Nate Robinson propels his 5-foot-9 frame at the hoop Feb. 13 while becoming the first three-time winner of the NBA's Slam Dunk contest during All-Star weekend.

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas joked about taking guns into the team's locker room, but he was suspended by NBA commissioner David Stern and received a 30-day sentence to a halfway house for violating Washington, D.C., gun laws.

The Cavaliers appeared to bolster their title hopes by acquiring Wizards forward Antawn Jamison before the trade deadline. Jamison struggled with the Cavs, however, and was awful in a second-round playoff series loss to the Celtics.

The young Thunder won 50 games last season, 27 more than the year before, and 21-year-old Kevin Durant became the youngest scoring champ in NBA history.

Amar'e Stoudemire was a beast for the Suns in the second half of the season, helping Phoenix earn the No. 3 seed and eventually reach the Western Conference finals.

A bunch of rookie point guards made a major impact in their first NBA seasons, including Golden State's Stephen Curry and Sacramento's Tyreke Evans, the 2010 rookie of the year.

LeBron James won his second straight MVP award with a dominant regular season.


 

LeBron James exited the playoffs in the second round after a six-game upset by Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics.


 

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant faced off in the first round of the playoffs. Durant struggled with his shot but the Thunder still pushed the Lakers to six games in an entertaining series.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili shows the kind of hustle that helped San Antonio knock off the second-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.

Steve Nash helped the Suns reach the Western Conference finals and win Games 3 and 4 in Phoenix, but the Lakers denied what may be his last, best chance to reach the NBA Finals for the first time.

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic couldn't get past Kendrick Perkins of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, falling in six games.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers faced the Boston Celtics in a matchup of the league's most storied and successful franchises.

Actor Jack Nicholson doesn't just show up for playoff games. A courtside fixture at Staples Center, he talks to referee Ken Mauer in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The Finals was a clash of styles and evenly matched, going to a full seven games.

Kobe Bryant shrugs during Game 6 in Los Angeles, but the Lakers won to force a decisive Game 7.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce scramble for the ball with Ron Artest in Game 7.

Kobe Bryant, despite a poor shooting night, grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 7 to win his fifth championship as a Laker.

Kobe Bryant won his fifth NBA title as a player and Phil Jackson claimed his 11th as a coach.

Ron Artest waves to the fans while riding in the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA championship parade June 21.

Holding the NBA championship trophy for the fifth time, Kobe Bryant flashes the victory sign.

John Wall shakes hands with NBA commissioner David Stern after being selected No. 1 overall by the Washington Wizards. Four more Kentucky players were picked in the first round.

"I'm taking my talents to South Beach," LeBron James said in his one-hour special on ESPN, "The Decision." He's now one of the most hated players in the NBA, especially in Cleveland.

The Heat held a rally to celebrate the signing of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

The Boston Celtics beat the new-look Miami Heat in the 2010-11 season opener, the first sign that things wouldn't be easy for Miami.

LeBron James and the Heat have struggled in the early part of the season.

The 2010 Los Angeles Lakers championship banner is unveiled during a ceremony prior to the team's season opener.