10 biggest NBA stories of 2020

It's safe to say 2020 won't be forgotten within the NBA any time soon.

In a calendar year unlike any other in recent history, the league dealt with tragedy, unprecedented player-led protests, and MVP-caliber stars wanting out (or staying put), all while attempting to navigate a global pandemic.

In no particular order, here are the 10 biggest NBA stories of the year.

Kobe & Gianna

The last time a transcendent athlete died either during their playing career or so soon after it ended was perhaps Roberto Clemente in 1972.

Yet the deaths of Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a Los Angeles County helicopter crash on Jan. 26 didn't just shake the NBA world to its core.

Kobe was undeniably one of the most polarizing players to ever play the game, both on and off the floor. Regardless of how he was viewed individually, his immortal footprint on basketball was total and complete - from North America to Europe to Asia and beyond.

The added gut-punch of losing his talented daughter and her teammates made the pain so much deeper and cast an early cloud over what would be a unique year.

David Stern, 1942-2020

When Stern began working for the league in 1978, the NBA Finals were being aired via tape delay on late-night television. By the time he became commissioner six years later, the marketing wizard had helped make household names out of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan.

Stern was instrumental in growing the league into an international business during his three decades as NBA boss - be it through expansion to Canada or committing NBA players to USA Basketball - beginning with the "Dream Team" in 1992.

The NBA had become an $8-billion a year business and a global phenomenon by the time he retired in 2014. His death at the age of 77 on New Year's Day marked the end of an era: The NBA you know today never would have existed without David Stern.

Gobert's positive test starts the dominoes

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continued to ramp up on the afternoon of March 9, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert jokingly rubbed his hands on the gathered reporters' recording equipment during media availability.

Two nights later, Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus before a scheduled game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The first positive test among NBA players sent shockwaves across the league, leading to the immediate cancellation of two games that night.

Then, at 9:30 p.m. ET, the league announced the indefinite suspension of the 2019-20 season.

The effect of the NBA's decision quickly rippled across the sports world. The following day, the NCAA tournament was canceled, the NHL season suspended, and the MLB campaign postponed.

What it says about our society is open for debate, but some believe authorities in North America may not have been as quick to react to the growing crisis without Gobert's positive test.

Giannis signs supermax with Bucks

Superstar players signing contract extensions with unexpected teams isn't actually that new: Vince Carter inked a six-year extension with the Toronto Raptors in 2001 and Paul George stuck with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018.

In both those cases, of course, the honeymoons didn't last.

Where Giannis Antetokounmpo calls his NBA home two or three years from now can't be guaranteed, but he's all-in with the Milwaukee Bucks for the moment. The two-time MVP prevented a major power shift in the league next summer while dashing the dreams of potential suitors like the Raptors and Miami Heat by signing a five-year, $228-million supermax extension this month.

For right now at least, it also provides a warm and fuzzy security blanket for small-market franchises concerned about the ability to keep their stars.

LeBron leads Lakers to title No. 17

Although the 2019-20 campaign presented circumstances like no other in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers weren't considered a favorite to win it all for most of last season. Legitimate questions about their depth surrounded them while the neighboring Clippers stole most of the headlines.

However, we were all served notice of how foolish it is to rule out LeBron James. Alongside newest superfriend running mate in Anthony Davis, the 35-year-old James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in L.A.'s six-game Finals win over the Heat.

In doing so, James became the first player to win a Finals MVP with three different teams and delivered the Lakers' 17th NBA championship - tying them for first all-time with the Boston Celtics.

The bubble is born

After suddenly upending the 2019-20 season, by spring the NBA recognized it would take something extraordinary to save the campaign. Enter Disney World.

Rumors of some sort of resumption at the colossal Florida park first surfaced in late April, and the NBA finally confirmed "exploratory discussions" on May 23. But as answers slowly emerged, more and more questions replaced them: What teams would be involved? Would family be permitted? When would this start? When would it end? Is this even possible?

The last one was the most pertinent, but as everyone knows by now, the answer was yes. All but eight teams journeyed to Disney World in July and the league carried out eight seeding games plus an entire postseason. The experiment was an overwhelming success thanks to stringent daily testing and mandatory masks for media, reportedly recouping $1.5 billion in league revenue.

Players walk out in protest

When Bucks players opted not to play Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic in August, it set off a chain reaction of similar protests not just in the NBA, but also across several other major professional sports leagues. The protests were in response to the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who police shot multiple times at close range in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he entered his vehicle.

The league ultimately postponed playoff games for three days, but the rest of the postseason was reportedly also in jeopardy. All players inside the bubble held a meeting to discuss whether to continue the playoffs, with members of the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers apparently voting to stop.

Games eventually resumed, but not before players made their voices heard - for instance, the Bucks insisted on speaking to Wisconsin's attorney general and lieutenant governor to discuss what other steps they could take.

The Last Dance

Hoop heads were clamoring for basketball back in April with the NBA stoppage well into its second month. The league toyed with re-airing classic broadcasts, but fans yearned for something previously unseen. The timing for "The Last Dance," a long-awaited documentary series on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, could not have been more perfect.

For five Sundays between April and May, fans received behind-the-scenes insight into Dennis Rodman's wild partying, Scottie Pippen's discontent, Phil Jackson's contract dispute, and more - all amid Jordan's chase for a sixth title. As a bonus, viewers were treated to two episodes every Sunday as opposed to the traditional 1-hour time slot for a weekly program.

At the time, nothing brought basketball fans together like "The Last Dance" - the docuseries attracted an average of 5.6 million viewers over its 10 episodes, making it the most-watched ESPN documentary ever.

Harden wants out

When the Houston Rockets opened camp earlier this month, James Harden was the anticipated center of attention. Everyone was curious to see how the former MVP would respond after the franchise lost Daryl Morey and Mike D'Antoni and just traded Russell Westbrook in the offseason.

As it turns out, Harden's response was pretty emphatic. Not only was he days late to camp after being spotted partying in Las Vegas and Atlanta, he reportedly went as far as demanding a trade of his own.

Harden currently remains in Houston as the franchise hopes to rectify their relationship, but about half a dozen teams are supposedly still on the 31-year-old's wishlist. However, the Rockets are also within their right to ship him to whoever submits the best offer. Regardless, it feels like a blockbuster is imminent and any trade involving the Beard would dramatically shake up the entire league.

Nuggets' historic resilience

Before the 2020 postseason, only 11 teams had overcome a 3-1 series deficit in NBA history. The last time came in the 2016 Finals when LeBron James and the Cavaliers shocked the Golden State Warriors to win Cleveland's first major championship since 1964. Collecting three straight playoff victories is not an entirely impossible feat, but it's monumentally difficult to pull off. The fact that the Denver Nuggets did it twice - in consecutive series - is mind-blowing.

Denver didn't just stun eighth seeds who snuck into the playoffs last-minute, either. The Nuggets turned the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers on their heads - teams that were projected to make deep runs of their own and, in the latter's case, win the whole thing. Denver's magic ran out against the Lakers, and you could argue the lack of a true road environment helped them, but we may never see a team overturn multiple 3-1 deficits in one postseason again.