Biggest-time Baller
Throughout the season, we’ve been reserving a section on our daily rundown for the day's best performer, which we called the Big-time Baller. Usually, the player with the best stat-line for a winning team gets the nod.
Eventual MVP Nikola Jokic has had several eye-popping lines, but no baller balled more big time than Russell Westbrook. He had A LOT of triple-doubles this season (more on this later) and kept proving his doubters wrong.
Westbrook's stat lines become more incredible when you consider how much he struggled early in the season with his knee, unable to play in back-to-backs. With the way he looked to end the season, Westbrook might keep getting trip-dubs until his 40s. -- Miguel Flores
Best record-breaking moment
The year was 1974. Oscar Robertson set the record for most triple-doubles at 181. It was a number that was thought to be insurmountable, untouchable. It was a record that had been safe for decades.
Then, Russell Westbrook discovered triple-doubles. He loved it and it loved him back. Westbrook and triple-doubles have become synonymous, inseparable. Suddenly the Big O’s record didn’t look safe at all.
On May 10, 2021, 8:29 left in the game, Westbrook grabbed rebound number 10, and it became the biggest moment of his career—bigger than when he won MVP, bigger than all the 50-point triple-doubles he dropped combined, bigger than when he arrived pregame as a construction worker.
With that rebound, Westbrook eclipsed Robertson’s record and became the new target of future young stars with an appetite for doing great things on the court. To make it more interesting, Russ added a couple more trip-dubs before the season ended. Because, of course, he wouldn’t settle on just breaking the record by an NBA legend. Russell Westbrook, already an NBA legend on his own, shatters things. He now has an insurmountable, untouchable record of his own. Good luck to the future. -- Jon Rodriguez
Best play that broke NBA Twitter
When Anthony Edwards, the number one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, began his season with the Timberwolves, he was just… okay. Maybe it was all the losing or his shaky shooting.
Or perhaps it was because his batchmates LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton burst out of the gates and immediately made an impact on their teams, taking him out of the discussion. Whatever the case might be, Edwards wasn’t a household name for the majority of the season.
Until Yuta Watanabe happened.
February 19, 2021. The Wolves were playing the Toronto Raptors at the Target Center, up by three with 10.8 seconds remaining.
There was no hint that we were about to see the dunk in just mere moments. But maybe Edwards knew. He got the ball at the elbow, drove baseline, and rose from the floor. Watanabe saw him and, God bless his heart, made the right play. He challenged, and jumped high as well.
But Edwards jumped just a liiiiiiiiiitle bit higher. Okay, a lot higher. He slammed it with so much force that both he and Watanabe crumpled to the floor after the collision.
SENT THAT MAN TO THE NETHERREALM. pic.twitter.com/gswBcrCUKw
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 20, 2021
The dunk broke the internet and broke Twitter. Edwards also proved one thing that science has been teaching us for years: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Watanabe’s action was not equal to Edwards. And so he paid the price. -- Chuck Araneta
Quote of the year
The quote of the year came from the best game of the year between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors for the 7th playoff spot. The game was tied at 100, the shot clock winding down with a minute left when LeBron James hit a deep playoff-clinching, Steph Curry range 3 over...Steph Curry. LeBron couldn’t have scripted it better. Only, there’s more to it.
A couple of plays earlier, LeBron was poked in the eye by Draymond Green. His vision was apparently blurred for the rest of the game, including when he took one of the biggest shots of his career.
After the game, The King gave a quote worthy of its own crown:
"After Draymond's finger to the eye, I was literally seeing three rims out there. I just shot for the middle one." -- Jon Rodriguez
Best team Twitter account
If you’re looking for good bite-size content, social media accounts of NBA teams will give you what you need. The Twitter community especially has been the go-to for fans and athletes alike.
The Denver Nuggets’ Twitter page (@nuggets) is the most fun, relatable team social media account. They put out the same traditional content featuring the Denver team, but when it’s game time, they get extremely real. They tweet exactly like how a regular person would and highlight what is on every Nuggets fan’s mind. -- Renee Ticzon
The stress
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 9, 2021
Best uniform
This was the season the NBA seemed to have reached the upper limit for how many new jersey designs they can expect teams to make. Just look at how many teams opted to just greyscale their uniforms for their "Earned" kits.
Still, there were moments of brilliance from some NBA teams, none topping the Charlotte Hornets' City Edition joints.
Melo ?? J-Mac 💥@MELOD1P x @jalenmcdaniels5 #AllFly pic.twitter.com/Zi4942cXm8
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) May 14, 2021
It's hard to miss on a concept that incorporates the sheesh-worthy mint green, but the Hornets elevated this design with black lettering, pinstripes, and golden highlights. Their home floor also looks incredible when they rock their City edition unis. Overall, one of the best design concepts in the City Edition era, right up there with the Miami Heat's first three Vice City iterations. Cop your LaMelo Ball mint jersey now before they become the next Hypebeast fad.
Side note: The NBA really should consider going back to the Home and Away jersey configurations. It helps newer fans distinguish which team is playing at home and is, overall, a better aesthetic since one team will wear a lighter shade jersey than the other. It guarantees that no teams will wear the same color jerseys. It feels sacrilegious to see the Lakers wear purple (or forum blue for the hardcore Lakers fans) at Staples or to have the Celtics wearing green in Boston. -- Miguel Flores
Best fits
For best fit candidates, you’ve got your usuals. Russell Westbrook continues to be a one-man fashion event. Kyle Kuzma got his own thing going on. James Harden also had his moments especially when he wore that raincoat during the All-Star Game. Serge Ibaka has an underrated fit game as well.
But we have to go with the Portland Trail Blazers’ Zach Collins. The four-year man has yet to play a single game this season, making him a constant fixture on the Blazers bench. That means we got to see a ton of Collins wearing various outfits during the regular season.
In a game against the New Orleans Pelicans back in March, there was Collins sporting a grey turtleneck with a chain, complemented by blue striped pants. It was eye-catching enough that TNT broadcaster Ian Eagle mentioned it in the final five minutes of the game. In his words, Collins had “major drip.”
"The major drip that Zach Collins is sporting."
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) March 17, 2021
Ian Eagle is comedy 😭 pic.twitter.com/vTP2Gotxy2
Collins’ bench fashion is amplified tenfold because he’s so animated on the Portland bench. You can even search online for a compilation of him wearing a patchwork jacket cheering on the sidelines. It’s as if he stands up every time Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum takes a shot. It’s practically hard to take your eye off of him wearing something weird and clapping maniacally on his seat.
Between Collins’ outrageous outfits and several teams wearing WNBA shirts, jerseys, and warmups celebrating the W’s 25th anniversary, those are the best fits this season. -- Yoyo Sarmenta
Best NBA child moment
The entire All-Star Weekend was a celebration of not just basketball, but family. You have to remember that at the time, fans weren’t allowed yet in venues, and the NBA had to impose strict policies on players in order to prevent the spread of the virus. So at the All-Star Weekend, as teams and players were able to all be together with their families, they didn’t take the opportunity for granted.
Family first ?? @Giannis_An34#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/YK1bLjyJFE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 8, 2021
Deuce rebounded for his dad Jayson Tatum in the warm-up line. Julius Randle sneaked in a kiss as his boy was on the sidelines. There were moments everywhere that showed the side of our favorite All-Stars that we don’t always see. But in the midst of this pandemic, and with these moments few and far between, players let their guard down and showed their humanity.
You love to see it. -- Chuck Araneta
Best Shaqtin’ a Fool
While the NBA is filled with incredibly talented and athletic players, they’re only human who every now and then have slip-ups. One of the funniest bloopers this season had to be Brook Lopez’s reaction after Kenyon Martin Jr. threw down a mean dunk on him. The Inside the NBA crew, of course, made the most out of this hilarious bit. -- Renee Ticzon
#Shaqtin to the moon 😂🌕 pic.twitter.com/5IWUDgY9QP
— Shaqtin' a Fool (@shaqtin) May 14, 2021
Best flex
Who can forget Cole Anthony’s adrenaline-filled, nothing-can’t-touch-me, all-hype postgame interview after his game-winner? The Orlando Magic fiery guard was so sure about his self-belief that it was both hilarious and inspiring.
Everything about the interview oozed confidence. The answer to the first question of what it is about him in clutch situations, convincingly boasting, “I do this, man. I do this. I was bred for this.” The way he almost cursed when someone poured water on him. The eyes that seem to peer through your very soul. And the “Yeah… yeah… YEAAAH!” complete with the head nodding.
Best flex? YEAH. COME ON. -- Yoyo Sarmenta
