Top 10 Inspiring Moments in NBA History
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Sports help inspire everyone. It inspires both the athletes and the fans to strive for something greater than themselves and accomplish goals that had previously seemed impossible. It allows little kids to dream and reach for the stars. Historically, humans looked to our military heroes to fulfill this human need. However, today, we look to our sports heroes. Basketball, one of the most popular sports in the world, is a great example of them. With only 5 players from each team on the court at a time, basketball gives the opportunity for a single player to take over a game and inspire us all. Check out below for top 10 inspiring moments in NBA history.
#10: Michael Jordan Wins his 4th NBA Title, the first since his father’s death
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history. While there are many contenders, no one has managed to fill his large shoes. Jordan’s career is full of inspirational moments. However, the most inspiring moment in his career was when he won his 4th NBA title in 1996. Prior to this championship, in the early 1990s, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had won 3 of the 6 NBA championships. It looked like Michael Jordan had nothing left to prove.
However, this was far from the case. In 1993, Jordan’s father was fatally shot and killed in his car.[1]The New York Times – Man Shot to Death Is Identified as Father of Jordan This along with Jordan’s lost fire for the game, caused him to quite basketball while he was still in his playing prime. During this period, Jordan went on to play professional baseball.
However, the pull of basketball called him back and he returned to the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls dominated their way to the NBA finals in the 1995-1996 season. In the finals, it appeared that they would easily win, dominating the Seattle Supersonics 3 games to none. However, Seattle came back and won the next 2 games. At the time, pundits said the Bulls were too old and that they wouldn’t win. However, Michael Jordan willed his Chicago Bulls to win Game 6 getting his 4th title in that decade. In addition, it was the first NBA title that he won since his father’s death.
#9: Larry Bird returns with a vintage performance after another player knocks him out
One of the saddest truths in sports is that father time eventually gets everyone. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, it is our sports heroes who are the last ones to realize this. They go from living gods among men doing amazing athletic feats to being nearly crippled and unable move. Sadly, they become mere shadows of their previous selves.
At the end of the 1980s, Larry Bird was at the tail end of his career storied NBA career. He was falling apart physically and had to regularly get therapy just to be able to play in a game the next day. In the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, another player knocked Larry Bird unconscious forcing him to leave the game.[2]LA Times – Bird Hits Floor, Turns Other Cheek and Decks Pacers However, the legendary Larry Bird came back in the second half of the game and led his team to an inspiring victory.
#8: Derek Fisher makes game winning shot coming right off a plane from his daughters surgery
As fans, we forget that our basketball heroes are humans too. As we only see them on TV making impossible shots our flying through the air when dunking, we easily assume that they are nothing like us. However, this is far from the truth. NBA players are humans too and must deal with the same things that everyone else deals with.
Derek Fisher exemplified this during the 2006-07 Western Conference Semifinals. During the series, Fisher’s daughter had to have surgery for a type of eye cancer.[3]LA Times – Treatment of Derek Fisher shows hypocrisy is a family value in Utah To Fisher, his daughter’s well being was his number one priority over everything including basketball. As such, he would miss part of game 2 in order to be with her. On his flight back from his daughter’s surgery to the game, the person who had taken Fisher place in the game was in foul trouble. Therefore when Fisher landed, he had to go straight to the arena without warming up and get into the game to play. In one of his most inspiring moments in NBA history, Fisher subbed in and sunk the game winning three pointer, advancing his team to the next round.
#7: The Willis Reed Game
The Willis Reed Game is one of the best examples in NBA history of how one man can change the outcome of an entire game. In the 1970 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks were having a hard time without its League MVP, Willis Reed. At the time, they were playing against the LA Lakers and its stars Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. Unfortunately, Willis Reed tore a muscle in his leg in the previous game and was not able to play in Game 6. Due to this, the Lakers evened the series to 3 to 3 forcing a Game 7.
It appeared that the tides had changed, and the the Knicks were going to loose as neither the team nor the fans in Madison Square Garden had any energy. Though doctors told Willis Reed to sit out the final game due to his torn muscle, he refused. Instead, he took a shot to help with the pain and proceeded slowly limp out onto the basketball court. His presence visually breathed new life into his teammates and the fans and simultaneously took it away from the Lakers. He ended up only scoring 4 points in the game.[4]NBA – Reed Inspires Knicks to Victory However, his presence lifted the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship.
#6: Kevin Garnett wins his first NBA championship
Kevin Garnett is one of the greatest examples in NBA history of passion for the game of basketball. He leads with a ferocious intensity on the court that inspires everyone around him. Unfortunately for him, a majority of his career was on an abysmal Minnesota team where they didn’t win a lot. However, in 2007, the Timberwolves traded Garnett to the Boston Celtics[5]NBA – Look back at the legendary career of the 15-time All-Star. At the time, the Celtics were struggling. They were a mere shell of their storied NBA history. However, when Garnett moved to the team, he brought his fiery passion and helped changed the attitude of the organization seemingly overnight. Garnett turned the Celtics origination around and brought it its first championship in several decades.
#5: Mo Cheeks helps out a kid
Not everything that is inspiring about basketball is actually about the game itself. Mo Cheeks, the former head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers exemplifies this. In 2003, during first round of the NBA post season, Mo Cheeks’ team was competing against the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, they were already behind by 2 games in the series. At the start of the third game, Natalie Gilbert, a young 13 year old girl, was going to sing the American National Anthem. She won this opportunity by winning a local singing competition. However, as she began to sing, she forgot the words due to her nerves. In an inspiring show of compassion, Mo Cheeks stepped in to help her and sung the remainder of the song with her.[6]newsok – Star-spangled save: What Maurice Cheeks did for anthem singer in Portland is still remembered
#4: Jason Collins is the first openly gay basketball player
NBA history has shown that basketball is not always at the forefront of active social change. Historically, most spectators were only interested in watching sports. However, in our modern times, that has changed. Today, sports athletes use their platform to be agents of social change. Jason Collins is a great example of this. In 2013, Collins became the first active NBA player to come out as openly gay.[7]CBS New York – Jason Collins Becomes 1st Active Male Athlete In 4 Major American Pro Sports To Come Out However, what may have been even more inspiring and a sign of progress is that this news came out, it quickly became a non story. In fact, the media was a lot more interested in Collins basketball abilities than his sexuality.
#3: Kobe Bryant scores 81 points all by himself
Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest to ever play in NBA history. His never-ending will to win propled him to greatness. His inspiring inner drive is best exemplified in his 81 points in a single game, the 2nd highest ever by a single player in a single game.
Bryant performed this shooting performance in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors. IN the first half, Kobe had already scored 26 points, already an impressive day. However, the Lakers were still 18 points behind the Raptors. This is when Kobe went into Black Mamba mode. He proceed to score 27 points in the 3rd quarter and 28 points in the 4th quarter. He ended the game with 81 total points and most importantly the win.
#2: Alonzo Mourning comes back from surgery
Alonzo Mourning was one of the best basketball players in NBA history. However, his career was nearly cut short in 2001 when he found out he had a kidney disease. It ended up affecting his playing ability. In fact, by the 2003, he had to retire from the NBA. However, he did not let the disease stop him and went ahead and received a transplant.[8]The New York Times – PRO BASKETBALL; Dozens Offer A Kidney To Mourning In the following year, he got back into shape. Mourning went on to play for 4 more seasons, and even won a NBA championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat.
#1: LeBron James solidifies his place in NBA history
Prior 2007 NBA conference finals against the Detroit Pistons, puntits considered LeBron James as a supremely talented basketball player. However, the big question was whether he could live up to his great physical potential. His inspirational performance and 48 points in the conference finals cemented his place as a once in a lifetime basketball superstar.[9]NBA -Top Moments: LeBron James dominates Pistons en route to Finals.
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