Who are the leap day-born NBA teammates? Exploring the only rare bond in NBA history

Only about five million people on Earth share the Feb. 29 birthday, so it's quite a coincidence that two NBA players born on Leap Day became teammates in 2001.

Chucky Brown and Vonteego Cummings, two former NBA players, share a unique bond as they were both born on Leap Day, Feb. 29. They were teammates for a brief period during Brown's 13-day stint with the Golden State Warriors in 2001.

In a 2020 article, NBA writer Fred Katz detailed how the two players celebrate their birthday.

Cummings celebrates three-quarters of his birthdays on March 1, as his mother always told him his birthday should be the day after Feb. 28. Meanwhile, Brown celebrates during non-leap years on Feb. 28, as it would feel too odd for him to party in a different month.

Brown said being born on Leap Day is an instant conversation starter, so he was surprised to discover that he had a teammate who shared the same birthday.

“You kinda laugh about it. You ask, ‘Well, do you know anybody else?’ You’re always curious about it. You wanna know someone else that’s a Leap Day baby,” Brown told Katz.

Brown was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989 and went on to play for various teams, including the Houston Rockets, where he won a championship in the 1994-95 season.

Brown, who averaged 5.9 points per game throughout his career, retired from the NBA with 4,125 career points.

He then had stints in the Continental Basketball Association and Italy's Panna Firenze.

Meanwhile, Cummings played three seasons, averaging 6.9 points, 2.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds.

Vonteego Cummings (Tom Hauck /Allsport)

“It may sound funny, but I feel like we have this special club that we’re in,” Cummings said of his birthday. “There’s only a certain percent of people in the world that have a birthday on Leap Day. And for me, that’s very special.”

Who is the current NBA player born on Leap Day?

In NBA history, only four players were born on Feb. 29. Brown, born in 1968, Cummings in 1976, and John Chaney in 1920 (who passed away in 2004), are the retired players in this unique group.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is only the fourth player in NBA/ABA history born on Leap Day. Haliburton, born in 2000, said his birthday is always a fun fact he shares, according to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak.

"It's exciting to have a real birthday," Haliburton said. "In school, that was always my fun fact growing up."

On non-leap years, he said he celebrates on both Feb. 28 and March 1. This year, because he can celebrate his actual birthday, Haliburton said he bought more gifts than usual.

“Honestly, when it's not my birthday, I get two days to celebrate. So I would argue that it's just as good without my birthday because I get two of them, but for this birthday this year, I bought myself more gifts than I usually would. I celebrate it accordingly," Haliburton said.