Most Iconic Moments in NBA History
The NBA has given us plenty of reasons to stay glued to our screens over the decades. Some plays happen so fast you barely catch them the first time, but they stick with you forever.
Others build slowly, tension mounting until the arena erupts. These moments don’t just define games—they shape how we remember entire eras of basketball.
Michael Jordan’s Flu Game
Game 5 of the 1997 Finals tested Jordan in ways that had nothing to do with the Utah Jazz defense. Food poisoning left him severely weakened before tipoff.
He looked pale, hunched over during timeouts, barely able to stand straight. But he scored 38 points anyway, hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute left.
Pippen practically carried him off the court afterward. The Bulls won 90-88, and Jordan’s determination became the stuff of legend.
Magic Johnson’s Junior Sky Hook
The 1987 Finals came down to Game 4 in Boston. Lakers and Celtics always brought out something extra in each other, and this time the rivalry delivered one of basketball’s most perfect shots.
With seconds left and the game tied, Magic caught the inbound near the free-throw line. He drove right, went up against two defenders, and released a running hook shot that floated perfectly through the net.
Even Larry Bird knew he’d just witnessed something special.
The Shot by Michael Jordan
Cleveland fans still cringe when they hear those two words. Game 5 of the 1989 first-round series against the Cavaliers, Bulls down by one with three seconds left.
Jordan got the inbound, dribbled to the top of the key, rose up over Craig Ehlo, and hit nothing but net as time expired. His celebration—jumping and pumping his fist while the Cavs players collapsed—captured everything about his competitive fire.
Chicago advanced, Cleveland went home heartbroken.
Willis Reed Walks Onto the Court
The 1970 Finals looked finished after Reed tore his thigh muscle in Game 5. The Knicks captain couldn’t even practice before Game 7.
But minutes before tipoff at Madison Square Garden, Reed limped through the tunnel and onto the court. The building erupted.
He scored the first two baskets of the game, then barely played the rest, but it didn’t matter. His teammates played inspired basketball, and New York won its first championship.
Sometimes presence matters more than statistics.
Larry Bird Steals the Inbound Pass
Down by one point in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics had five seconds left and no timeouts. Detroit had possession under their own basket.
Isiah Thomas tried to inbound to Bill Laimbeer, but Bird read it perfectly, darted in front, stole the pass, and found Dennis Johnson for the winning layup in one fluid motion. Boston went on to win the series and eventually the championship.
That’s championship-level basketball IQ on display.
Kobe Bryant’s 81-Point Game
January 22, 2006. The Lakers were losing to the Raptors by 18 points in the third quarter when Kobe decided enough was enough.
He scored 55 points in the second half alone, finishing with 81—the second-highest single-game total in NBA history. Every shot type imaginable.
Three-pointers, fadeaways, drives to the rim. The Raptors had no answers.
When you watch the highlights now, it still doesn’t quite seem real that one player can dominate like that.
Ray Allen’s Corner Three
Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, Spurs leading by three with 28 seconds left. San Antonio was already bringing out the championship ropes.
Chris Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound, kicked it out to Allen in the corner, and Ray—cool as always—backpedaled to get behind the three-point line and swished it. The Heat won in overtime, then took Game 7.
One shot changed everything.
LeBron James Blocks Andre Iguodala
The 2016 Finals went to Game 7, tied at 89 with under two minutes left. Iguodala got a fast-break layup that looked like an easy two points until LeBron came sprinting from behind.
The block was perfectly timed, pinning the basketball against the backboard without fouling. Cleveland held on for its first championship, breaking a 52-year title drought for the city.
That defensive play mattered as much as any bucket.
Reggie Miller Scores Eight Points in Nine Seconds
The Pacers trailed the Knicks 105-99 with 18.7 seconds left in a 1995 playoff game at Madison Square Garden. What happened next shouldn’t have been possible.
Miller hit a three-pointer, stole the inbound pass, hit another three to tie it, then made two free throws after John Starks fouled him. Eight points.
Nine seconds. Pacers won 107-105.
New York fans sat stunned.
Derek Fisher’s 0.4-Second Shot
Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals, Lakers down one point with four-tenths of a second remaining. Nobody thought that was enough time to catch and shoot.
But Fisher caught the inbound pass, turned, and released in what felt like a single motion. The shot went in.
The arena in San Antonio went silent. The Lakers advanced to the next round, and Fisher proved that even a blink of time can change a series.
Kawhi Leonard’s Bouncing Buzzer-Beater
Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals came down to the final shot. Kawhi isolated in the corner against Joel Embiid, the clock winding down.
He rose up, released a high arcing shot that hit the front rim, bounced to the back rim, bounced again, then again, then finally dropped through as the buzzer sounded. Four bounces that felt like an eternity.
Toronto advanced, Philadelphia went home, and that shot became the defining image of Kawhi’s championship run.
Stephen Curry’s Double-Bang in Oklahoma City
February 27, 2016. Warriors down two with seconds left in overtime against the Thunder.
Curry pulled up from 37 feet—way beyond even his usual deep range—and drained it. The call became famous: “Bang! Bang! Oh, what a shot from Curry!”
He strutted down the court, turned to the crowd, and started celebrating before the Thunder even knew what hit them. That season redefined what people thought was a good shot.
Damian Lillard Waves Goodbye to Oklahoma City
Another Thunder playoff loss, this time in 2019. Game 5, series tied 2-2, Portland and Oklahoma City going back and forth.
Lillard brought the basketball up court with the shot clock winding down, pulled up from 37 feet with Paul George draped all over him, and sent it through clean. He waved goodbye to the Thunder bench as the shot fell. Portland advanced.
The Thunder’s season ended. That’s how you close out a series with style.
Vince Carter Jumps Over Frederic Weis
A single moment at the 2000 Olympics changed how people saw aerial power in basketball. Out of nowhere, Carter took off mid-stride during a sprint downcourt.
Blocking his route stood Frederic Weis, seven feet two inches tall, representing France. Yet flight happened anyway – he cleared the giant without touching him.
Around? No.
Straight above. In Paris, they still call it “le dunk de la mort.”
That name sticks like chalk dust after a hard fall. Though Weis stayed overseas, never stepping into an NBA arena, his shadow stretched long through myth.
Meanwhile, Carter’s leap set a quiet standard others tried matching for years.
When Time Stands Still
Something deeper than skill lives inside these plays. Right there, in the thick of doubt, when the game trembles on nothing solid, one player steps into the storm.
Rewatch it again and again – the tightness never fades, the ending somehow unknown each time despite knowing every second by heart. What lifts them above the rest is raw – competition stripped bare, a fierce choice to burn bright instead of fade.
Numbers shift with time, yet the image remains untouched.
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