(Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a series dedicated to 2016 throwbacks, a theme currently trending across social media. Only for this series, we will be revisiting defining moments that shaped sports in the year 2016. Click HERE for our first throwback.)
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Who would’ve thought that the 2015–16 NBA season was already a decade ago?
As timelines fill with throwback photos and memories from that time, it feels like the perfect moment to take a trip down memory lane and revisit what many view as one of the greatest NBA seasons ever.
Warriors Go 73-9 During the 2015–16 NBA Season
It all began with something that felt impossible—something that didn’t seem like it could be achieved, let alone be broken, for years to come.
After winning the NBA championship in 2015, the Dubs decided to run it back, and no one could have predicted what would follow. They opened their campaign by winning 24 straight games, a historic start that stunned the basketball world.
The trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green brought magic to head coach Steve Kerr’s small-ball lineup, perfectly complementing the three-point revolution led by Curry.
And after 20 years, the Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 record in the 1995–96 NBA season was broken.
The Black Mamba Farewell Tour
Perhaps the most emotional storyline of the 2015–16 NBA season was that involving one of the NBA’s greatest.
Before the start of the season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers announced that his 20th season would be his last.
With every Lakers game, whether at home or on the road, die-hard fans of Kobe came to see the Black Mamba play in the NBA for one last time. The Purple and Gold struggled throughout the season, as by the All-Star break, it was clear the Lakers weren’t making the playoffs. This made Kobe’s last games in the league much more meaningful, and they became appointment viewing.
On April 13, 2016, playing against the Utah Jazz at a star-studded Staples Center, Bryant carried the entire Lakers team one final time as he scored 60 points to get the win and end his farewell tour.
The historic night concluded with Kobe’s final words: “Mamba Out.”
Zach LaVine vs. Aaron Gordon
Many people didn’t have high hopes for the Slam Dunk Contest that season, especially since the participants were relatively unknown: Andre Drummond, Will Barton, Zach LaVine, and Aaron Gordon.
But LaVine and Gordon flipped the script and made that season’s Slam Dunk Contest one of, if not the greatest, ever. The two went dunk for dunk, showcasing breathtaking jams one after the other. It was 50 after 50 after 50.
Tomahawk 360s. Ball-under-both-legs. Windmill-from-the-free-throw-line. Gordon and LaVine showed what a dunk contest should be and electrified everyone watching, whether live and in person or on TV.
Ultimately, the evening ended with LaVine taking his second straight slam dunk title in what many fans believe is the best slam dunk competition of the 21st century.
Unanimous MVP for Curry
To make the 2015–16 NBA season more historic, the NBA awarded its first unanimous MVP to Stephen Curry, who was the catalyst of Golden State’s historic 73-9 season.
The baby-face assassin averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in the 2015–16 NBA season to go along with the Warriors’ 73-9 record. That stunning effort proved enough for Curry to do something no other player had done to that point.
Cavaliers’ 3-1 NBA Finals Comeback
The 2015–16 NBA season fittingly ended on a historic high, with LeBron James leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise’s first-ever title via a thrilling comeback from down 1-3.
The Warriors actually had their own big-time comeback themselves, digging out of a 1-3 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Western Conference Finals series. “Game 6 Klay” was born during that epic rally, as Klay Thompson kept Golden State alive in Game 6 on the road to ultimately fend off Kevin Durant and company in seven grueling games.
Then, the Warriors faced off against the trio of LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, and it was a cinematic masterpiece.
In Game 5, Irving and James both scored 41 points, becoming the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both score at least 40 points in the same game. LeBron added 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, while Irving had 3 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Put simply, LeBron and Irving put on a masterclass to keep the Cavs alive.
The Cavs, with James and Irving again leading the way, won Game 6 as well to force the two best words in sports: Game 7. The championship was still up for grabs down the stretch when James skied for “The Block,” to be followed later by Irving’s own version of “The Shot.” And with that, Cleveland had its first championship.
Truly, the NBA hit peak status during 2016 with so many unbelievable moments, record-breaking stat lines, and dramatic finishes. That was 10 years ago, and yet some of those seminal moments are still talked about today like they happened yesterday.
