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What was your favourite NBA moment of the year in 2021? From Anthony Edwards' poster dunk to Kevin Durant's huge playoff performance and more

NBA.com Staff

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What was your favourite NBA moment of the year in 2021? From Anthony Edwards' poster dunk to Kevin Durant's huge playoff performance and more image

It's time for the annual tradition of reflecting on the year that was as 2021 draws to a close.

The year 2021 saw a number of different marquee NBA moments, from Giannis Antetokounmpo taking home his first championship with the Bucks, to Stephen Curry breaking the all-time 3-point record and more.

Before we ring in the New Year, three members of our NBA.com staff reminisced on our favourite moments from the 2021 NBA calendar year.

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Favourite NBA moments of 2021

Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_): Who doesn't love a Dunk of the Year candidate? And to be clear, this was the Dunk of the Year in 2021.

Anthony Edwards really started to turn a corner during the second half of his rookie season last year, proving why he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. But this has nothing to do with the strides he made to score more efficiently or the contributions he started to make in other areas of his game.

This one play showcased that Edwards is one of the league's walking highlight reels, capable of detonating on anyone who gets in between him and the rim.

This time, it was Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe who jumped with Edwards and the result was the toughest poster of the year.

 

 

Edwards has already dunked on plenty of opponents through his first season and a half in the league, but none were more jaw-dropping than this one. It was my favourite play of the year.

Nick Metallinos (@nickmetallinos): It could be my Knicks bias showing here, but for me, the moment that warmed my cold orange-and-blue heart was Kemba Walker's triple-double on Christmas Day at The Garden. 

And yes, I get it, the numbers don't exactly pop out at you - he had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists - but when you take into account the fact that he couldn't even get onto the court the previous three weeks, to be able to come out on the NBA's marquee day, on his home floor, in his city, and show that he's still a useful NBA player? And to top it all off, to have the fans chant your name again? Man, chill bumps. 

That was a moment. 

He was just the seventh player in history to record a triple-double on Christmas Day, and just the first Knick to do so. Can I get a 'Yerrrr' one time for my guy Kemba? 

Yash Matange (@yashmatange2694): This is easy. Without any research, one of my most memorable and favourite moments of 2021 that comes to mind is Kevin Durant's superhuman Game 5 performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

I thought about it and I'm fine with sticking by this moment. KD played every one of the 48 minutes en route to recording a 49-point triple-double with 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a 114-108 win. 

This showcase made him the first-ever player with at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game. In addition to those numbers, he also recorded three steals and two blocks while shooting a remarkable 16-of-23 from the field and 13-of-16 from the free-throw line.

KD had his fingerprints all over this game, either scoring or assisting on 74 of the Nets' 114 points in Game 5 (65 percent).

In the second half of the game, he helped the Nets overcome a 17-point deficit scoring or assisting on 43 of their last 52 points, including this ridiculous triple to beat the shot clock in the final minute of the game. 

Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): Really, nobody is going to mention Giannis Antetokounmpo's performance in the Finals?

It was, quite simply, legendary.

Let us not forget that it seemed as though Antetokounmpo was done for the rest of the playoffs (and potentially all of 2021-22) when he went down with a gruesome leg injury in Milwaukee's Conference Finals matchup with Atlanta. He proceeded to have one of the greatest Finals performances we've ever seen, averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 blocks while leading the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years.

His block on Deandre Ayton in Game 4 was an all-timer.

His alley-oop dunk in Game 5 was mean.

His 50-piece in the Finals was historic.

2021 was the year of Giannis.

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NBA.com Staff

NBA.com Staff Photo