1979
Larry Bird

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This page was last updated on June 14, 2017.