Every Crazy Thing That Happened in the 2025-26 NBA Season

– The Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration saga is just one of dozens of dramatic headlines during the last NBA season. | image via – Bleacher Report

It feels like we say it every year but man, this was a wild season huh?

I don’t know if it’s recency bias or if this season truly had more crazy, unpredictable developments that somehow never seemed to stop. And somehow, it’s already time to start preparing for next season as NBA Media Days are beginning to happen.

So before I turn my focus to the upcoming year, I wanted to take one more look back at just how many weird, crazy, and interesting things happened in the 2025-26 NBA season.

Note: These aren’t in exact order, just arranged by month so if something’s out of order, I’m sorry.

– Pablo Torre Finds Out reveals Aspiration had an illegal agreement with the LA Clippers to pay Kawhi Leonard for appearances that never happened.

– The New Orleans Pelicans stun fans with a draft night trade with the Atlanta Hawks, sending the 23rd overall pick (Asa Newell) and their 2026 first for Derik Queen.

– Portland Trail Blazers’ head coach Chauncey Billups is arrested as part of a federal investigation that alleges Billups was helping a high-stakes, mafia-run series of rigged poker games.

– Unrelated to Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is also arrested for allegedly helping to rig prop bets centered on his on-court performance.

– The Boston Celtics go viral with their Coaches vs. Media matchup that saw the coaches win 57-4.

– Hype around Michael Jordan joining NBC’s NBA coverage is quickly extinguished by the realization that Jordan wouldn’t be a regular contributor in any capacity. All of his appearances come from one pre-taped interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico.

– Celtics’ F Jaylen Brown has multiple instances where hairspray or paint on his head seem to stain opponents’ jerseys. As a result, Brown later announces plans to shave his head live on his Twitch channel.

– The Dallas Mavericks finally fire embattled GM Nico Harrison just 10 months after he orchestrated the stunning, highly controversial trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

– The Clippers send Chris Paul home away from the team just weeks after signing him for a “farewell tour” final season with the franchise.

– Lakers’ LeBron James has an emotional night in Cleveland vs. the Cavaliers as fans wonder if this is secretly LeBron’s final season before retiring.

– 76ers’ Paul George is suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s substance abuse policy while taking “improper medication.”

– During the NBA All-Star break, Kevin Durant’s alleged burner account leaks with multiple screenshots of disparaging comments about his Rockets’ teammates.

– The NBA All-Star Game debuts their USA vs. the World formatting to pretty positive reactions. Fans appreciate the players putting in more effort than previous years’ games, specifically on the defensive end of the court.

– During his annual All-Star Weekend press conference, commissioner Adam Silver addresses tanking issues impacting the quality of play during the season.

“Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view” – NBA commissioner Adam Silver on the league’s tanking issues.

– After weeks of rumors and speculation regarding a trade from the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is revealed to be a shareholder in prediction market Kalshi, which made over $23M on wagers related to potential Giannis trades.

– Celtics’ F Jaylen Brown has an event shut down by Beverly Hills Police during All-Star Weekend. The activation reportedly cost Brown over $300,000 of his own money to put on while Beverly Hills PD shut it down due to a lack of proper permitting. When it was discovered that the PD had lied and there had been proper permitting filed for the event, Brown considered suing the city of Beverly Hills for damages.

– Denver’s Nikola Jokic gives us one of the most viral memes of the season with this reaction following an altercation with OKC’s Lu Dort.

– Suns’ guard Dillon Brooks is arrested for DUI in Scottsdale, AZ after allegedly drifting in and out of his lane multiple times. Body camera footage later released shows that Brooks blew a 0 on the breathalyzer before being arrested.

– The Atlanta Hawks cancel Magic City Night following outcry from fans centered around a blog post from San Antonio Spurs’ backup big man Luke Kornet where he complained that the night was disrespectful to women and against the league’s family-friendly image.

– Lakers’ superstar Luka Doncic announces the end of his engagement with longtime fiancee Anamaria Goltes. A custody battle emerges around Luka reportedly wanting his daughters to be in Los Angeles during the season while Goltes had moved them to Slovenia.

– Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo has the second highest-scoring performance in NBA history, passing Kobe Bryant with 83pts vs. the Washington Wizards.

– Billionaire Tom Dundon acquires controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers. He immediately gets to work alienating the fanbase with moves including not re-hiring interim coach Tiago Splitter who took over the team following Chauncey Billups’ arrest. Dundon further angers fans as he begins threatening to move the team out of Portland if the city fails to help finance a new arena for the franchise.

– The NBA announces a $100,000 fine for the Portland Trail Blazers for illegally tampering during the scouting process of Yang Hansen in 2003. In addition to the fine, two Blazers GMs were suspended two weeks each without pay.

– Pacers fans go viral with one of the best in-arena camera exchanges you’ll ever see.

– Celtic F Jaylen Brown is fined a whopping $50,000 for criticizing officials following Boston’s first-round playoff loss vs. the 76ers. Brown accused the officials of “having an agenda” against him throughout the series. The fine culminates a tumultuous season between Brown and the officials.

– Injuries impact year-end awards as names like LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, and more failed to meet the 65-game threshold needed to qualify for consideration.

– LeBron James announces he will be leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.

– The New York Knicks win their first NBA championship in 53 years led by Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. The Knicks complete multiple 20+ point comebacks throughout the playoffs including one that ended on an OG Anunoby tip in that will live in highlight reels forever as one of the best Finals moments we’ve seen in years.

– After enjoying one of their best seasons in years, the Charlotte Hornets send superstar LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for big man Naz Reid.

– Pablo Torre drops yet another Pablo Torre Finds Out episode with further evidence regarding the Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration/Clippers scandal. He will release a few more after this, leading to the NBA levying huge penalties against the Clippers in September 2026. In total, Torre has released 16 episodes on the topic so far.

– Despite the heavy penalties related to Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers and Raptors complete a trade that sends Kawhi back to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, and more. Toronto immediately re-signs Kawhi to a 2-year/$115M extension.

– Russell Westbrook announces his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons.

– The Trail Blazers announce that their entire broadcast team will be revamped. Michael Holton was let go after 19 seasons with the team while Kevin Calabro reportedly turned down what he felt was a “subprime” contract extension. Studio hosts Neil Everett, Jamie Hudson, and Tom Haberstroh were all also let go as well.

– The Milwaukee Bucks finally trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo after months (and seasons really) of speculation and back and forth messages from Giannis himself. They send him to the Heat in return for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jamie Jaquez Jr, Kasparas Jakucionis, three first round picks, a second round pick in 2033 and a pick swap.

– The Boston Celtics stun the NBA world by trading Jaylen Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George.

– via Yahoo Sports

– LeBron James announces his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers for a league minimum contract.

– Bucks’ player Kyle Kuzma takes to Twitter to share seemingly AI made takes and theories on controversial topics.

– The LA Lakers sale turns into high drama as new owner Mark Walter is forced to sell the team again 12 months after buying while Buss family drama emerges.