2023–24 NBA season

• 1. The Largest Deal

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  The 2023-24 NBA season began with a financial milestone already in place. On the 25th of July 2023, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics agreed to a five-year, $304 million extension. That figure was the largest contract in league history at the time. The season itself opened on the 24th of October 2023 and ran until the 17th of June 2024. Those eight months covered the league's 78th year. For the first time, the NBA ran a mid-season tournament stretching from November into December. A teenage center from France spent his first professional season rewriting the NBA record books. And one January night would produce something the league had not seen in close to two decades. Would Brown's deal translate into a championship? Who was the French teenager, and how many records could one player break in a single season? And why does that January night still occupy a chapter of its own?

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• 2. The Inaugural NBA Cup

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  The tournament schedule was released on the 15th of August 2023, two days before most of the regular season schedule was published. The league modeled the competition on the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and on multi-stage in-season tournaments used in European soccer. Teams were divided into six intraconference pools of five. Through November, games on Tuesdays and Fridays served as pool matches while also counting toward the regular-season standings. The three pool winners per conference, plus one wild-card team per conference, advanced to a single-elimination knockout round. For the semifinals and the championship, the NBA used the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Each player on the winning team would receive $500,000. On the 9th of December 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers went undefeated through the bracket and won the inaugural title over the Indiana Pacers. LeBron James was named the first-ever Tournament MVP. The NBA announced on the 8th of February 2024 that the competition would be renamed the NBA Cup. The new name came from the trophy presented to the champions.

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• 3. Victor Wembanyama

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  Victor Wembanyama's regular-season debut came on the 25th of October 2023. He made three shots from beyond the arc in that game, the most by any San Antonio Spurs rookie in a single contest. His output in a single quarter also ranked third-highest for any first overall pick in their debut game over the previous 25 years. On the 2nd of November, he became only the third teenager in NBA history to put up at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in one game. By the 26th of November, he posted at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 blocks in one contest. No rookie had ever produced that combination before.

  On the 8th of December, Wembanyama was 19 years and 38 days old. That night he became the youngest player in league history to post at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game. On the 17th of December, his streak of consecutive double-doubles as a teenager reached eight games, passing Dwight Howard's record. On the 28th of December, he became the first player ever to score 30 points and record 7 blocks in 30 minutes or less. He finished that game against the Portland Trail Blazers in just 24 minutes and 27 seconds. He was also the only teenager to record at least 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a single game.

  On the 10th of January 2024, Wembanyama recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in just 21 minutes of play for the San Antonio Spurs. That made him the youngest center in NBA history to record a triple-double, at 20 years and 6 days old. San Antonio won 130-108 against the Detroit Pistons. He completed the triple-double without a single turnover, passing Andre Iguodala, who had achieved that combination at age 21 in 2005. At season's end, Wembanyama won the Rookie of the Year award and earned a place on the All-Defensive First Team. He also finished as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, which went to Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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• 4. A Season of Milestones

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  On the 26th of January 2024, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks scored 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks. No player had scored more in a single game since Kobe Bryant's 81-point night in 2006. That same evening, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns scored 62 points against the Indiana Pacers, with 29 of those coming in the first quarter alone. It was the fifth time in NBA history that two different players each exceeded 60 points on the same night.

  Four days before that, on the 22nd of January, Joel Embiid scored 70 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for the Philadelphia 76ers. They beat the San Antonio Spurs 133-123. Embiid became the ninth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a game. He was also the first ever to combine 70 points with at least 15 rebounds and five assists in a single contest. That same night, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored a career-high 62 points in a separate arena. It was the fourth time in NBA history that two players had each scored at least 60 points on the same night.

  On the 2nd of March 2024, LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points. He had already passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader in combined regular-season and playoff minutes played. That milestone had come on the 27th of November 2023. Stephen Curry's streak of consecutive regular-season games with at least one three-pointer ended on the 17th of December 2023. He went without a made three against the Portland Trail Blazers, finishing the run at 268 games. His only previous game without a made three-pointer had been Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals.

  On the 13th of December 2023, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 64 points for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Indiana Pacers. He did not make a single three-point field goal. That was the highest-scoring game without a three-pointer since the rule was introduced in the 1979-80 season. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets won his third Most Valuable Player award at season's end, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic as finalists. Jokic also led the entire league in efficiency at 38.5 per game.

  On the 14th of November 2023, Draymond Green received a five-game suspension for an on-court altercation. Klay Thompson, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels were all fined in connection with the same Warriors-Timberwolves incident. On the 12th of December, Green struck Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns in a separate game. The league issued an indefinite suspension the following day.

  On the 28th of December 2023, the Detroit Pistons' losing streak reached 28 games. That tied the all-time NBA record, matching a mark previously held by the Philadelphia 76ers.

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• 5. The Farewell Wave

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  Andre Iguodala announced his retirement on the 20th of October 2023, four days before the season tipped off. His 19 seasons spanned four NBA teams, and he won four championships with the Golden State Warriors. He was named Finals MVP in 2015. Udonis Haslem had already announced his retirement on the 28th of July, ending a 20-year career spent entirely with the Miami Heat. He won three championships there and rejoined the organization months later as vice president of basketball development.

  Marc Gasol announced his retirement on the 1st of February 2024. Over 14 seasons and three teams, he had been named Defensive Player of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013. He was a three-time All-Star and an NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Lou Williams retired after 18 seasons and six teams, having earned Sixth Man of the Year honors three times.

  Blake Griffin announced his retirement on the 16th of April 2024. His 14-year career produced six All-Star selections, five All-NBA team appearances and the Rookie of the Year award. Wayne Ellington had announced his retirement on the 29th of September 2023 and was hired almost immediately as a player development coach for the Miami Heat. Ekpe Udoh followed a similar path, announcing his retirement on the 14th of June 2023 and becoming an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks.

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• 6. Building a Champion

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  Boston acquired Kristaps Porziņģis from the Washington Wizards in an offseason trade. The deal sent Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to Washington and Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics also acquired Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers. They sent Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams III and a pair of picks in return. Holiday had arrived in Portland just days before, as part of the larger trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

  Through the regular season, Boston posted the best plus-minus in the NBA at plus 11.3 per game. They also led the league in blocks, averaging 6.6 per game. On the 3rd of March 2024, Boston became the first team in league history to achieve three 50-point wins in a single season. Their defeat of the Golden State Warriors that night ended 140-88. Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics was named Executive of the Year.

  The NBA Finals opened on the 6th of June 2024 with Boston hosting the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics closed the series in six games, capturing the franchise's 18th championship, the most in league history. The Los Angeles Clippers spent this season playing their final games at Crypto.com Arena. When the next season began, they would play at the newly built Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

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