In Game 3 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Vince Carter scored 50 points and hit a then-record 9 three-pointers.

K. C. Jones guided the Larry Bird-led Celtics to championships in 1984 and 1986. The team won the Atlantic Division in all five of Jones' seasons as head coach and reached the NBA Finals in 4 of his 5 years as coach. In a surprise announcement, he retired after the 1987-88 season with a record of 308-102 and a .751 winning percentage.

Only four players in the history of the NBA have managed to produce a quadruple-double. Hakeem Olajuwon did it twice in one month--first on March 3, 1990, when he recorded 29 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks against the Golden State Warriors, then again on March 29, 1990, when he recorded 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and 11 blocks against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Thompson was known for his exceptional leaping ability that enabled him to become one of the game's premier dunkers in the 1970s, earning him the nickname of "Skywalker". Michael Jordan said, "The whole meaning of vertical leap began with David Thompson." And Bill Walton described him as "Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James rolled into one".

Gary Payton started his NBA career wearing the number 2, before changing it to 20.

The Heat retired Michael Jordan's number 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, to honor Jordan's achievements and contributions in basketball even though he never played for the team. The Heat is the only NBA team other than the Chicago Bulls to have retired the number 23 jersey in honor of Jordan.

Before Dr. J, dunking was a practice most commonly used by the big men (usually standing close to the hoop) to show their brutal strength which was seen as style over substance, even unsportsmanlike, by many purists of the game. However, the way Erving utilized the dunk more as a high-percentage shot made at the end of maneuvers generally starting well away from the basket and not necessarily a "show of force" helped to make the shot an acceptable tactic, especially in trying to avoid a blocked shot.

On November 14, 1973, Bob Netolicky was playing for the San Antonio Spurs when they lost at home to the Indiana Pacers on a last-second shot. The Spurs protested the loss, and the ABA Commissioner ruled for San Antonio. The Pacers' last-second basket was disallowed, and the remaining 30 seconds of the game (which was the portion that San Antonio had protested) was ordered replayed immediately before the next Pacers-at-Spurs game, on December 2, 1973. By that time, however, Netolicky had been traded to Indiana, so he played the final 30 seconds of regulation for the Pacers, plus the subsequent overtime.

Due to the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina upon the communities of southeastern Louisiana, the Hornets franchise temporarily relocated their operations to Oklahoma City in 2005-06 and 2006-07. During this time, the franchise was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.

The team was originally established as the Vancouver Grizzlies, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1995-96 season. After the 2000-01 season concluded, the Grizzlies moved to Memphis.