John Starks
The undrafted guard whose fearless play and iconic dunk over Jordan became the heart and soul of the gritty 1990s New York Knicks.
Born 1965 (age 61)·American basketball player·Birthday: August 10·Generation X
Biography
John Starks is the ultimate embodiment of New York's underdog spirit. His path to Madison Square Garden was anything but linear, marked by undrafted status, junior college stops, and even a stint as a supermarket bag boy. That struggle forged a player of pure, unrefined heart. As the starting shooting guard for the Pat Riley-era Knicks, Starks played with a chip on his shoulder that powered a tenacious defensive style and an offensive game that was explosively unpredictable. He was never the most efficient scorer, but he was always the most combustible, capable of electrifying a crowd with a deep three or a relentless drive. His famous dunk over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan in the 1993 playoffs remains a frozen moment of defiance that encapsulates his career. Starks's journey from obscurity to All-Star made him a blue-collar icon in a city that values grit above all.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
John was born in 1965, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When John Was Born
The biggest hits of 1965
#1 Movie
The Sound of Music
Best Picture
The Sound of Music
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
John's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1965Born
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1970Started school
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1978Became a teenager
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Could drive
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1983Could vote
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Turned 21
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1995Turned 30
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 40
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 50
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 60
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 61 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named an NBA All-Star in 1994 as a member of the New York Knicks.
- Won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1997.
- Played a central role in the Knicks' run to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they took the Houston Rockets to seven games.
- His No. 3 jersey was honored by the Knicks and hangs in the Madison Square Garden rafters.
Did You Know?
He was undrafted out of Oklahoma State and was initially signed by the Golden State Warriors only to be cut before the season started.
Before his NBA break, he worked at a Safeway supermarket and played in the Continental Basketball Association and the World Basketball League.
He famously head-butted a Chicago Bulls stanchion in frustration during the 1993 playoffs.
He led the NBA in three-point attempts during the 1994-95 season.
“I played every game like it was my last, because I knew what it was like to not have the game.”
