The late, great Kobe Bryant‘s picture, where he is seen sitting on the bench in the shower holding the Larry O’Brien trophy after winning the 2001 NBA Finals, is arguably one of the most iconic pictures ever taken in sports history. In the rich history of the league, we’ve witnessed so many iconic moments being created by the greatest athletes of all time. These moments not only represent the gravity of the occasion but also serve as examples of excellence to inspire the future generation. Amidst the craze of the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri got the opportunity to hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy recently and recall some of the richest moments in NBA history.
During the session, Piastri also answered a few questions related to the league. He was asked about his favorite iconic NBA moment. Without wasting a second, the 23-year-old said, “The photo of Kobe [Bryant] holding it [the Larry O’Brien Trophy] in the locker room is pretty iconic.”
But this wasn’t the end of list for Piastri as he mentioned Michael Jordan and LeBron James’ iconic pictures with the trophy as well. These iconic moments of NBA history inspires the young driver to push the limits of his own sport.
As one of the top drivers in the circuit, Piastri knows a thing or two about being great. Even though he hasn’t reached the pinnacle in the world of motor racing, the 23-year-old has clinched podium places twice in his career. Piastri was asked by the NBA reporter, “What does it take to be a champion?”
Piastri said that in any competitive field, the natural talent that one has can only take them so far. But in the long run, “Putting in a lot of hard work is definitely the biggest factor.”
Over the years, we have seen so many examples of what hard work can result in. So, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic moments in the NBA that were a direct result of hard work.
Iconic moments in NBA Championship history
It doesn’t matter if a list of NBA’s iconic championship moments is made today or in 50 years, no list would ever be complete without the 2016 NBA Championship winning moment for LeBron with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was the first ever trophy for the Cavs and they fought their way to victory after a 3-1 deficit, which is a record in the league. After winning the tournament, LeBron screamed with the championship cap on his head, “Cleveland, this is for you.” This gave his city a moment to remember for a lifetime.
Kevin Garnett was one of the biggest names in the league in 2008, but his resume was incomplete as he didn’t have a championship on it. The Celtics legend changed all of it that season after beating Kobe’s Lakers to get his hands on the trophy. When he was being interviewed on the court, KG struggled to put words together, but still managed to give an iconic statement, “Man I’m so hyped right now. Anything is possible.”
In this list, Kobe has to appear multiple times as the Mamba had several such moments in his 20 year long career. After winning the 2010 Championship, he was asked by a reporter what that win meant to him on a personal level. With Gigi and Natalia sitting on his lap, Kobe said, “Just got one more than Shaq”, with a proud smile on his face.
While these legends took their sweet time to soak in the moment, a modern-day legend, Nikola Jokic didn’t really care about a championship win when his team beat the Heat last year. When asked about how he feels about the win, Jokic said, “It’s good. The job is done, we can go home now.”
Last but definitely not the least on this list is Giannis Antetokounmpo and his championship winning season with the Bucks. While holding the NBA trophy and the FMVP trophy in his arms, Giannis gave a motivational speech referencing the doubts people had over his free throw skills. He said, “I made my free throws and I’m a freaking champion.”
Smiling ear to ear during the presser, Giannis said that he made the FTs when it was needed from him the most.
