The 20 best NBA careers defined by one iconic moment

Lin was nearly out of the league before he got a chance with the Knicks and capitalized. His unexpected success became known as "Linsanity," the defining moment of the 2012 season. In the month of February, Lin when from getting DNPs to averaging 20 points and 8 assists a night over the course of 14 games.

Whether a starter or backup, Fisher was a reliable guard in the NBA for nearly two decades. His biggest moment, though, took less than a second. In a 2004 playoff game, Fisher quickly hit a game-winning shot with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock.

Lue bounced around the league for 11 years as a respected point guard, capable of starting or providing support off the bench. As a young player in Los Angeles, he was tasked with guarding Allen Iverson in the 2001 Finals, a task that didn't prove easy. In one of the most famous moments of the era, Iverson hit a jumper over Lue, who ended up on the ground and getting stepped over by Iverson.

Allen enjoyed a stellar NBA career, during which he was one of the greatest players of the 2000s. When you look back on his career now, though, one moment immediately comes to mind, and it's actually from later in his playing days. The Heat faced elimination in Game 6 of the Finals and with seconds left, LeBron James missed a three, Chris Bosh grabbed the offensive rebound and found Ray, who was backpedaling into the corner. He rose up, took the shot, and sank it.

Kawhi has won multiple Finals MVP trophies, but his biggest moment didn't come in the Finals. In Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals, he dribbled to the corner, pulled up for a contested shot, and the ball bounced on the rim what felt like a hundred times. Everybody on the court and off waited to see what would happen, the tension breaking when the shot finally fell.

Anderson was a very good player for a long time, but his most memorable moment is unfortunately one of infamy. In Game 1 of the 1995 Finals, with the game on the line, he missed four consecutive free throws. This let the Rockets force overtime and win the game, and eventually the series.

It's Michael Jordan who had most of the Bulls' biggest moments of the '90s. Sometimes, though, supporting players had the chance to shine and delivered. In Game 6 of the '93 Finals, Paxson hit a go-ahead three-pointer with seconds left. The Suns were unable to answer and Chicago ended up securing a title.

A few years later, another Bulls role player came through in the clutch. In Game 6 of the 1997 Finals, Kerr had a similar moment to Paxson. With seconds left, Kerr took a go-ahead jumper and nailed it, leading to another Bulls championship.

Although injuries were often an issue, there was a seven-season stretch where McGrady was one of the NBA's most lethal scoring threats. He really showed off his offensive potency during one game in December 2004. His Rockets were down with not much time left, so T-Mac miraculously scored 13 points in just 33 seconds to win the game.

For 15 years, Ewing was the face of New York basketball. Despite all the personal success, the one moment that sticks out most isn't a good one. In Game 7 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, he missed a wide-open finger roll that would have won the series.

Smith was prone to scoring explosions and helped a couple teams win championships. That said, one mental lapse has become the lingering memory of his career. With the game tied with seconds left in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, Smith had the ball. Instead of looking for a shot or otherwise creating offense, he dribbled out the clock, apparently lacking awareness of the score.

Jennings had an excellent rookie campaign, and while he did improve over the next few seasons, he ultimately never reached the level many thought he could. For one magical moment in his first season, though, he looked like a real star: In a game against Golden State, he put up a whopping 55 points.

After some strong but ultimately inconsequential basketball in Sacramento and Phoenix, Thomas became a star in Boston. The city quickly fell in love with the diminutive point guard thanks to his grit and clutch play. The strongest example of that came in the 2017 playoffs, when, emotional over the recent death of his sister, he played on what would have been her birthday and dropped 53 points.

In December 1997, the Warriors had a practice neither Sprewell or then-coach P.J. Carlesimo are likely to ever forget. Tensions were apparently high, as Sprewell choked his coach. Sprewell was an All-Star and a bright young star, but this moment severely damaged his reputation.

A number of players left the Malice At The Palace with stained reputations. Perhaps most notorious among them, though, was the player then known as Ron Artest. The scuffle was mostly kept to the court, but Artest went into the stands and had a physical altercation with a fan.

Kemp will forever be remembered for his explosiveness, athleticism, and energy. This was perhaps best exemplified during one 1992 game against the Warriors. Kemp dunked on Alton Lister and after the defender fell to the ground, Kemp emphatically pointed at him, turning it into even more of a highlight-reel moment.

Carter had about as good an NBA debut as a young player could hope for. In his first game, he had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 9 steals. That was about as good as it ever got for MCW, though, as his rookie year was the clear highlight of his career, which followed a downward trajectory in the seasons following.

A triple-double is cool, but not if you shamelessly chase it. Ricky Davis has the most infamous example of this. With his Cavaliers up big in the game's closing seconds, Davis was a rebound away from the achievement, so he shot at his own basket, hoping the rebound would count towards his stat total (it didn't).

Young has the honor(?) of being one of the most memed players in NBA history. One of the memes comes from an embarrassing on-court moment. During a game, he put up a three and, thinking it had gone in, turned around and celebrated as his shot rimmed out.

Brewer was a solid role player who could get you points if you needed him to; He has a few dozen 20-point games on his resume. He only scored 30 or more one time, and it was quite the game. Out of absolutely nowhere in 2014, he exploded for 51 points in a close Timberwolves win over the Rockets.