The NBA's 25 Most Memorable Moments of 2016
Not so fast, 2017. The NBA's 2016 calendar year has some unfinished business.
There are plenty of unforgettable basketball moments for us to look back and reflect upon before we wholly dive into what awaits us in 2017. It's almost unfair that we're narrowing the scope to 25 heartwarming, attention-grabbing and/or inescapable occasions.
Moments are presented in chronological order and can draw our attention back to anything. Team accomplishments, player accolades, broken records, shattered dreams, inspiring stories and everything else you can think of is on the table.
Some of these flashbacks will have been captured in a single moment. Others are noteworthy distinctions that unfolded over longer periods of time.
All of them will be ingrained in our memories for the foreseeable future—perhaps forever.
Blake Griffin Can't Keep His Fists to Himself (Jan. 26)
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Mere weeks after 2016 began, Blake Griffin made headlines for punching then-Los Angeles Clippers assistant equipment manager Matias Testi in the face. Griffin suffered a fracture in his right hand and was later suspended for four games by the team.
The punch lines (sorry) wrote themselves. But this incident didn't have some profound impact on the Clippers season.
Griffin was already nursing a torn left quadriceps tendon when this bro-fight took place—and that was the injury he reaggravated during the Clippers' first-round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers.
His 45-game absence did, however, lead to questions about his future in Los Angeles.
Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan led the Clippers to a 40-15 record during Griffin's stay on the sidelines. Their success without him triggered a debate that, on some level, still lives on as Griffin recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee: Might the Clippers be better off long term swapping out their All-Star forward, who becomes a free agent at season's end, for a high-end stretch 4 and other spare parts?
Dunk Contest Is Back, Jack (Feb. 14)
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Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine saved the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest last February.
While the competition has lacked originality in recent years, these two high-flying studs delivered creativity in volume. You just knew the 2016 dunk-off was going to be special—more spectacle than chore—from the moment Gordon came strutting out in a tuxedo, sporting a cane and sneakers.
There were 360-degree turns, one-handed jams, preternatural verticals and standing ovations galore. LaVine windmilled from just inside the free-throw line. Gordon jumped over Stuff the Magic Dragon no less than 275 times.
LaVine hoisted the trophy when all was told, but there were no losers on that wonderfully chilly Saturday night in Toronto.
(Except technically Gordon, who should have won.)
Steph Beats OKC from Basically Half Court (Feb. 28)
3 of 25Let the record show that on Feb. 28, 2016, Stephen Curry had no chill.
With the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder knotted up at 118 inside five seconds to play in overtime, the defending/soon-to-be two-time MVP pulled up for a game-winning three...from 32 feet out.
"Honestly, I don't know exactly where I am, so it's not like I'm calibrating in my head, all right, 38 feet, 37, 36," he said afterward, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "Just literally, you've got a sense of—I've shot the shot plenty of times, you're coming across half court and timing up your dribbles, and you want to shoot before the defense goes in."
Sure, Steph. Whatever you say. Go right ahead and try to normalize near-half-court heaves. No big deal. Just don't let Nick Young hear you peddling that devil-may-care floor awareness.
Closing aside: With the Warriors clinching a playoff berth in Oklahoma City before March and Curry jacking quarter-mile threes like they're free throws, you have to imagine this was one of those "You know what? I'd look damn good in a Warriors jersey" moments for Kevin Durant.
Warriors Win 73 (April 13)
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There were times last season when the Warriors looked like they'd grab their 73rd victory before April tipped off. But eclipsing the 1995-96 72-win Chicago Bulls didn't come that easily.
After losing two of their first three games in April, the Warriors needed to rattle off four straight victories to go down as the best regular-season team in NBA history. They answered the call by beating the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies two times apiece.
Win No. 73 came over the latter in the final game before the playoffs. Led by a totally routine, not-at-all-surprising 46-point detonation from Curry, the Warriors hung 125 points on the D-League Grizzlies, taking ownership of a record that was clearly important to them.
And just like that, the internet had license to churn out Crying Jordan memes at the 1995-96 Bulls' expense.
Kobe's 60-Point Swan Song (April 13)
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It doesn't matter that it took him 50 shots.
Or that he missed 15 of his 21 three-point attempts.
Or that he held the ball for six minutes, six(ish) seconds in the frontcourt.
Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final NBA appearance. And the Los Angeles Lakers won.
"What can I say?" he told the Staples Center crowd afterward. "Mamba out."
In the most Mamba way imaginable.
Stephen Curry, Unanimous MVP (May 10)
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Prior to last May, the NBA never had a unanimous MVP.
LeBron James came pretty close at the end of 2012-13, but Carmelo "No-Good Vote-Stealing" Anthony snagged one first-place ballot. And if that version of James couldn't get the universal nod, surely no player would.
Then the 2015-16 all-galactic iteration of Curry came along. He averaged a league-leading 30.1 points per game while posting a 50/40/90 shooting slash in his sleep and breaking all kinds of offensive records.
Voters deemed this enough for an undisputed MVP victory, which made a lot of people uncomfortable—particularly a gaggle of those who still believe contested post-ups are the best shot in basketball.
Alas, Curry is the only unanimous MVP in league history. Whether you love, hate or are completely indifferent to him, you can't deny the pubescent-faced assassin got mad skillz.
Warriors Erase 3-1 Lead in Western Conference Finals (May 30)
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Imagine how much flak the best-ever Warriors would have received if they never even made it to the NBA Finals.
You almost didn't have to, of course. Golden State fell behind Oklahoma City 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, ostensibly torpedoing the championship hopes of a 73-win core considered unbeatable.
But the Warriors won Game 5. And then, on the back of a 41-point supernova effort from Klay Thompson, they took Game 6. After that, despite trailing by as many as 13 points in Game 7, they completed the comeback, setting up their NBA Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Golden State's midseries surge remains significant for two reasons: For starters, the Warriors climbed out of a freaking 3-1 hole. They were just the 10th team ever to do so at the time.
Second, and most importantly, this come-from-behind escape ensured they would remain part of the Durant sweepstakes. Because just as he wouldn't have joined the Warriors if they won a title, would he have really left the Oklahoma City team that beat them?
The Game 4 Groin Shot Heard 'Round the World (June 10)
8 of 25Draymond Green's affinity for cheap-shotting enemy players in the family jewels may have cost the Warriors a championship.
Less than three weeks after kicking Steven Adams where (some) tanning beds don't shine and earning himself a flagrant-1, Green whacked James in the crotch to close out Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The NBA retroactively assessed him a flagrant-1 foul for his shenanigans. And since he entered the Finals one flagrant or two technicals away from a mandatory suspension, he was unable to suit up for Game 5.
Still, the Warriors held a 3-1 series lead. They won three of the first four games by an average of more than 19 points. No team had ever erased a 3-1 deficit in the championship round.
Even if Golden State lost Game 5, as it did, what could possibly go wrong?
Craig Sager Does Game 6 of NBA Finals (June 16)
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Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager lost his long, admirably fought battle with acute myeloid leukemia on Dec. 15. His death shook the NBA community and was, without question, one of the most devastating moments in 2016.
But the man of many flamboyantly colored, intricately tailored suits never seemed like someone who would want us to harp on his departure. It is the time he spent walking this Earth, adding color and substance and eccentricity to the game we all love, that we should choose to remember.
No moment was more surreal than the ones he spent on-air during Game 6 of the NBA Finals—the first-ever Finals gig of his career.
Sager received a standing ovation from the Quicken Loans Arena crowd in the middle of the fourth quarter, and James capped the night with a fitting send-off after leading the Cavaliers to a 115-101 victory.
“How in the hell did you go 30-plus years without getting a Finals game?" James aptly said to Sager during his postgame interview, per the New York Times' Richard Sandomir. "That don’t make no sense.”
LeBron's Game 7 Block (June 19)
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With under two minutes remaining in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and the score tied at 89, Curry and Andre Iguodala began a two-man fast break.
Iguodala passed to Curry, who immediately fed the ball right back. Iguodala went up for what should have been an easy layup. But he was met by a streaking James, who swatted the rock off the backboard and into the hands of a trailing J.R. Smith.
It was one of those plays where the significance of James' hustle was captured more in photos than in real-time or slow-motion replays.
This is not to say it was surprising: James was doing everything for Cleveland during the Finals. He was the first player to ever lead all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for an entire playoffs series, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Why wouldn't he make the play of a lifetime with a championship on the line?
Kyrie Irving's Game 7 Championship-Clincher (June 19)
11 of 25Kyrie Irving is one of the most dangerous one-on-one scorers in the NBA—the type of player who can wage isolation warfare in volume without harming his team's offense.
The Warriors were reminded of this the hard way during the closing minute of the NBA Finals.
Smith's screen forced Curry to switch onto Irving. Cleveland's point guard dribbled between his legs for a couple ticks, then buried a three over Curry's outstretched arm.
There was nothing the Warriors could do. They would have preferred Thompson remain glued to Irving, but it really didn't matter. Curry kept Irving in front of him; this was good defense.
It was just met by even better, tough-to-fathom offense.
Cleveland Knows How to Host a Parade After Golden State Blows 3-1 Lead (June 22)
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The aftermath of the 2016 Finals was unforgettable.
Cleveland had its first NBA championship—and first major sports title in over 50 years. James snatched a third ring, exponentially strengthening his greatest-of-all-time case.
Golden State became the butt of 3-1 lead jokes that persist today. Around 1.3 million people attended the Cavaliers' championship parade. James roasted the New York Knicks in his parade-day speech for giving up Iman Shumpert and Smith for basically nothing.
Shirtless Smith took the Simba Cam to a whole new level.
James even gave the world at large an opportunity to create another Crying LeBron meme. We've just yet to implement it into our everyday social media troll jobs (which is a darn shame).
Big, Fat Free-Agency Contracts for Everyone! (July 1)
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We knew the NBA's salary cap was going to jump from $70 million to a hair over $94.1 million this past summer. We talked about the spike months before it became official. That chatter marked the advent of the Durant-to-Golden State bandwagon.
Many of us thought we were prepared for life in the new cap climate; Player salaries would explode, and there would be visceral contract discrepancies as a result.
But then Mike Conley received the richest contract in NBA history (five years, $153 million). Timofey Mozgov got four years and $64 million after falling off the face of the Earth in Cleveland. Evan Turner signed a four-year, $70 million deal with the Blazers.
Allen Crabbe became one of the league's 35 highest-paid players for 2016-17. Bismack Biyombo signed a four-year, $68 million contract that's paying him more than DeMarcus Cousins this season. Bradley Beal will earn over $5 million more per year than John Wall through 2018-19.
These anomalies will fade as cap space dries up around the Association and other superstars get their crack at free agency. And every single deal, good or bad, must be judged against the percentage of the cap it eats up.
For now, though, the sticker shock is still real.
The New York Bulls (July 1)
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Trading for Derrick Rose ahead of last June's draft wasn't enough for the Knicks.
They needed to overpay Joakim Noah (four years, $72.6 million) in free agency, too.
Turning actual assets Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez—plus Jose Calderon—into Rose was a questionable decision. Paying Noah about $3.8 million more per year than Lopez to play Kristaps Porzingis' most ideal position remains indefensible.
New York is contending for a top-four Eastern Conference playoff seed. But its net rating (minus-3.5) is worse than that of last season's 32-win disaster (minus-2.8).
Should this squad sneak out of the first round, it'll be a small miracle.
And that glass ceiling would be fine, if not for the fact that the Knicks might spin their early exit as a profound success—and then use it to justify offering Rose a max contract over the summer.
Kevin Durant Joins the Warriors (July 4)
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On July 4, just as Russell Westbrook was probably baking cupcakes, Durant announced that he would be joining the Warriors—the team that eliminated the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
He explained his decision thusly on the Players' Tribune:
"The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player — as that has always steered me in the right direction. But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth. With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors.
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Loosely translated: Durant wanted to win championships. And to dribble less. And to give soap-opera enthusiasts an incentive to doubt whether he ever considered Westbrook more than an annoying younger brother who wouldn't share the remote control.
Even now, almost halfway into Durant's first go-round with the Warriors, the above photo often remains a surreal sight to behold.
Sometimes you're just sitting there, watching hoops, and it hits you: A 73-win core actually swapped out Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut for Zaza Pachulia and Durant, a top-five superstar in the thick of his prime.
It's enough to make you wonder if the NBA should even bother playing the games anymore.
Dwyane Wade Leaves Heat for Bulls (July 6)
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So much for Dwyane Wade being a Miami Heat lifer.
Pretty much no one saw his two-year, $47 million deal with the Bulls coming. The circumstances under which he left Miami were that bizarre.
Tension between Heat president Pat Riley and Wade reached fever pitch during free agency, effectively ending a marriage that survived 13 years, multiple pay cuts and James' exit.
And not only did Wade leave, but he found a landing spot with his hometown Bulls, who had already agreed to sign Rajon Rondo, another ball-dominant guard past his prime who doesn't space the floor.
In a totally predictable development, Wade's homecoming has been marred by a sub-.500 record and the team's complete inability to hit threes. The Bulls are shooting a league-worst 30.7 percent from downtown, and Rondo has fallen out of head coach Fred Hoiberg's rotation.
Seeing Wade in red, white and black has been pretty cool, though.
The NBA Gets Political (July 13)
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Anthony, James, Paul and Wade took the stage to open up the 2016 ESPY awards with a call for professional athletes to promote social change.
"Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe and countless others, they set a model for what athletes should stand for," Paul said, per ESPN.com. "So we choose to follow in their footsteps."
This was something of a hallmark moment for the NBA. Four of its biggest stars were imploring their peers to act—not just speak out against rampant injustices, such as the shootings in Dallas, Louisiana and Orlando, Florida, that helped spur this segment, but actually do something.
Anthony would go on to hold a town hall-type meeting in South Central Los Angeles prior to the Olympics, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. And the league as a whole hasn't shied from taking stands on profound social issues.
The NBA relocated the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte to New Orleans due to North Carolina's House Bill 2—a law that openly discriminates against people of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich railed against Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr advocated for the use of marijuana as a pain reliever. Phoenix Suns lead honcho Earl Watson offered a thoughtful response to Kerr's stance.
Words only do so much in these situations, but the increasing candidness with which the NBA, its coaches and its players tackle topics that extend beyond the hardwood is a refreshing—and necessary—development.
Kevin Garnett Retires (Sep. 23)
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Kevin Garnett made his exit from the NBA official in a powerful Instagram video.
“I’m just thankful, man,” he said, as transcribed by the Star Tribune's Kent Youngblood. “I can’t ever put that into words. I’m just thankful. I’m just thankful for everybody and the love. I never would have thought that people loved me like this. But for it to be reality is something else. We’re going to be all right, man. I don’t expect this to be easy. But so far so good. Stay tuned.”
Garnett is on the wrong side of 40 and hardly played during the 2015-16 campaign, so this wasn't surprising. But he was an NBA fixture for more than two decades and one of the greatest bigs to ever step foot on the hardwood.
It's weird not seeing him on the sidelines, even as a seat-warming player-coach, making faces and animatedly barking.
Ah, well. At least we're able to catch him in "Area 21."
Joel Embiid's NBA Debut (Oct. 26)
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Something odd happened when Joel Embiid made his regular-season debut against Oklahoma City on Oct. 26, more than two years after then-Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie selected him with the third overall pick:
He obliterated expectations.
Embiid collected 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks during his inaugural performance. He shot an unimpressive 6-of-16 from the field and committed four turnovers, but he flashed three-point range and, most notably, an uncanny ability to render the Sixers watchable.
The 22-year-old 7-footer has only built upon this momentum. He is comfortably clearing 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game—benchmarks that haven't been surpassed by a rookie since Tim Duncan. Embiid's three-point touch is real (38.8 percent), and the Sixers post a better net rating (minus-2.5) than the Knicks whenever he's on the court.
“I really feel like I’m The Process," he told Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, "like The Process is about me.”
It is, and Embiid has proved to be worth the wait. If he's the only one of Hinkie's dice rolls that pans out, the Sixers will still forever be indebted to the author said Process.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP Candidate (November)
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There is no exact date tethered to Giannis Antetokounmpo's entry into MVP territory. But it was clear by the end of November that his push into superstardom was for real—and indefinite.
Antetokounmpo is a unicorn in his own right.
He doesn't swish threes with absurd efficiency, but he simultaneously functions like a point guard and center. He leads the Milwaukee Bucks in assist percentage yet is second on the team in shots defended at the rim.
Antetokounmpo is also pacing Milwaukee in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks—some real LeBron James-like voodoo. His per-game production has never been matched by anyone else, and the Bucks play like a slightly better version of the Cavaliers with him in the game.
Don't hold your breath for Antetokounmpo to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy this season. But he will garner some sporadic MVP consideration—preliminary interest that'll be a steppingstone into perennial MVP candidacy.
Klay Detonates for 60 Points...in 3 Quarters (Dec. 5)
21 of 25Remember when Thompson dropped 60 points on Dec. 5? The Indiana Pacers sure do; they were on the wrong end of the younger Splash Brother's offensive onslaught.
Thompson's 60-burger came on just 33 shots...in 29 minutes...which he logged through three quarters.
Strictly for fun, let's see how Bryant's and Thompson's 60-point eruptions—the only two such displays in 2016—stack up:
| 42 | 22 | 50 | 6 | 21 | 365.5 seconds (6 minutes, 5.5 seconds) | 2.90 | |
| 29 | 21 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 91.8 seconds (1 minute, 31.8 seconds) | 1.20 |
Bryant was more than 11 years older than Thompson during his scoring outburst, but still: Wow.
New CBA = No Lockout = Yay! (Dec. 14)
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The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced on Dec. 14 that they had hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement—a tentative seven-year pact that guarantees the league will avoid a lockout this summer.
We will now pause for a moment to allow for strongly recommended fist pumps, chest bumps, break dancing, high-fives and self-fives.
Chief among the new tidbits in this CBA is the introduction of a Designated Player Exception, which makes it easier for teams to re-sign incumbent superstars. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post unpacked the eligibility requirements:
"1. He makes one of the three all-NBA teams or is named either defensive player of the year or most valuable player the previous season.
2. He has made one of the three all-NBA teams or has been named defensive player of the year in two of the prior three seasons or the league’s most valuable player in one of the three prior seasons.
And this crucial stipulation: He has to be on the team that drafted him or has to have been traded on his rookie deal to another team.
That means players like Stephen Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Gordon Hayward are eligible for this exception, while Kevin Durant is not.
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For the tl;dr crowd: Westbrook won't be leaving Oklahoma City anytime soon. And there's a real chance Cousins sticks with the Sacramento Kings beyond next season, on account of the benjamins.
Spurs Retire Tim Duncan's Jersey (Dec. 18)
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Tim Duncan announced his retirement in July, but the occasion was only memorable because of all the grown adults that found themselves bursting into tears on the streets.
True to his "I'll let my boring, old rings do the talking for me" persona, Duncan didn't make a big deal of his NBA exit. But he was thrust into the spotlight on Dec. 18 when the Spurs retired his No. 21 jersey.
While addressing the emotional and thoroughly appreciative AT&T Center crowd, Duncan worked in a well-placed joke at his own expense.
"I'm going to tell you this: I won a lot of bets tonight," he said, per ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright. "I didn't wear jeans. I wore a sport coat, and I spoke for more than 30 seconds. Thank you, San Antonio. Thank you."
Please excuse me. I had originally planned on writing another 10,000 or so words on Duncan's official farewell, but I suddenly find myself needing a few hours alone in a dark room, surrounded by comfort food, boxes of tissues and posters of adorable puppies doing adorable things above unrelated motivational mantras.
Kyrie Goes Grinch on Golden State (Dec. 25)
24 of 25Irving is a Warriors killer.
It apparently wasn't enough that he ended the Warriors' pursuit of a second straight title last June. He needed to dig the knife deeper during the Christmas Day sparring between Cleveland and Golden State—the first meeting between these two teams since Irving found nylon on a championship-winning three at the tail end of Game 7.
The Cavaliers looked toasted at the start of the fourth quarter, falling behind by 14 points. That was supposed to be all she wrote. But they came surging back thanks to Irving's 14-point final frame and the Warriors' sloppy offensive decision-making.
That set the stage for Irving to play hero in the game's waning seconds. Cleveland had the possession, trailing by a point. Irving brought the ball past half court, attacked toward the right, spun and drilled a fadeaway jumper over the 6'7" Thompson—all as James watched from the strong-side corner.
On a macro scale, this shot marked a transition in the Cavaliers' crunch-time offense. They no longer need James to have the ball in his hands on every play down the stretch.
They have Irving, who is nothing if not comfortable in pressure situations nowadays.
On a slightly smaller scale, Cleveland improving to 4-0 against Golden State through their last four clashes only heightens the intrigue surrounding the league's best rivalry—a captivating tug of war that is once again on an NBA Finals collision course.
James Harden, Mike D'Antoni Are Vindicated (Dec. 31)
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Much like Antetokounmpo's meteoric rise through the NBA ranks, we can't pinpoint an exact time when James Harden and Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni tasted salvation.
So let's use the Rockets' Dec. 31 victory over the Knicks as the duo's defining achievement.
Harden torched New York's defense for 53 points and 17 assists. He also had eight turnovers, but his insanely high usage and 16 rebounds more than made up for his bloopers.
By night's end—and, thus, year's end—Harden arguably usurped Westbrook as the NBA's MVP favorite.
D'Antoni, meanwhile, finds himself guiding the Western Conference's third-best team. The Rockets are already more of a threat to the Warriors than the Clippers, and the Spurs are hardly out of their reach. They have even found a way in recent weeks to tread water when Harden takes a seat.
Things are good in Houston—better than anyone predicted. And that's legitimized D'Antoni and Harden in ways that just a few months ago weren't thought possible.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. Salary commitments via Basketball Insiders. Numbers accurate leading into Monday's games unless otherwise noted.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.
