An average NBA season is filled with some 1,300 games, 230,000 shot attempts and countless transactions and quotes and storylines. It’s impossible to keep track of them all in the present, and inevitable that many will fade from memory.
But a small selection of those games, shots and storylines become part of the NBA’s narrative. I wasn’t yet born in 1992, but as a sports fan, my first thought when I see that number is of the Dream Team. I don’t know much about the year 1970, but I do know that’s when an injured Willis Reed played Game 7. When I think about 2013, more than anything from my own life, my first memory is of Mike Breen calling bang for Ray Allen.
Several years ago, baseball analyst Sam Miller wrote for ESPN about “the single memory that defines each baseball season.” Today we’re going to borrow Sam’s idea to ask the question: What moment from each basketball season will fans be most likely to learn about and remember in the future? Or, as Sam put it, what’s “the one thing a fairly serious [basketball] fan has probably heard of from that year”?
Determining what will be remembered and what won’t can be unpredictable. The distinction isn’t so obvious in the moment.
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In Game 1 of the 1997 Finals, for instance, with the score tied and the clock winding down, Michael Jordan sank a midrange jumper over Bryon Russell. It was an immensely clutch shot by the greatest player of all time, and just the second true winning buzzer-beater — meaning it left no time on the clock — in the Finals since the 1960s. The next day, a picture of Jordan rising for the shot over Russell’s outstretched hand led the sports page of The New York Times. It could have been remembered forever.
But a few decades later, that buzzer-beater is all but lost to NBA history. It turns out that wasn’t even Jordan’s most memorable performance of the 1997 Finals (that would be his 38-point showing in the Flu Game), nor his most memorable midrange game winner over Russell (that would be his Game 6 winner a year later). Nowadays, if NBA fans remember anything about Game 1 of the 1997 Finals, it’s more likely Scottie Pippen’s “The mailman doesn’t deliver on Sundays” quip before Karl Malone missed two late free throws, rather than Jordan’s jumper.
However, the moments with the most staying power aren’t completely random. Rather, some common themes run through the list of the NBA’s most ingrained memories. So that’s where we’ll start this exercise: identifying the categories that last, then exploring what will be remembered from recent seasons and, finally, listing the full set of defining basketball memories — and some close runner-ups — dating back to 1954-55.
Note: Knowing the specific year something happened is a bonus, but that’s not a requirement, so long as the moment itself is remembered. We’re considering all events involving professional men’s basketball players in this country, so Olympic tournaments since 1992 are also considered. And for purposes of timing, events from the summer count as from the previous season and new seasons begin on opening night, so the Dream Team counts for the 1991-92 campaign.
Thanks to Mike Lynch of Basketball-Reference for research assistance.
Jump to a section:
What moments will be remembered?
Will these moments from recent seasons stick?
Full list of NBA moments by year: 1950s | 1960s | 1970s
1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
What kinds of events are remembered?
Five themes emerge from the list of lingering NBA memories spanning the past seven decades. Some overlap with the MLB themes that Sam Miller identified, while others are unique to the NBA.
1. Incredible achievement
This is the most common category for basketball’s brightest memories, and it comes in several flavors. Some years are remembered for a single shot that wins a playoff game and enters the league’s eternal highlight reels. Thus, Magic Johnson’s “junior junior” skyhook is what we remember from 1986-87, Kawhi Leonard’s four-bouncer buzzer-beater from 2018-19 and Jordan’s shots over Craig Ehlo and Russell from 1988-89 and 1997-98, respectively.
Other years are defined by sublime statistical accomplishments: 1972-73 is the year that Nate “Tiny” Archibald led the league in both points and assists, and 1961-62 is the year that Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game. On a team level, 1971-72 is the year that the Los Angeles Lakers won a record 33 games in a row.
Yet other achievements persist because of an iconic image or quote that is re-aired and recited ad nauseam for decades afterward. This is why 1964-65 is the year that John Havlicek stole the ball, 1982-83 is the year that Moses Malone predicted a “Fo, Fo, Fo” championship and 1999-2000 is the year that Vince Carter said “it’s over” at the dunk contest — a highlight that has been replayed at seemingly every All-Star weekend for the past quarter-century.
Time will tell if the Luka Doncic trade from Dallas to Los Angeles will be the defining moment of 2025. Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire
2. Key moment in the journey of a memorable team or star player
More than any other sport, the NBA is defined by its dynasties and stars. We can construct a general timeline of the league’s history by tracking its most important teams and players.
For example, most moments that define the 1960s revolve around the Boston Celtics, who won nine titles in 10 years during that decade. This theme applies even more with a select few players. Of the selections below, nine involve Jordan as a main character, tracing his story from 1983-84 — the year that the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Sam Bowie over him — through 1997-98, the year that Jordan won his sixth ring with his final shot as a Bull.
LeBron James, similarly, stars in seven selections. Both Jordan and James are so important to the broader NBA narrative that their off-court moments resonate throughout the decades, too: 1987-88 is the year that Nike debuted the Jumpman logo and Mars Blackmon commercial series for the Air Jordan IIIs, and 2009-10 is the year that James made “The Decision.”
3. The start of a new era, or the end of an old one
Moments of change produce some of the clearest memories, in both our personal lives and broader history — particularly if that change still affects the present day. So the season in which we’re starting this timeline, 1954-55, is the one that the NBA introduced the shot clock, and 1984-85 includes the first draft lottery (and first lottery conspiracy theories).
Change in a business sense applies, as well, so 1960-61 is the year that the Lakers moved to Los Angeles and brought the NBA to the West Coast, 1976-77 is the year of the NBA’s merger with the ABA and 1990-91 is the year that “Roundball Rock” became the league’s theme music on NBC.
4. Unexpected deviations from the norm
Mundane events aren’t often remembered, but breaks from the norm are. Large-scale interruptions appeared in 1998-99, the year of the lockout, and 2019-20, the year of the COVID-19 bubble. Smaller-scale deviations occurred in 1963-64, when the NBA’s All-Stars threatened to strike, and 1993-94, when O.J. Simpson’s car chase interrupted the Finals.
5. Pathos and controversy
Professional basketball is a joyful, artistic endeavor that can showcase seemingly superhuman characters. But on occasion, sobering reminders of human frailty intrude upon the game — such as in 1957-58, when young star Maurice Stokes was paralyzed, and 1985-86, when Len Bias died two days after being selected second in the draft.
There’s one instance of narrowly avoided pathos on the list: 1959-60 is the year that the Lakers’ team plane averted a crash with an emergency landing in a cornfield. And there’s one instance of citywide pathos: As the fans’ hurt hasn’t lessened in the decades since, 2008-09 is the year that the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City.
The SuperSonics’ move also gestures at pathos’ darker cousin: controversy. Most NBA controversies are contained within their own time and context, but a select few achieve immortality. Thus, 1977-78 is the year that Kermit Washington punched Rudy Tomjanovich, 2004-05 is the year of the Malice at the Palace and 2006-07 is the year that referee Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games.
The most memorable moments from recent seasons
The closer we get to the modern day, the harder it is to predict with certainty what moments will last in hoop fans’ collective consciousness. Recent selections are also still subject to change based on future developments. For now, 2018-19 is the year that Leonard’s buzzer-beater bounced four times — but if Oklahoma City builds a dynasty, then 2018-19 could primarily become the year that the Thunder traded for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the draft pick that became Jalen Williams.
Similarly, I’m penciling in 2023-24 as the year that James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant teamed up to win gold at the Olympics. The 2024 Paris Games will go down as those legends’ last hurrah, especially if none of those stars wins another NBA title, and Curry’s “golden dagger” 3-point barrage provides a concrete image to anchor that memory.
Yet in a few decades, we could also look back on 2023-24 as the year that Jontay Porter was banned for life, as a representative entry about this age of sports betting controversies. Or if the NBA and WNBA strengthen their ties as professional women’s basketball continues to grow in popularity, 2023-24 could be the year that Curry and Sabrina Ionescu competed in a 3-point contest during All-Star weekend, in the “start of a new era” category.
As for the most recently completed season, the clear current choice is that 2024-25 is the year of the Luka Doncic trade, which could be remembered for decades to come as the most surprising in NBA history. The combination of starpower, shock factor and ongoing fallout — the Dallas Mavericks’ fan base rebelled, and the team ended up winning the Cooper Flagg lottery before firing GM Nico Harrison soon after — makes the Doncic deal unique in league annals. In an informal poll of NBA insiders, every respondent picked the Doncic trade as their most memorable moment of the 2024-25 season.
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Along the same lines, it’s also possible that history will flatten two key Lakers moves together: the Doncic trade and the Buss family’s $10 billion sale to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter. If the Lakers follow in the Dodgers’ path as perennial title favorites while Doncic wins rings in purple and gold, then this Lakers two-step could make 2024-25 look like a repeat of 1978-79, the year that Jerry Buss bought the Lakers and drafted Magic Johnson to set the stage for the franchise’s Showtime era.
What else might vault ahead of the Doncic trade in the future? The runner-up choice, according to the informal poll, is Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles tear in Game 7 of the Finals — a clear contender for the pathos category.
Finals losers are remembered in only extraordinary circumstances — such as when Jerry West won the first Finals MVP award even in a loss, in 1968-69 — but it’s possible that Haliburton and the Cinderella Indiana Pacers meet that bar, in part because of the “what if?” nature of their injury-asterisked Game 7 loss.
It’s also possible that 2024-25 is remembered as the year that Achilles tears became a serious problem leaguewide, if they continue striking down stars in the seasons to come. In addition to Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray suffered Achilles tears last season. (The Achilles list also includes Dru Smith and the Pacers’ James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson.)
To identify the most likely long-term alternative to the Doncic trade, though, remember that a large portion of lasting NBA memories involves key moments in the journey of a star player or team. If the Thunder follow the mid-2010s Warriors in forming a dynasty, then 2024-25 could be remembered as the year that they won their first title and set the NBA’s single-season record for point differential, while Gilgeous-Alexander won the rare MVP/Finals MVP/scoring title triple crown.
That is, unless the Thunder’s 2025-26 accomplishments end up eclipsing what they did in 2024-25. A third of the way through this current season, the 28-5 Thunder are on pace to break their own point differential record and win 70 games. They’re playing not only for a championship, but for a greater historical legacy, and they’re the early favorites to form the defining NBA memory for 2025-26.
Much of this season still remains, though, so there’s plenty of time for further options to present themselves — both on the court and off, such as the arrests of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups in gambling inquiries.
Only time will tell, as it has for the following basketball memories from the past 70-plus years.
The full list of defining NBA memories by year
1950s
1954-55: The year that … the NBA introduced the shot clock
1955-56: … Bob Pettit won the first MVP award
1956-57: … the Celtics won their first championship in Bill Russell’s rookie season
1957-58: … Maurice Stokes was paralyzed
1958-59: … rookie Elgin Baylor sat out a game in West Virginia to protest segregation
1960s
1959-60: … the Lakers’ team plane averted a crash with an emergency landing in a cornfield
1960-61: … the Lakers moved to Los Angeles
1961-62: … Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game
3:47
Remembering Wilt’s legendary 100-point game
Relive the sights and sounds of Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100-point game as told by those in attendance.
As the highest-scoring season in NBA history, 1961-62 offers several compelling candidates, including Oscar Robertson averaging a triple-double and Elgin Baylor scoring a record 61 points in a Finals game. But Robertson’s achievement might lose some of its luster for future generations, given that Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic have made triple-double averages a regularity, and Chamberlain’s 100 points are such a nice, even number — with an iconic accompanying photo to boot — that they’re the best choice from a crowded field.
1962-63: … Bob Cousy clinched another title after announcing his retirement
1963-64: … the All-Stars threatened to strike
1964-65: … John Havlicek stole the ball
1965-66: … the Celtics won their eighth straight title in Red Auerbach’s last game
1966-67: … Russell became player-coach of the Celtics
1967-68: … the ABA started play
1968-69: … Jerry West won the first Finals MVP award in a loss
1970s
1969-70: … Willis Reed surprisingly returned for Game 7
1970-71: … the Washington Generals beat the Harlem Globetrotters
1971-72: … the Lakers won 33 games in a row
1972-73: … Nate “Tiny” Archibald led the league in points and assists
On the opposite end of Archibald’s positive achievement is a record for futility, as the 76ers went just 9-73, which is still the worst winning percentage in an 82-game season half a century later. Archibald gains the slight edge because his feat has also never been matched, but it’s a tough call.
1973-74: … blocks and steals began counting as official statistics
1974-75: … the typically dynastic NBA entered its first period of prolonged parity
1975-76: … Julius Erving won the ABA’s first slam dunk contest
Boston beat Phoenix in a triple-overtime classic in the Finals. But the first slam dunk contest, and Erving’s highlight leap from the free throw line, carried far greater influence over the sport.
1976-77: … the NBA and ABA merged
1977-78: … Kermit Washington punched Rudy Tomjanovich
George Gervin and David Thompson’s final-day duel for the scoring title is a strong runner-up. But it’s hard to beat the Washington-Tomjanovich incident, which had such a lasting impact on the sport that it’s the subject of an entire book.
1978-79: … Showtime was born when Jerry Buss bought the Lakers and drafted Magic Johnson a month later
1980s
1979-80: … Johnson, Larry Bird and the 3-point line brought the NBA into the modern era
1980-81: … Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien traded so many draft picks that the league office intervened
1981-82: … the Boston Garden crowd chanted “Beat L.A.!” while losing the Eastern Conference finals
1982-83: … Moses Malone predicted a “Fo, Fo, Fo” championship
1983-84: … the Trail Blazers drafted Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan
1984-85: … David Stern drew the Knicks’ envelope at the first draft lottery
1985-86: … Len Bias died two days after being selected second in the draft
The 1985-86 campaign overflows with possible selections: the Celtics’ 50-1 record at home, 5-foot-6 Spud Webb’s dunk contest triumph and the debut of the 3-point contest, won by Larry Bird. But Bias’ death — when the touted prospect was set to join the champion Celtics and help extend the Boston dynasty — is the ultimate choice, as it’s among the most striking examples of pathos on this entire list.
1986-87: … Johnson made the “junior junior” skyhook in the Finals
1987-88: … Nike debuted the Jumpman logo and Mars Blackmon commercial series for the Air Jordan IIIs
1988-89: … Jordan made “The Shot” over Craig Ehlo
1990s
1989-90: … Phil Jackson became the Bulls’ head coach and installed the Triangle offense
1990-91: … “Roundball Rock” became the NBA’s theme music on NBC
1991-92: … the Dream Team revolutionized international basketball
In almost any other year, the choice here would be Magic Johnson’s announcement that he had HIV. But the Dream Team is exceptionally tough competition; after all, Johnson’s return to the court in Barcelona was just one of the main story lines for the Dream Team that summer.
The American Olympic team in 1992 changed basketball forever and transcended the sport entirely. While the phrase “dream team” existed before 1992, its usage took off in the 1990s and 2000s, according to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, which tracks the appearance of words and phrases over time.
1992-93: … Jordan retired for the first time
1993-94: … O.J. Simpson’s car chase interrupted a Finals game
Dikembe Mutombo and the Nuggets became the first No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1, and David Robinson’s quadruple-double in February 1994 — which is still the most recent in an NBA game — is a niche historical curiosity. But Simpson’s infamous chase during Game 5 of the Finals occurred on split screen on a day so memorable that it inspired its own “30 for 30” documentary.
1994-95: … Reggie Miller scored eight points in nine seconds at Madison Square Garden
1:35
Flashback: Reggie Miller stuns MSG with 8 points in 9 seconds
On May 7, 1995, Reggie Miller shocked Madison Square Garden with an unbelievably clutch closing stretch to steal a 107-105 victory for the Pacers.
1995-96: … the Bulls went 72-10
1996-97: … Jordan scored 38 points in the Flu Game
In considering how basketball can cross over into the broader entertainment landscape, the release of “Space Jam,” starring Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny and the Monstars, is a legitimate candidate. But that counterintuitive selection would be relying too much on millennial bias; it’s a cult classic now, but it garnered mixed to negative reviews at the time. It’s unclear whether future generations will cherish it like children of the ’90s.
1997-98: … Jordan won his sixth ring with his final shot during the Bulls’ “Last Dance”
1998-99: … the lockout happened
2000s
1999-2000: … Vince Carter said “it’s over” at the dunk contest
2000-01: … Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue
2001-02: … the refs ruined the Lakers-Kings Western Conference finals
2:01
Allen Iverson’s iconic ‘practice’ rant
On May 7, 2002, Allen Iverson delivered his “practice” rant — one of the most iconic sound bites in sports history.
Jordan came out of retirement again, this time as a Wizard, and Iverson talked about practice. But the Lakers’ controversial playoff victory over the Kings — which helped complete Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s threepeat — might live forever as the go-to data point for conspiracists who think the NBA is rigged.
2002-03: … LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were all drafted in the top five
2003-04: … offense reached its lowest ebb leaguewide, leading to rules changes
2004-05: … the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fought at the Malice at the Palace
2005-06: … Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game
2006-07: … Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games
2007-08: … the Celtics won the title after blockbuster trades, and Kevin Garnett shouted “anything is possible”
0:31
On this date: ‘Anything is possible,’ as Garnett, Celtics win title
On June 17, 2008, Kevin Garnett gives his famous postgame interview after the Celtics knock off the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals.
2008-09: … the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City
2010s
2009-10: … James made “The Decision”
2010-11: … Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks upset the Miami Heat
2011-12: … Linsanity erupted
2012-13: … Ray Allen saved the Heat
2013-14: … Nikola Jokic was drafted during a Taco Bell commercial
A more natural pick for 2013-14 might be Donald Sterling’s sale of the Clippers, which fits the controversy category. But bad owners have faded from the collective memory before.
And 2013-14 also offers a strong candidate in the “key moment in the journey of a memorable star player” category. Three-time MVP Jokic’s rise from anonymity is a central part of his story, and the context around his selection as the 41st pick in the draft epitomizes this element. Jokic is on pace to retire as one of the dozen best players in NBA history, and the phrase “despite being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial …” might appear in the first paragraph of his obituary someday.
2014-15: … Klay Thompson scored 37 points in a quarter
2015-16: … James’ block helped the Cavaliers come back from a 3-1 deficit against the 73-win Warriors
2016-17: … the Warriors with Kevin Durant formed arguably the greatest team ever
2017-18: … the Supreme Court legalized sports betting
Initially, 2017-18 was designated as the year that J.R. Smith forgot the score in Game 1 of the Finals. But on further reflection, no other examples of famous NBA bloopers or blunders were in serious competition for this list (Chris Webber’s mistaken timeout call came in college), so it seems less likely that Smith’s gaffe will resonate so deeply decades hence. How many modern NBA fans know that, 24 years before Smith, Derek Harper dribbled out the clock in a tie game in the 1984 playoffs?
In contrast, the legalization of sports betting has already demonstrated further-reaching implications for NBA fans, consumption habits and potentially political controversies more broadly.
2018-19: … Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater bounced four times
2020s
2019-20: … COVID-19 forced the season to finish in the Orlando, Florida, bubble
Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash occurred the same week that the NBA league office first sent a memo to teams about tracking a novel coronavirus, and less than two months before the season went on pause for months because of the global pandemic.
2020-21: … Giannis Antetokounmpo clinched the title with a 50-point game
2021-22: … Stephen Curry caught fire to win his first Finals MVP
2022-23: … James broke the scoring record
2023-24: … James, Curry and Durant won gold at the Olympics
2024-25: … the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers
