15 Photos That Sum Up the 2023-24 NBA Season
When searching for the photos that sum up the 2023-24 NBA season, a good place to start is the moments that had social media buzzing.
Ahead, you'll find three game-winners, two dunks and one...missed dunk.
You'll find photos celebrating accomplishments and photos chronicling anguish. It's quite the mixed bag.
But to kick things off in our chronological journey, let's take a look at a funny moment.
Emo Jimmy Butler Graces Our Presence
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Date: Oct. 2
We begin with Miami Heat media day that featured Jimmy Butler doing his press conference as Emo Jimmy Butler.
My only takeaway from this is that Butler does things his way, and we love him for it.
Butler ended up starring in a Fall Out Boy music video months later.
For more Jimmy being Jimmy, check out this photo of him riding a horse on crosswalk.
Magic Re-Create LeBron-Wade Photo
2 of 15
Date: Nov. 29
The Orlando Magic have been the biggest surprise of the 2023-24 season. Perhaps we should've known it was coming after this amazing sequence.
Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony did their best Dwyane Wade-to-LeBron James impression with this alley-oop dunk.
The Magic have crushed their over/under win total of 37.5, entering the season finale with 46 wins.
LeBron Lifts IST Trophy
3 of 15
Date: Dec. 9
A LeBron James-led team winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament just feels right.
Behind Anthony Davis' 41 points and 20 rebounds, the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109.
James was named MVP of the tournament.
Draymond Downs Jusuf Nurkić
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Date: Dec. 12
Draymond Green had already served a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a fracas between the Warriors and Timberwolves in November.
He then struck Jusuf Nurkić in the face in a game between the Warriors and Suns in December, resulting in an indefinite suspension.
Green returned to the court in mid-January and has played 40 games since without incident.
His two suspensions combined totaled 17 games.
Shai Channels MJ/Kobe
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Date: Dec. 16
The Oklahoma City Thunder's rise in 2023-24 could end up being the most important storyline from this season if they reach their outrageous potential over the rest of the 2020s. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the catalyst for it all.
SGA will finish in the top three in NBA MVP voting with averages entering the season finale of 30.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds.
His signature moment was this go-ahead fadeaway jumper in the final moments of OKC's 118-117 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
It looked like a shot Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant hit countless times.
Jokić's Signature MVP Moment
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Date: Jan. 4
Nikola Jokić is likely to win his third MVP in four seasons, so he's authored plenty of MVP moments. But this might be the best highlight of his career.
With the score tied at 127 between the Warriors and Nuggets with under one second left, Jokić took a 39-foot heave as he was falling out of bounds.
Somehow it went in, making it the most improbable game-winner of the 2023-24 season.
Embiid, Dončić Channel Wilt
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Date: Jan. 22
If you score 70-plus points, you copy Wilt Chamberlain's iconic 100-point photo. At least that's the rule for the 2023-24 season.
Joel Embiid's 70-point game came on January 22 against the Spurs, eight days before he suffered a torn meniscus that kept him out for 29 games.
Luka Dončić one-upped him on January 26 against the Hawks, doing his own Wilt photo impression after scoring 73. He'll end up in the top three of MVP voting this year with averages of 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Embiid and Dončić capped a scoring explosion for the first three months of the season.
Through Feb. 3, there were seven instances of a player scoring at least 54 points. Since then, there's been only one such game (Jalen Brunson with 61 vs. SAS), which coincides with officials calling fewer fouls and scoring dropping as a result.
Knicks Can't Avoid the Injury Bug (but Keep Winning Anyway)
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Date: Jan. 27
Plenty of teams could be mentioned on a "bad injury luck" slide, yet only the Knicks are featured here.
That's a credit to them for incredible perseverance.
Teams with long-term injuries to at least three starters are not supposed to be battling for a top-three playoff seed. But the Knicks have overcome the absences of Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson to secure a top-four seed in the East.
The picture above shows Randle suffering a shoulder injury on January 27. He is out for the season.
In better news for New York, Anunoby and Robinson are back, rejoining a tough-as-nails group led by Jalen Brunson.
Wemby Shows Unreal Length for the Umpteenth Time
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Date: Feb. 12
Gradey Dick is the victim of this photo, but he can rest assured that dozens of others have had the same fate against Victor Wembanyama.
The 7'4" rookie has used his outrageous wingspan to block and NBA-leading 254 shots this year.
In this particular game, he had a triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks.
When trying to predict Wembanyama's career accolades, feel free to use your wildest imaginations. Multiple All-NBA teams and Defensive Player of the Year awards seem like a bare minimum.
LeBron Becomes Mr. 40,000
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Date: March 2
On March 2, LeBron James scored his 40,000th career regular-season point, extending his NBA record.
And just like Embiid and Dončić earlier this season, he did his own Wilt photo impression.
James' longevity is unprecedented, but what's perhaps even more impressive is the scoring efficiency he's achieving in his age-39 season.
He entered the season finale at a career-high 41.3 three-point percentage, and his true shooting percentage (.630) was the third-highest of his career.
Celtics' Domination Encapsulated Against Dubs
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Date: March 3
The Boston Celtics have been the NBA's most dominant team all season, and if you had to pick one game to illustrate that, you'd probably choose March 3 against the Warriors.
The C's harassed Stephen Curry into his worst game of the season (four points, 2-of-13 shooting). Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 56 points in 47 minutes.
Boston led 82-38(!) at halftime en route to a 140-88 victory.
Perhaps the Celtics were extra motivated to make a statement against the team they lost to in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Kyrie's Left-Handed Wizardry
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Date: March 17
Jokić's game-winner against Golden State might have been more improbable, but Kyrie Irving wins the award for Coolest Game-Winner of the Year. Hands down.
Most players wouldn't have had the wherewithal to ever attempt a 21-foot left-handed floater, but Irving realized he'd get his shot blocked if he went with the predictable right hand.
Irving's shot gave the Mavericks a 107-105 win, and they've been on fire ever since, winning 11 of 13.
Edwards Posterizes Collins
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Date: March 18
The Dunk of the Year award goes to Anthony Edwards. No two ways about it.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star jammed so hard on John Collins that they both suffered an injury on the play. If you're looking for more photos of this murder, look here.
It rivals some of the all-time great posters from Shawn Kemp, Blake Griffin and Vince Carter, among others.
Bumpy Ride for the Bucks
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Date: April 9
When the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard in the offseason, they were the NBA title favorites.
They look nothing like title favorites now.
They fired Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 start, replacing him with Doc Rivers. The Bucks are only 17-18 with Rivers, but they've been even worse recently.
In early April, Milwaukee lost consecutive games to the Wizards, Grizzlies and Raptors, and that was before Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury shown in the photo above.
Even if Antetokounmpo gets back to 100 percent for the playoffs, the Bucks are a class below the Boston Celtics.
Two Bulls Attempt a Dunk: 0 Points Are Scored
15 of 15
Date: April 9
Torrey Craig was leading a three-on-zero fast break and decided to throw an alley-oop to himself off the glass. Andre Drummond thought the alley-oop was to him, so they both tried to catch and finish in midair.
They both failed spectacularly, and to make things even worse, Craig landed on his back, allowing the Knicks to have a fast-break advantage after they secured the rebound.
It's fitting that one of the misguided organizations had the most misguided fast-break attempt of the year.
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