The 2024-25 NBA Season: The Year That Saved The NBA

After a night full of emotion in the NBA, where the Oklahoma City Thunder became the 2025 NBA champions by defeating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7, who saw their All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with a devastating non-contact lower leg injury, the 2024-25 NBA season is officially over.

While it is sad that we need to wait until near the end of October to watch meaningful basketball again, it does feel like the NBA does have a feeling of optimism and excitement again after a few years of fan frustration. In a way, it felt like this strange yet exciting season saved or at least revived the NBA.

Heading into the 2024-25 season, it felt like the league was in an awkward spot. At least in my opinion, I didn't feel that same buzz or excitement for the new season to begin like we have seen in the past. Why? Well, the previous two NBA Finals in 2023 and 2024 were not that competitive, and with the regular season seemingly becoming less important by the year, even die-hard fans were starting to voice their displeasure with the NBA.

A big reason? Well, the players that defined the last decade—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant—were getting older, and going into the season, their teams were not seen as serious title contenders. With LeBron, Curry, or Durant looking like they would not be competing for a championship this season, the league was kind of stuck in a transitional phase, unsure of what was next. The league had long focused its marketing on showcasing those three icons, and without them or their teams playing in meaningful games, there was a bit of a weird feeling surrounding the league, and I was even starting to worry about the future of the league.

But then, on the night of the first day of February, the league was forever changed and perhaps even saved.

The Night Everything Changed

On February 1st around 10PM Pacific time, the NBA and sports world were stunned with maybe the most shocking trade in NBA history.

As you probably know, Luka Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and suddenly, the NBA had juice again.

I had friends who hadn’t paid much attention to the league over the past few years who suddenly were coming over to my house to watch Laker games with me, as we all wanted to see how Luka would look in purple and gold and how he and LeBron James would work together as a tandem.

Then, just a few days later, Jimmy Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors, giving Steph Curry a new co-star and injecting even more life into the league, as all of a sudden, LeBron and Steph both had a realistic shot at winning another championship. These blockbuster moves set the stage for a postseason that ended up being one of the better ones in recent memory.

And yes, while LeBron and Curry didn’t win the title, their teams ended up being eliminated.

by one of the league's next up-and-coming stars, Anthony Edwards.

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ young superstar took another leap this season, getting his team back to the Western Conference Final for the second straight year, showing his 2023-24 season was not a fluke. Edwards highlight reel skillset introduced him to casual fans as maybe the NBA's most box office player going forward.

Then there’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Yes, some fans do hate how much he gets to the free throw line every night, but he is also undeniably one of the smoothest, most efficient scorers in basketball. He delivered in the big moments all year long in a year where he captured the league's MVP award and capped it off by guiding the Thunder to a championship in the spring. This year very well could just be the start for Gilgeous-Alexander and these Thunder, as they are set up to be the league's next great dynasty.

And let’s not forget the New York Knicks.

The Knicks have been a nice story over the last few years, but this year, they gave their crazy fan base even more life, getting all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, and while they will be hiring a new coach in the near future, they should still be a very real contender in the East next season, which will create even more buzz in the league’s biggest market going forward.

But maybe the most refreshing part of this season? Small-market teams now have hope and are here to stay.

Small Market's Are Here To Stay

This year's NBA Finals was one of the more memorable ones in recent memory, where we saw the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton, going up against the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder, powered by their young MVP point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. These teams were not your typical big-name franchises, but they were teams built through smart drafting and excellent player development.

Not to mention in the regular season, we saw teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers finish first in the East with 64 wins or even the Detroit Pistons find their way back into the playoffs.

For years in the NBA, it felt like if you were a fan of a small-market team, you needed your team to get lucky and find a once-in-a-generation star to even sniff a Finals appearance. But now, in this new NBA, it feels like if you build your team smartly, you most definitely have a shot at going on a deep run.

This new version of the NBA feels a bit like the NHL or MLB: wide open, competitive, and unpredictable. Yes, you still need stars. But the path to building a contender doesn’t feel reserved for the same few teams anymore, like when the late 2010s were ruled by the Warriors, Cavaliers, or Rockets.

The League’s is in a Great Place Going Forward

After an all-time great playoffs and a season that brought fans back into the league, the NBA feels like it’s in the healthiest spot it’s been in years.

The future is secure with players like SGA, Doncic, Edwards, or even Wembanyama.

This summer should be even more exciting, as it has been suspected that the Kevin Durant to Houston trade could just be the start, as we should expect to see a few big transactions that could shake up the league, keeping things competitive.

For the first time in decades, it feels as if you’re a fan of any team that’s even remotely in the mix, you should feel as if you've got a shot at championships.

And that’s the magic the NBA has been missing for years.

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