HIS AIRNESS
Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest championships
n 1987 and 1988, is credited by many people with having influenced a generation of young players.
HE DID WHAT?
On September 25th, 20000. Vince Carter soared over 7"2' French center Frédéric Weis.
To this day, those who were there still can't believe what they saw.
THE STEP OVER
The context is important, of course, even if the play itself has developed lifelong beyond that. This happened in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals, and Iverson hit the jumper with less than a minute left in overtime. All that matters is that Iverson rewrote Lue’s entire damn career into “the guy who got stepped over” with six seconds of basketball that was soaked with vicious disrespect.
YOUNG MAMBA
While Kobe Bryant hasn't said this himself, changing from 8 to 24 helped separate the two very different halves of his career - he won 3 championships while wearing number 8, and then went onto win another 2 while donning 24.
ABOVE THE RIM
Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim in his career at the ABA and the NBA. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA)[1] and was the best-known player in that league when it merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–76 season.
MIAMI HEAT NIGHTS
Wade said before BEING asked if he had the picture hanging in his house. “No I don’t yet, but this is the one that I told ‘Bron, ‘When I retire this is the only thing I want him to sign for me.’ I’m gonna pull up on his house in L.A. and I’m going to pull it out the car and say, ‘Sign this, bro.'”
LINSANITY
The magical run vaulted New York from the bottom of the Eastern Conference and into the playoffs.
He would go on to sign with the Houston Rockets in the offseason, officially bringing an end to Linsanity. Although short-lived, the memorable run landed Lin a permanent job in the league, multiple Sports Illustrated Covers, a documentary, and international stardom.
BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU
In the home opener of the 2016-2017 season - the Thunder's first home game contest following Kevin Durant's offseason defection to the rival Golden State Warriors - Westbrook came through with a historic triple-double. Westbrook scored 51 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished 10 assists. it was the first 50-point triple-double since NBA hall
