By Tennie Sumague
EBC New York Bureau

A career milestone. A legacy completed. A first-time champion north of the border. An emotionally driven MVP. A new era of dynamic duos. We revisit several of the NBA’s memorable moments of 2019 covered by our EBC Sports International correspondents.

The “Beard” secures Madison Square Garden milestone

Many NBA superstars dream to play their best at Madison Square Garden. Some of the league’s greatest players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Carmelo Anthony all have had a 50-plus point performance in the building.

 

Houston Rockets James Harden – this generation’s gifted shooting guard secured his special Garden moment on January 23, 2019. The “Beard” exploded for a career-high 61 points against the New York Knicks, tying Bryant’s record for the most points scored by an opposing team player at the Garden and set a Rockets franchise record.

“This is one of the historical buildings in the sport that we have,” Harden said about his career-defining moment. “The fans [at the Garden] are one of the best in this league. So it was pretty cool to come up here and just put on a show for them here.”

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul present at Dwyane Wade’s ‘L3gacy’ Tour

Dwyane Wade’s farewell “l3gacy” tour came to a close at Barclays Center where the 13-time All-Star finished his career with a triple-double performance in the Miami Heat’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The last leg of the tour was witnessed by a sold-out crowd which included Wade’s Hollywood actress wife Gabrielle Union and best friends LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.

 

“It obviously means a lot. They know that I will always be there for them, especially in a moment like this,” Wade said about his friendship with James, Anthony, and Paul. “No matter what, I will be there [for them] in their last game. I’m glad they came, but at the same time they kept talking to me, [saying] ‘shoot, shoot, shoot’. It was great; we’ve got a brotherhood. Those are my brothers.”

 

“We the North” are “We the Champions”

North of the border, the Toronto Raptors shocked the world and cemented their place in history by becoming the first team outside the U.S. to win the NBA Finals. Thanks to the heroic performances of Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, the “Klaw” instantly became one of Canada’s most beloved athletes.

 

“It’s great,” said Leonard about the Toronto fan base. “When we get leads, they scream ‘defense’. It’s amazing. When the guys are shooting free throws, they’re screaming the loudest they can. It was a fun experience. They’ve been great all year.”

Though Leonard opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers during the summer, fans will forever appreciate his time with the team. Fans showed their love in his return to Scotiabank Arena last month which included a tribute video and his championship ring given by Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.

 

Family First: The “Greek Freak” delivers emotional speech at NBA Awards

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took the league by storm, leading the Bucks to the best record in NBA before losing in the Eastern Conference finals to the eventual champions, the Raptors, in six games.

The Greek Freak’s tearful MVP acceptance speech at the NBA awards in Santa Monica, California moved the audience. First, the 24-year-old thanked God for being given the talent to play and then accredited his family for being his sole inspiration in his journey in the league.

 

Antetokounmpo, who beat out Harden and Paul George to win the award, defined in his own words what being MVP means to him.

“MVP is not about stats and numbers. Obviously, James Harden had unbelievable numbers and Paul George also, but it’s all about winning. It’s all about making sure that you go out there with your teammates and do whatever it takes to win. And that’s what we did as a team. We created great habits throughout the season and we were able to stick by them. That’s why we had a chance in every game that we played and we were able to win 60 games.”

Nets outduel Knicks in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant sweepstakes

A conversation which took place at 4:16am on FaceTime determined the futures of free agents Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The duo and DeAndre Jordan, who were teammates for the U.S. team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, chose Brooklyn as their destination to play together.

“We had always talked about it, but it didn’t get finalized until early one morning,” said Jordan during Nets media day. “We kind of just did it. It wasn’t anything special. They were begging me to come, so I said ‘alright’.”

Durant felt it was time for a change after winning two NBA titles and Finals MVPs in his three years with the Golden State Warriors. Irving, whose tenure with the Boston Celtics had a rocky ending, chose the Nets to be closer to his family in New Jersey and to live out his childhood dream.

 

“I just want to show an appreciation on the journey I’ve had watching the Nets over in Jersey,” said Irving. “At that time, being a kid, being at the finals and that being an inspiration…For me, it’s just about the history and the transition it’s made now being in Brooklyn and me being from Jersey. It was like, ‘okay let me bring this New York-New Jersey style onto the court’. I don’t think we’ve ever had a player on the team with [such high caliber] in the community and on the floor.”

A “New Balance” arrives in Los Angeles

Staples Center ultimately became the “it” place for basketball fans, where the city rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers intensified exponentially. Anthony Davis finally was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to play alongside the “King”. In the biggest move during free agency, Leonard returned home and chose the Clippers when the team struck a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire George. The “City of Angels” became the home of two of the most fascinating duos in the league.

 

“Everyone is talking about the big winners of the summertime. Is it the Nets, is it the Clippers, is it the Lakers? It’s actually Staples Center. Staples Center is the biggest winner of the summer,” James said during Lakers media day. “If you’re a fan of the game of basketball, you get to see the Clippers one night and then you get an opportunity to see the Lakers…Staples Center is the place to be. It’s a great time to be a sports fan in the city.”

 

(Eagle News Service with contributions from Carlo Valdez, Zharita May Sese, Adian Pangalinan, Jaina Pallasigui, and Aljamin Santos)