Revisiting 5 unforgettable moments from the 2022-23 NBA season

The 2023-24 NBA season getsunderway next month, with another highly anticipated year ofbasketball on the forecast.

The NBA also happens to be oneof the few sports where the offseason is just as exciting thanks toplayer movement and the soap-opera-esque storylines that canemerge. This can make it easy for fans to quickly move on from theprevious season.

However, each season deservesrecognition, and last year was no exception. From historic accomplishments to jaw-droppingplays, there were a number of unforgettable moments worthdiscussing from the 2022-23 season.

De'Aaron Fox drains the #TissotBuzzerBeater for the win from BEYOND! #ThisIsYourTime pic.twitter.com/BwYotIU2cA

— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2022

5. De’Aaron Fox Hits Unreal Buzzer Beater

Last season saw the revival ofthe Sacramento Kings. Finishing as the third seed in the WesternConference, they clinched their first postseason berth in 16seasons. Leading this resurgence was De’Aaron Fox, who averaged 25points per game on a career-best 51.2% from thefield.

What really stood out aboutFox's season was his play during clutch situations. He consistentlyshowed up late, averaging 8.3 points in the fourth quarter – thesecond-best mark in the league behind only Kyrie Irving (9.8).Ending the season, he led the league in clutch points (194) and wasrecognized as the NBA's first-ever Clutch Player of theYear.

Fox had some incredible momentsen route to winning the inaugural award. In November of last year,the Kings were involved in a tight contest with the Orlando Magic.Tied at 123-123 in overtime, Fox brought the ball up the court anddrained a three-pointer from nearly half-court with no time left onthe clock to stun the hometown fans in Orlando.

Fox and the Kings certainly madetheir mark on the league and will look to carry that momentum intothe 2023-24 season.

Steph Gonna STEPHHHHH pic.twitter.com/6R3Q7z1vro

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 20, 2023

4. Steph Curry Shows Off Against Former FinalsFoe

Golden State Warriors superstarSteph Curry is familiar with long-distance threes. The NBA’sall-time leader in three-point field goals utilizes his deep rangeoften, making him dangerous at the end ofquarters.

Curry notoriously takes shotsfrom near half-court and beyond when quarters are coming to aclose, and he doesn’t shy away from showing his excitement whenthey go down. The one he hit in January of this year against theBoston Celtics had to feel good. It was the first time that Curryhad been back in TD Garden since Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals,where he clinched his fourth NBA championship and earned first NBAFinals MVP award.

The last thing Boston needed isanother reminder of Curry burying their hopes for a league-best18th championship, but the sharpshooter did so in quite thefashion. Curry stripped Celtics forward Jayson Tatum just pasthalf-court and attempted his patented logo three, sending the ballthrough the net as the first-half buzzer sounded.

Curry is heading into his 15thNBA season and has yet to show signs of slowing down, leaving thefour-time champion looking to add even more unforgettable momentsto his resume.

OH MY GOODNESS JA MORANT 😱DUNK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE pic.twitter.com/OQsyR28lKj

— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2023

3. Morant’s Ja-Dropping Dunk

The NBA is constantly evolving,and these days the league features arguably the most talented andathletic players of any era. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant maybe one of the best example of this, as the 6-foot-3 point guard hasmade a habit of posterizing taller players almost nightly. Morantmakes an effort to try these nasty dunks over significantly largerdefenders, keeping fans on the edge of their seat anytime he entersthe paint.

Morant pulled off arguably hisgreatest dunk to date earlier this year. Facing the Indiana Pacerson the road back in January, the high-flying Morant would split adouble-team and throw down a monster slam over forward JalenSmith.

Unfortunately, Morant's multiplefirearm-related incidents off the court will keep him off the courtfor some time, as he was suspended for the first 25 games of the2023-24 season by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. After thesuspension, hopefully a refocused Morant will add more posters tohis collection.

UNREAL ENDING IN DALLAS 😱LUKA (54 PTS) PUTS IN HIS OWN REBOUND TO TIE IT UP WITH 1 SECONDLEFTWE'RE GOING TO OT AFTER A 12-3 MAVS RUN IN THE LAST 30 SECONDS📲 https://t.co/WjxYAo1gl0pic.twitter.com/LKpwGgNbGU

— NBA (@NBA) December 28, 2022

2. Luka Doncic Hits Game-Tying Shot During HistoricPerformance

While the Dallas Mavericks had aforgettable 2022-23 season in terms of team performance, LukaDoncic certainly had his fair share of impressive moments. Doncichas already racked up a career’s worth of highlights in just fiveseasons in the NBA. The 24-year-old has a very unique style ofplay, and the term "Luka Magic" was coined to describe hishighlight-reel plays.

Magic was most definitely in theair on the night of December 27, 2022. Doncic and the Maverickswere taking on the New York Knicks. With 33.2 seconds remaining inthe game, the Knicks held a nine-point lead over the Mavericks.According to ESPN Stats and Info, teams were 0-13,884 over the last20 seasons when trailing by at least nine with 35 or fewer secondsremaining in regulation.

That record would become1-13,884 by the end of the night.

The Mavs and Doncic would go ona miraculous 9-3 run, leading to a situation where Doncic was atthe free-throw line with the Mavs down 115-112 with 4.2 secondsleft. Doncic would convert the first free throw, then intentionallymiss the second in an attempt to tie the game. After multiplebounces, the ball miraculously found its way back into Doncic'shands and he threw up a quick shot, getting it to go and tying thegame with one second remaining. The game would go into overtime andthe Mavericks would finish the job, defeating the Knicks126-123.

This would go down as arguablyDoncic's best performance since entering the NBA. He dropped ahistoric stat line of 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists – thefirst 60-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game ever in NBA history.This was an unprecedented performance on several fronts, andDoncic will look to add even moremagical moments to his already-impressive resume this upcomingseason.

38,388 POINTSLeBron James hits the fadeaway jumper to become the NBA’s all-timeleading scorer! #ScoringKing pic.twitter.com/P5LyTZAZn3

— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023

1. LeBron James Breaks All-Time ScoringRecord

Heading into the 2022-23campaign, many expected Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron Jamesto break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. Once theseason got underway, the record-setting performance drew closer andcloser with James scoring at his expected pace.

The fabled moment came to passon February 7 of this year, with the Lakers taking on the OklahomaCity Thunder in Los Angeles. James entered the game needing 36points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, and The King made it apparent that hewanted to break the record that night, showing an eagerness toscore that we typically don't see from the 38-year-old thesedays.

James reached 34 points and,with just over 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Abdul-Jabbar’srecord was broken after a 39-year run. James backed down Thunderwing Kenrich Williams and hit a fadeaway jumper, officially puttinghis name No. 1 in the record books with 38,388 points.

The 2023-24 campaign willmark the 21st season of LeBron'slegendary career and if it's anything like his othercampaigns, it will feature plenty of iconic moments.

What were yourfavorite moments from the 2022-23 NBA season? Tweet us at@basketbllnews!