Season Review: 2024-25

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In the 2024-25 season, youth was served in the NBA’s heartland.

The Oklahoma City Thunder became the second youngest team in NBA history to win a championship, with an average age of 25.2. That bested only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers (24.2), who were led by their impressive collection of talent decades earlier.

Behind a historic season from Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, standout campaigns from young forwards Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and the addition of key veterans, the Thunder rolled to the NBA Finals and emerged as champions in a classic series with the Indiana Pacers.

The Thunder added to their young core in the offseason, acquiring veteran guard Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Josh Giddey. Shortly thereafter, they signed big man Isaiah Hartenstein as a free agent to bolster their frontline and address their rebounding issues. While OKC was busy in the offseason, other contenders made moves before 2024-25 in hopes of a long playoff push.

Out East, teams made offseason moves to improve their rosters for the upcoming season. The Philadelphia 76ers started free agency, signing top free agent Paul George to a five-year $212 million contract to create a trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Four teams also made big moves officially, all on the same day: July 6. The Detroit Pistons acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, adding veteran experience and sharp-shooting ability.

The New Orleans Pelicans completed a trade with the Hawks to acquire Dejounte Murray. The Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets to reunite him with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. The brotherly love reunion was cut short when the Knicks acquired  Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster trade, sending DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Out West, the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson parted ways after 14 seasons and four championships. The Warriors signed and then traded Thompson to the Mavericks for Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson in the first six-team trade in NBA History. The Sacramento Kings added DeMar DeRozan in a three-team sign-and-trade deal, while Russell Westbrook was sent to the Utah Jazz from the LA Clippers in a sign-and-trade. (Westbrook was later bought out his contract and signed with the Nuggets.)

As the season started, many contending teams had a chip on their shoulder to win a title. In the past seven seasons leading up to 2025, six different teams won a championship. This is the first time in NBA history that there have been new championship teams in a short period.

Now, the NBA has made it possible to compete for a cash prize and trophy within the season. The second inaugural NBA Cup took place on Nov. 12. The tournament included all 30 teams with regular-season games for Group Play. The teams with the best records in Group Play advanced into the knockout rounds, giving them a chance to compete for the NBA Cup.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Thunder to win the second In-Season Tournament title as Giannis Antetokounmpo was named In-Season Tournament MVP.  Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, Alperen Sengun and Trae Young were named to the In-Season All-Tournament team.

As the season continued, young squads developed into the league’s top title contenders. Gilgeous-Alexander, the season’s leading scorer, totaled 2,484 points and averaged 32.7 points per game.

Three top-scoring performances also highlighted the 2024-25 season: Nikola Jokić scored 61 points on April Fools’ Day in a loss against the Timberwolves, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to finish with exactly 61 points (Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal are the others).

Similarly, then-Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox tallied 60 points on Nov. 15 against the Timberwolves, making him the second-highest single-game scorer of the season.

Fox’s game came two days before forward Antetokounmpo’s 59-point eruption vs. the Pistons, granting himself the top two spots for the most points in a single game in team history.

At the trade deadline, many teams made unexpected moves to upgrade their rosters before the playoffs, with a blockbuster swap tipping things off. The Lakers acquired Luka Dončić from the Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis. This trade was the first time in NBA history that two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other midseason.

In other moves around the deadline, the San Antonio Spurs acquired Fox from the Kings in a three-team deal that sent Chicago guard Zach LaVine to Sacramento and three players to the Bulls. The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler, after Butler sought out a trade from Miami, sending Andrew Wiggins to the Heat. The Cavs also acquired De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks.

The 2025 All-Star Weekend was hosted in San Francisco, and the event marked James’ 21st All-Star selection, the most for any NBA player. It was also the first All-Star appearance for the Sengun, Williams, the Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, the Heat’s Tyler Herro and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama.

NBA All-Star Weekend included a new All-Star Game format as four teams with a prize pool of $1.8 million squared off. The winning team’s players received $125,000, second-place players received $50,000 and the players on the two losing teams each earned $25,000.

The first three teams were drafted by NBA legends Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, who included all the All-Star selections. The fourth team was the winner of the Castrol Rising Stars game.

The four teams competed in two semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the championship game. Each game was untimed with the first team to 40 points. The three-game mini-tournament saw Shaq’s OG’s defeat the Global Stars, 41-25, in the championship game.

At the season’s end, Gilgeous-Alexander collected his first Kia Most Valuable Player, while Cavaliers big Evan Mobley also won his first Kia Defensive Player of the Year award. Spurs guard Stephon Castle was named Kia Rookie of the Year, giving San Antonio back-to-back Kia ROY winners (Wembanyama was the other), and he was unanimously selected to the Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team.

As the playoffs approached, the Warriors, Grizzlies, Kings, Mavericks, Magic, Hawks, Bulls and Heat had to compete for the four remaining spots in the playoffs in the SoFi Play-In Tournament. The Warriors and the Grizzlies advanced to the playoffs in the West while the Magic and Heat did similarly in the East.

The deeper the teams went into the playoffs, the more injuries began to take a toll on many players. Jayson Tatum, Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton all suffered torn Achilles. Haliburton’s injury sidelined him during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, while Lillard and Tatum suffered their injuries mid-series and missed the playoffs. Postseason injuries also slowed the Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell and Warriors’ Stephen Curry, too.

The top-seeded Thunder dominated the playoffs, losing only one game at home in the West playoffs en route to their first NBA Finals berth since 2012.

Out East, the Pacers were the dark horse of the playoffs, stealing Game 1 of each round. After ending the Bucks’ season in a gentleman’s sweep (Lillard suffered his injury in Game 4), Indiana went on to upset the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games, making back-to-back conference finals appearances.

In a standout West series, the Timberwolves and Warriors squared off in the semifinals. The Warriors stole Game 1 on the road, but couldn’t find their rhythm due to injuries. Anthony Edwards and Randle stole the show, winning the series 4-1.

Similarly, the Celtics and Knicks squared off in an anticipated series that was cut short due to Tatum’s season-ending injury in Game 4. Jaylen Brown starred in Game 5 to keep the series alive, but Boston eventually faltered in Game 6 as the Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.

In the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC shut down Edwards and the Timberwolves, taking the series 4-1. In that series, Gilgeous-Alexander dominated, averaging 31.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 5.2 apg to claim the Western Conference MVP.

The Eastern Conference Finals lasted six games as the Pacers toppled the Knicks 4-2. No lead was safe around Indiana as it took a 2-0 lead on the road, and continued momentum closing the series in Game 6 to reach the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.

The Pacers stunned the Thunder in Game 1 on the road with a clutch shot by  Haliburton as time expired, rallying from 15 points in the fourth quarter to the win. The NBA Finals went the distance with both teams exchanging losses each game. In Game 7, Haliburton left the game in the first quarter with a torn Achilles tendon, leaving the Pacers without their star player. The Thunder sealed the series at home, 103-91, for the franchise’s first NBA championship in its OKC era.

Gilgeous-Alexander showcased his talent on the biggest stage and won the Bill Russell Finals MVP after posting 30.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 5.6 apg.

SoFi Play-In Tournament

Eastern Conference Play-In

Orlando Magic defeated Atlanta Hawks (for 7th seed)

Miami Heat defeated Chicago Bulls (in 9-10 game)

Miami Heat defeated Atlanta Hawks ( for 8th seed)

Western Conference Play-In 

Golden State Warriors defeated Memphis Grizzlies (for 7th seed)

Dallas Mavericks defeated Sacramento Kings (in 9-10 game)

Memphis Grizzlies defeated Dallas Mavericks (for 8th seed)