Most Memorable Moment from Every Single Season in NBA History

The NBA is a league filled with incredible history. Some of the best athletes to ever walk the face of the Earth have played in the NBA and they've provided us fans with more than our fair share of memorable moments. 

Some moments last longer than others though. After all, some are simply moments and not iconic happenings that we'll remember forever. 

Each season has its own signature moment. Read on to find out what that moment is for each and every one, starting in 1949 when the league first came into being and finishing with the most recent 2010-2011 campaign. 

1949-1950: Minneapolis Lakers Win First NBA Title

After the BAA and NBL merged to form the NBA, the first official regular season began in 1949. 

It ended with the Minneapolis Lakers, led by star big man George Mikan, taking home the league's first title. It only took six games for Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, Bob Harrison and the rest of the Lakers to send home the Syracuse Nationals. 

1950-1951: East Beats West in First All-Star Game

On March 2, 1951, the NBA held it's first All-Star Game, pitting the East against the West. 

This time, the East took down the West 111-94 while playing at the Boston Celtics' home floor: the famed Boston Garden. 

1951-1952: Lane Widened to Slow George Mikan

George Mikan was so dominant during the early years of the NBA that the league decided to widen the paint from six feet to 12 in an effort to at least stall the All-Star for the Minneapolis Lakers. 

It didn't work. Not even a tiny bit. 

Mikan himself said, "Actually, it opened up the lane and made it more difficult for them to defense me. Opposing teams couldn't deter our cutters going through the lane. It moved me out and gave me more shot selection instead of just short pivots and hooks. I was able to dribble across the lane and use a lot more freedom setting my shot up."

1952-1953: Bob Cousy Scores 50 in Quadruple-Overtime

Bob Cousy was a third-year point guard for the Boston Celtics at this point, but he wouldn't let his lack of experience hinder him in the slightest. 

Cooz put up one of the greatest individual performances in playoff history when he scored 50 points in a quadruple-overtime playoff game against the Syracuse Nationals. Even though George Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers won once more, that was the moment that would endure.  

1953-1954: Minneapolis Lakers Three-Peat

There was still no slowing George Mikan. 

Despite the weird format of the playoffs this year (a strange round-robin instead of the traditional format), the Minneapolis Lakers won their third straight title and their fifth in six years. 

1954-1955: Danny Biasone Invents the Shot Clock

The Syracuse National's Danny Biasone decided that he'd had enough with the slow, unpopular style of play that the NBA was famous for and made a change. At his team's practices, Biasone started using a 24-second clock. 

The practice was adopted by the league before the 1954-1955 season and both scoring and popularity exploded in the NBA. 

It is only fitting that the Nationals went on to win the title. 

1955-1956: Bob Pettit Is Named the First MVP

The premier individual award in basketball was awarded for the first time after the 1955-1956 campaign and it went to the St. Louis Hawk's Bob Pettit. 

Pettit had led the league in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 25.7 points and 16.2 boards per contest. The Hawks finished with a 33-39 record though, rendering Pettit's accolade slightly less meaningful. 

1956-1957: Game 7 of the Finals

In a double-overtime thriller, the Boston Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in Game 7 to take home the title. 

The Celtics were led by two rookies: Tommy Heinsohn and Bill Russell. You may have heard those names before. 

Russell scored 19 points and grabbed 32 rebounds while Heinsohn topped him with 37 points and 27 rebounds. 

1957-1958: Bob Pettit Goes for 50

The St. Louis Hawks won the first and only title in the now Atlanta-based franchise's history in 1958, thanks to the Game 6 exploits of Bob Pettit in the Finals. 

Pettit simply wouldn't be denied, scoring 50 points in the clinching contest. He even scored 18 of the team's final 21 points. 

1958-1959: Elgin Baylor Scores 55 as a Rookie

It didn't take Elgin Baylor too long to get accustomed to the NBA game. 

By scoring 55 points, Baylor put up (at the time) the third-highest scoring game in NBA history, trailing only Joe Fulks' 63-point game and George Mikan's 61-point game. 

1959-1960: Wilt Chamberlain Enters the League

Out of Kansas, Wilt Chamberlain joined the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to a rather lax interpretation of the territorial selection boundaries. 

Even though Kansas was out of the 76ers' sphere of influence, the team claimed that they should have rights to Wilt because he grew up in Philly and went to high school at Overbrook High School in the city. The NBA allowed this to happen, making Wilt the first territorial selection based on pre-college affiliations. 

The rest is history. 

1960-1961: Lakers Move to Los Angeles

Before the 1960-1961 season, the Minneapolis Lakers completed a move across the country to Los Angeles. 

Eventually adopting the purple and gold jerseys that have become so iconic, the Lakers gave one of the country's biggest markets a team. 

It was a move that would have many ramifications in the franchise's history. Even though plenty of team's have changed cities, few have have become as iconic as the Lakers.

1961-1962: Wilt's 100 Point Game and Oscar's Triple-Double Season

I refuse to pick between these two incredible statistical feats. 

Wilt Chamberlain set the all-time record for scoring in a single game when he dropped 100 points against the New York Knicks. 

But on the other hand, Oscar Robertson managed to become the first and only player to average a triple-double for an entire season. 

Both are incredible moments and neither deserves to be excluded. 

1962-1963: Boston Wins a Fifth-Striaght Title

At some point, I have to give credit to the absolute dominance that the Boston Celtics imposed upon the rest of the NBA. 

The 1962-1963 NBA season ended with the C's taking home their fifth-straight NBA title. 

It would be Bob Cousy's final season in the league and it definitely ended on a high note. 

1963-1964: J. Walter Kennedy Fines Red Auerbach

Newly appointed league President after the original founder, Maurice Podoloff, stepped down, J. Walter Kennedy didn't take long to make an impression. 

He almost immediately levied a huge fine (for the time) against Red Auerbach. The Celtic's coach was slapped with a $500 fine for inappropriate behavior during a preseason game. 

It would be a moment that set the tone for the duration of Kennedy's career in a power position with the NBA. 

1964-1965: Havlicek Stole the Ball!

There's no way I can say it better than Johnny Most. 

Quite simply, John Havlicek stole the ball. 

By stealing the ball, Havlicek preserved a Game 7 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals, allowing the Celtics dynasty to continue. 

1965-1966: Bill Russell Becomes First African-American Coach

Looking for their eighth-straight championship, the Boston Celtics lost the first game of the Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in an overtime thriller. 

Fearing that his team was suffering from a lack of motivation, Red Auerbach decided to stoke the fire in their hearts by announcing that he would be retiring after the season was over and Bill Russell would be taking over as a player-coach, making him the first African-American coach in American professional sports. 

With that bit of inspiration, the Celtics would go on to win yet another title. 

1966-1967: Boston Loses

Led by Wilt Chamberlain, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to put an end to Boston's reign of terror on the NBA. Even Bill Russell and the rest of the Celtics admitted that the 76ers were simply a better team. 

This moment is memorable simply because the Celtics didn't win a title. 

1967-1968: ABA Formed

With a red, white and blue ball, a three-point line and an exciting style of play, the ABA was formed in 1967 with the intention of competing against the NBA and eventually merging to form a super league. 

The ABA laid claim to plenty of historically great players and really helped to revolutionize how basketball was played. 

1968-1969: Don Nelson's Shot Bounces in

After John Havlicek had the ball poked away, it took a friendly bounce right into the hands of Don Nelson, waiting at the free-throw line. 

Nelson lofted up a shot that hit the back of the iron and bounced straight up into the air. As the crowd watched with bated breath, seemingly in slow motion, the ball fell straight back down through the rim and gave the Boston Celtics yet another title. 

1969-1970: Here Comes Willis!

This moment was so memorable that it managed to overshadow Walt Frazier's incredible 36-point, 19-assists and seven-rebound game. 

Willis Reed wasn't expected to play in the game, but he limped out of the Madison Square Garden to the delight and shock of the crowd. He proceeded to make his first two shots of the game and inspire the New York Knicks to a title in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. 

1970-1971: Oscar Gets His Title

Oscar Robertson had been named league MVP. He had averaged a triple-double for an entire season. He had achieved everything the league had to offer other than winning a title. 

When he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks and played alongside young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that all changed. 

1971-1972: Los Angeles Wins Its 69th Game

Led by Wilt Chamberlain, who admittedly is in the wrong jersey in this picture, the Los Angeles Lakers also boasted the services of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Jim McMillian and Happy Hairston. 

With that much talent, it's no wonder they set a record that would stand for 24 years by winning 69 games during the regular season.  

1972-1973: Nate Archibald's Claim to Fame

Nate Archibald enjoyed one of the most statistically dominant seasons every by a point guard during the 1972-1973 NBA season with the Cincinnati Royals. 

In just his second year in the league, Tiny led the league in both scoring and assists, averaging 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game. 

1973-1974: Hondo Leads the C's

It took seven games, but the Boston Celtics overcame the threat of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks to win one more championship for their franchise. 

Led by an aging John Havlicek, the Celtics fought through the mental rigor of two overtime contests, including one double-overtime game, both of which they lost. 

At the end of the series, the Celtics were victorious and Hondo was named the NBA Finals MVP. 

1974-1975: The NBA Starts to Track Blocks and Steals

For stat nerds like me, this is an incredibly important and memorable moment. 

It's hard to believe, but up until this point, no one kept track of how many blocks and steals players recorded during games. 

1975-1976: Gar Heard's Shot

Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals was pretty crazy. 

John Havlicek hit a jumper with barely any time remaining to give the Boston Celtics a 111-110 lead as double-overtime was drawing to a close. The Celtics faithful stormed the court, but had to be cleared because there was still time left. 

Paul Westphal called a timeout that he didn't have and Jo Jo White hit the ensuing free throw. But then, Gar Heard hit a ridiculous shot to send the game to triple-overtime. 

It doesn't even matter that the Celtics went on to win the game or the series. Heard's shot was that memorable. 

1976-1977: Blazermania

With Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton, the Portland Trail Blazers rebounded from six-straight losing seasons by winning it all. 

No one even though of Portland as an NBA team before they caught everyone by surprise and eventually inspired "Blazermania."

1977-1978: Kermit Washington Punches Rudy Tomjanovich

In one of the more gruesome moments in NBA history, Kermit Washington threw the most famous punch in the sport's lengthy history. 

During a fight with Kevin Kunnert, Washington noticed Rudy Tomjanovich running towards him and threw a vicious punch, connecting solidly and nearly killing Tomjanovich on the spot. 

Fortunately, the victim would be okay, but the punch left a rather large black mark on the season. 

1978-1979: Larry Bird Drafted

The Boston Celtics drafted Larry Bird with the No. 6 pick of the 1978 NBA Draft even though Bird was still just a junior at Indiana State. 

This move had an entire rule named after it in the long run, but the impact it had on the Celtics' franchise was even bigger.

As most of you probably known, Larry Legend turned out to be an okay basketball player.  

1979-1980: Dr. J's Baseline Move

This moment came down to either Magic Johnson's Finals performance at the center position or the play I chose to include. 

Julius Erving's baseline scoop around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is my favorite play of all time and one of the first that pop into the minds of many NBA fans around the world. 

Just sit back, watch and prepare for your jaw to drop yet again. 

1980-1981: Larry Bird's Lefty Follow-Up

Not to be outdone by Julius Erving's move the year before, Larry Bird put together a special move of his own. 

In the closing moments of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Larry Bird launched an 18-footer that he immediately knew was going to miss. Following his own shot and knowing exactly where it would bounce off the rim to, Bird corralled the rebound, switched to his left hand in the air and put the ball back up and through the hoop while falling out of bounds. 

Red Auerbach had this to say about the play: "It was the one best shots I've ever seen a player make."

1981-1982: Magic Wins the Title

The season didn't start out well for the Los Angeles Lakers. A dispute between point guard Magic Johnson and head coach Paul Westhead led to the dismissal of Westhead and the hiring of Pat Riley. 

The season did end well though. 

Magic's Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers for one more title. 

1982-1983: Rock the Baby and Fo' Fo' Fo'

Since both of these moments happened for the same team, I can justify having them both. 

The first of the two is Julius Erving's famous "Rock the Baby" dunk over Michael Cooper. It remains to this day one of the greatest in-game dunks of all time. 

The second is the bold "Fo', Fo', Fo'" prediction of Moses Malone, boasting that he and the Philadelphia 76ers would sweep their way through the playoffs. It turned out that "Fo,' Fi', Fo'" would have been a more accurate prediction, but at least Malone was close. 

1983-1984: David Stern Takes over

Up until this most recent lockout, many viewed David Stern as one of the greatest commissioners in the history of professional sports. 

Stern dramatically increased basketball's profile. He helped the fanbase grow tremendously, added plenty of new teams and even made the sport a global one. 

It should be quite memorable that he first took over in 1983. 

1984-1985: Michael Jordan Drafted

This needs no explanation. 

1985-1986: Spud Webb Dunks

Before the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest, Dominique Wilkin's claims that he'd never even seen Spud Webb dunk. 

But Spud dunked over and over again en route to a Slam Dunk title. 

It's pretty memorable to watch a little guy like Webb rise up through the air and take down "The Human Highlight Film."

1986-1987: Magic's Junior, Junior Sky-Hook

With time running down and the Los Angeles Lakers down 106-105, Magic Johnson took the inbounds pass and took off towards the lane. Met by the intimidating duo of Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Magic launched up what he would call the "Junior, Junior Sky-Hook" and it dropped in the hoop for a one-point lead and eventually the game. 

Larry Bird would later say, "You expect to lose on a sky-hook. You don't expect it to be from Magic."

1987-1988: Isiah Thomas Scores 25 in a Quarter on a Sprained Ankle

One of the grittiest competitors of all time, Isiah Thomas wouldn't let a badly sprained ankle deter him from dominating. 

The Los Angeles Lakers eventually won the title in seven games, but Zeke's Game 6 heroics endure more than the win. 

The point guard, bad ankle and all, scored an astounding 43 points, including an NBA Finals record 25 points in the third quarter alone. 

1988-1989: Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre

With the Detroit media branding the Pistons as the "Bad Boys," general manager Jack McCloskey felt his team's chemistry slipping away and knew that he needed to make a move. 

He pulled one off by trading with Dallas' Rick Sund, exchanging Adrian Dantley and a first-round pick in the 1989 NBA Draft for Mark Aguirre. The move, which was approved by no one at all at the time, was a successful one as the Pistons won the title later that year. 

1989-1990: Detroit Goes Back-to-Back

After the Detroit Pistons were crowned for the second-straight year, Bill Laimbeer said, "You rank this one as more of a satisfaction for a job well done. We wanted to repeat as champions, but not so much to prove it to anybody else. We wanted to do it for ourselves."

Despite the loss of Rick Mahorn, the prototypical Bad Boy, the Pistons backed up their first championship with one more for good measure. 

Isiah Thomas, as is almost always the case, was no less spectacular than he was the year before. 

1990-1991: Michael Wins One

Get ready for Michael Jordan to dominate the next decade's worth of slides. 

MJ finally overcame the playoff monkey on his back and led the Chicago Bulls to his first NBA title. In one of the most unforgettable pictures of all time, a very emotional Jordan was captured embracing the trophy. 

You can see that picture here. 

1991-1992: Magic's Announcement

Just a short way into the 1991-1992 NBA season, Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing that he was HIV-positive and would be immediately retiring from the game of basketball. 

The five-time champion and three-time MVP would make a few returns to the game, but this was the true end of his glory days.

It was a sad and memorable day for everyone. 

1992-1993: Bulls' First Three-Peat

After rather easily winning the first two games of the NBA Finals series against the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns, the Chicago Bulls were in prime position to three-peat, having won the past two titles. 

The Suns won a triple-overtime game to end thoughts of a sweep, but then Michael Jordan's 55-point Game 4 essentially put the series out of reach. 

In Game 6, MJ lit up the stat sheet with 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Bulls officially three-peated after Jon Paxson's three-pointer ended the contest. 

1993-1994: Michael Retires

Burdened by the loss of his father, Michael Jordan unexpectedly announced on October 6, 1993 that he would be retiring from professional basketball at the age of 30. Only Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns had ever willingly stepped away from superstardom like that. 

Jordan went on to attempt to play baseball for the Chicago White Sox, but that never really came to fruition. 

As good as Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets were that season, people will always remember Jordan's retirement first. 

1994-1995: "I'm Back"

All it took was two words and Michael Jordan was back with the Chicago Bulls five months into the season. 

He picked up right where he left off, this time wearing No. 45 until the playoffs started and he switched back to No. 23. 

Jordan wouldn't add another ring to his collection this year, but his unretirement overshadowed Hakeem Olajuwon's accomplishments once more. 

On a slightly-related tangent, can we please get the word "unretirement" added to the dictionary? After Brett Favre and Michael Jordan, we need to. 

1995-1996: Chicago Wins 72

Surpassing the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers by winning 72 games during the regular season, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls became not only the best team in NBA history, but arguably the best team in the entire history of professional sports.

It was only fitting that Michael Jordan would regain the crown with a season this dominant. 

1996-1997: The Flu Game

The video I included may be 5:22 seconds long, but every single second is worth watching. 

To encourage you to watch it, I'm not going to write anything else here. 

1997-1998: MJ's Last Shot*

What single shot has been more memorable than this one in all of basketball history?

Whether he pushed off or not (he did), Michael Jordan's final shot with the Chicago Bulls will be remembered as the single greatest playoff moment of all time. 

I'd say that qualifies as memorable. 

1998-1999: Memorial Day Miracle

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs found themselves trailing with just seconds left. 

But Sean Elliot came to the rescue and drilled a contested three-pointer so close to out-of-bounds that if his heels were on the floor, he would've been out. The San Antonio Spurs won the shocking contest and went on to win the title. 

1999-2000: Alley-Oop from Kobe to Shaq

In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter. 

Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the Lakers squad fought furiously to come back and their rally was capped off by an incredible alley-oop pass from Kobe to Shaq, followed by an extremely awkward celebration as they ran down the court. 

2000-2001: Lakers Go 15-1

The only game the Los Angeles Lakers lost during the 2001 NBA Playoffs came in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. 

As a result, the Lakers went 15-1 during the postseason, giving them the all-time best record for a single playoff run. 

That's just what happens when you pair Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal together during their primes. 

2001-2002: MJ Returns Again

Eager to prove that he could still play, Michael Jordan unretired yet again, this time playing for the Washington Wizards. 

Even though he looked strange in blue, Jordan was back and everyone was thrilled to watch the greatest player of all time show off his skills once more.

The Los Angeles Lakers repeated as NBA champions, but MJ's second unretirement remains the most memorable moment from this season.  

2002-2003: Yao Ming Drafted

This was the first time that a foreign player with no experience in American colleges would go No. 1 in the NBA Draft. 

Yao Ming truly helped to globalize the game when he was drafted by the Houston Rockets and he would go on to have a very impressive career. 

2003-2004: LeBron James Drafted

Branded the "Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated while he was still a junior in high school, LeBron James was drafted first overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. 

I think we all know what unfolded from there. 

2004-2005: Malice at the Palace

Once more, I will direct your attention to the video. 

Words can't justify just how terrible this incident was.  

2005-2006: Wade's Dominant Performance

Few players in NBA history can claim to have taken over the playoffs like Dwyane Wade did in 2006 for the Miami Heat. 

Wade's dominance in the last four games of the NBA Finals even overshadowed Kobe Bryant's 81-point outburst, the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history. 

After Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks took a 2-0 series lead and held a second-half lead in Game 3, Wade decided enough was enough. He would average 39 points per game over the next four contests, all of which the Heat won. 

Obviously, Wade was named NBA Finals MVP. 

2006-2007: 48 Special

LeBron James submitted a performance in 2007 that should still be enough to convince haters that he is in fact clutch. 

Against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, James exploded during Game 5. He scored 48 points in the double-overtime victory, astoundingly putting up the Cleveland Cavaliers last 25 points and 29 of the team's last 30. 

2007-2008: Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen Join the Celtics

Every since Larry Bird had retired, the Boston Celtics hadn't been able to experience the kind of success that the franchise had become used to. 

After a pretty terrible 2006-2007 campaign, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen both put on the green Celtics uniforms and joined Paul Pierce in Boston. 

The newly-formed Big Three took the league by storm, winning the title at the end of the season. 

2008-2009: Pau Gasol Trade Comes to Fruition

This trade (made the season before) raised a lot of eyebrows at the time, even though it now seems significantly more fair. The Memphis Grizzlies gave up Pau Gasol (an established offensive stud at the power forward position) and a draft pick that would become Devin Ebanks. In return, they got Kwame Brown (yuck), Javaris Crittenton (yuck), Marc Gasol (yes, please), a draft pick that would become Donte Green and a draft pick that would become Greivis Vasquez. 

It paid off for the Lakers though because Gasol proved to be the missing piece to their puzzle. Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles unit went on to win title No. 4 for Kobe. 

2009-2010: Kobe Wins His Fifth Title

Even with the target squarely on his back, Kobe Bryant managed to lead his team to one more title, the fifth of his career. 

In typical Kobe fashion, he had to deliver the following quote after the game: "Just one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."

2010-2011: The Decision

The 2010-2011 season was all about LeBron James. Every move he made was scrutinized and he was endlessly ridiculed throughout the duration of both the regular season and the playoffs. 

It all started off with an ill-fated publicity move that would come to be known as "The Decision."

Universally regarded as a bad move, The Decision will endure for quite some time. 

Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on   Twitter.

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