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          The 2024-25 NBA regular season as told by social media

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          • J.J. PostApr 18, 2025, 09:19 AM ET

          The NBA postseason starts Saturday, meaning iconic moments and memorable performances on the league's biggest stage will soon emerge.

          But the 2025 NBA regular season generated plenty of notable and amusing events of its own, all of which were documented by social media.

          Here's a look back at this year's NBA regular season as told by the internet.

          OCTOBER

          The season started strong, as the defending champion Boston Celtics hoisted their 18th banner at TD Garden -- and then proceeded to put on an opening-night show, tying an NBA record with 29 3-pointers as Boston cruised by the New York Knicks.

          Rookies weren't the only ones making their debuts in October. The LA Clippers' Intuit Dome hosted its first regular-season game, with the $2 billion venue playing host to Los Angeles' season-opening contest against the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix won and Kevin Durant offered high praise for the new stadium.

          Halloween costumes offered creativity around the league, but the Charlotte Hornets took the frightful holiday a step further. The team's social media crew placed a clown just outside a doorway as players walked through, giving LaMelo Ball a serious scare and producing a viral video.

          NOVEMBER

          The Detroit Pistons documented a memorable moment on the road. With the New York City Marathon taking over the Big Apple's streets on the same day the Pistons were to face the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit took to the city's subway to get to the arena.

          November also brought the first of a number of notable returns by stars to face their former teams, as Klay Thompson played his first game at the Golden State Warriors as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors honored Stephen Curry's former Splash Brother with a giveaway of Warriors-themed captain hats, a tribute to Thompson's tendency of boating across the Bay to home games.

          DECEMBER

          The holiday season provided plenty of memorable moments around the league, but few highlights were more notable than Ja Morant's impressive two-handed reverse dunk against the Celtics. Why was that dunk by Morant, who has frequently produced highlight reels in the past, so significant?

          Less than a week before the high-flying Memphis Grizzlies star had said that he was trying to avoid dunking going forward.

          Christmas Day always provides entertaining NBA action, and this year's festive games were no different. The night ended with the best contest of the bunch, as the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers went down to the wire in a thriller. After the Lakers claimed victory, LeBron James had a message for the NFL, which also had games that day.

          Victor Wembanyama made the most out of the San Antonio Spurs' trip to New York -- in addition to helping San Antonio take down the Brooklyn Nets, the star center visited Washington Square Park to compete further ... in chess. Despite dreary weather, a small crowd turned out to watch Wembanyama search for a win away from the hardwood.

          JANUARY

          The new year came with a familiar name making the rounds in locker rooms across the NBA -- but as a musician instead of a player.

          LiAngelo Ball, brother of LaMelo and Lonzo Ball, has been known in hoops circles since the brothers played together at Chino Hills High. He made his debut as an artist on the song "Tweaker" in January, and the track quickly swept through the league.

          The NBA's Global Games series has been ongoing for decades, but 2025 marked a particularly memorable edition of the event, as San Antonio and Wembanyama traveled to Paris to face the Indiana Pacers. The Spurs' long-range trip from Texas to play in Wembanyama's home country came with plenty of amusing content.

          FEBRUARY

          Two trades shook up the league in a major way, with two drastically different levels of expectation.

          The first came early Feb. 2, when news broke that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers. The move was met with shock by players around the league, with Josh Hart offering the most succinct reaction.

          Days later, Jimmy Butler III was dealt to the Warriors, ending a saga that spanned well over a month and included a number of humorous Kevin Love posts. Butler had a message of his own when the news broke that he would be heading west.

          All-Star Weekend brought plenty of entertainment as always, but perhaps the most notable moment came away from the court. The dunk contest prompted several major players to tease potential interest in partaking in the competition, including Morant and 2016 contest champ Zach LaVine.

          MARCH

          March was a month of milestones as multiple major stars hit key career marks. LeBron James reached 50,000 points on March 4, while Stephen Curry splashed his 4,000th 3-pointer on March 13.

          Over a month after being traded, Butler returned to Miami for the first time. The game was a unique one, given Butler's achievements with the team as well as the public standoff that preceded his departure. Butler received a tribute video from the team and a warm reception from the fans, but he said the experience was an unemotional one.

          APRIL

          In a decidedly more emotional return, Mavericks fans shared plenty of love for Doncic in his first game in Dallas. Doncic was tearful watching a tribute video for him, and he left the court at the game's end to a standing ovation.

          The Milwaukee Bucks and Pistons found their ways to the postseason, but not before experiencing a brief boiling point in their second-to-last regular-season contest.

          Giannis Antetokounmpo hit Malik Beasley's shimmy dance after blocking the Pistons guard's shot, prompting a scorned reaction from Beasley. The two squads played again days later though, with the Bucks confirming any beef had been squashed.