In the NBA, the action off the court now generates as many headlines as the action on it. And in 2025, a handful of moments proved that a single tweet, a candid viral interaction, or a shocking rumor could dominate the conversation more than any box score. Be it famous people ‘getting centel’d’ or Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama’s hilarious All-Star interaction, here are the top five.

NBA Centel continued its trolling spree after overcoming the biggest roadblock

Fans, analysts, and players all know the feeling of being Centel’d. Meaning, one has fallen to the NBA Centel parody account, which has become synonymous with posting fake news stories that garner so much attention. Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is credited with coining the phrase “you got centel’d”.

One viral moment was when the account was back up within 24 hours of its suspension.

The account with close to 750k followers used the famous GIF from the TV series BMF (Black Mafia Family). In the scene, Lamar is in a hospital bed on life support, wearing an oxygen mask, and it reveals him surviving in the Season 1 finale. For Centel, it was such a moment.

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Back in February, the X account was banned/suspended for less than a day. Many NBA teams, including the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons, among others, paid tribute as the account did produce some quality comedy content.

Even ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith tweeted his condolences, but the account was back like it never left.

This comeback tweet alone produced close to 40 million views.

But that’s not the only hit tweet that we saw in 2025. In June, the account wrote about the Knicks firing their coach, Tom Thibodeau. This was after the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in the ECF. That fake news garnered 18 million views, and two days later, that news became true.

Similarly, the tweet about the Sacramento Kings signing Russel Westbrook was made in July, but that only came to fruition in October. That’s why that tweet also has over 18 million views. Even the WNBA is not safe from the parody account!

“Los Angeles Sparks practice was delayed due to Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink arriving in the same outfit and refusing to acknowledge each other.”

This tweet about Sparks players Plum and Brink having a beef over their outfit (not real news) gained over 11 million views.

Due to the tweets’ hit nature and some news coming true, fans believe there is an insider running the account… Rumors of the former ESPN senior NBA insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, have been doing the rounds. After all, he was famous for his ‘Woj Bomb,’ in which he would convey unexpected trade news.

Recently, even Michael Jordan’s name was linked to running the account.

Nikola Jokic trolls Victor Wembanyama

Even though the All-Star format this year wasn’t everyone’s favorite, it still gave us plenty of moments. The Chase Center in San Francisco, California, saw Stephen Curry lift the MVP and winning trophy as part of Shaq’s All-Stars. We also saw players together who aren’t used to sharing a locker room. Two such superstars were the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, representing Chuck’s Global Stars.

Before they stepped onto the court, the Joker was caught off guard when he saw the 7’3″ phenom center break out his book.

“You really brought a book?” Jokic asked Wembanyama in astonishment.

“Yeah, I read before every game,” Wembanyama nonchalantly replied.

The Nuggets star couldn’t contain his laughter as Wembanyama tried to explain his pre-game routine. The NBA’s social media team shared the hilarious interaction, which has more than five million views.

Wembanyama reading books may have caught everyone by surprise back then, but it is a regular habit for him. He has admittedly lost track of how many books he’s read. The recent book sighting was during the NBA Cup semifinals. The Spurs star arrived at T-Mobile Arena with a copy of Brandon Sanderson’s 2008 fantasy novel, “The Hero of Ages.” The French phenom is a voracious reader and cites Sanderson as his favorite writer.

Josh Giddey’s buzzer-beater over the Lakers

The Chicago Bulls were out of a timeout with 2 seconds left, and Josh Giddey could feel it as soon as the ball left his fingertips. Within seconds, his teammates mobbed him and United Center erupted. The guard’s half-court heave turned into a buzzer-beater, which capped what might be the wildest finish in the NBA.

“Special moment to do it with these guys, this team,” Giddey said, as they won 119-117 over the Los Angeles Lakers in March.

Interestingly, the Lakers went from winning at Indiana on a tip-in by LeBron James in the previous game to losing in gut-wrenching fashion.

“Devastation,” Redick said. “It’s a hell of a way to lose a basketball game.”

At the time, they became just the fifth team in NBA history to win and lose on a buzzer-beater on consecutive days, according to Basketball Reference.

The Bulls made 11 of 14 3-pointers in the fourth. They nailed three in the final 10 seconds, starting with one by Patrick Williams with 9.8 seconds left. Luka Doncic then inbounded to Austin Reaves, to the basket, and finished with a clutch layup, again, giving the Lakers a 117-116 lead with 3.1 seconds left.

The Bulls needed a miracle, and, surprisingly, they got one.

Giddey inbounded to Williams, got the ball back, and pulled up near the Bulls’ logo. The shot went in, giving the Bulls their ninth win in 11 games. To cap off the historic night, Giddey delivered his fifth triple-double of the season with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.

NBA viral draft night – Dylan Harper’s mom and Collin Murray-Boyles F bomb

No doubt, Cooper Flagg was the leading consensus #1 pick, and the Dallas Mavericks signed him. Apart from the former Duke standout, however, two others grabbed the limelight. The overall #2 pick, Dylan Harper, son of five-time NBA champ Ron Harper, brought a polished, two-way game to the Alamo City. The 19-year-old Rutgers star averaged 19.4 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds while dragging an outdated Scarlet Knights offense to relevance.

But his viral moment came courtesy of his mother.

“It’s surreal,” Maria told ESPNW while at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “The NBA is a very, very exclusive club. He’s worked so hard to get here. I’m just proud of him.”

Maria looked stunning in a black leather dress and went viral for her appearance standing between her sons, Dylan and Ron Jr. Her role as her sons’ high school coach also gained attention soon after. She wore multiple hats as a mom and basketball coach. Maria was a former Division 1 basketball player at the University of New Orleans from 1993 to 1996, and also coached Dylan through high school at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey.

That was not the only viral moment, as even the #9 pick’s reaction was widely shared online.

The Toronto Raptors selected Collin Murray-Boyles. As NBA commissioner Adam Silver called out his name, his family got up in appreciation. But some critics allegedly set the narrative that Collin didn’t look happy when his name was called.

What made the situation even more awkward was his NSFW reaction, as he mouthed “F—!” before heading to the stage.

Within minutes, the clip went viral, and theories followed…

“He didn’t want to go to Toronto,” fans tweeted.

Others speculated about tension or disappointment. But like most internet narratives, this one was built on assumption, not truth. Murray-Boyles addressed it immediately in his post-draft press conference.

“It wasn’t a bad thing,” the youngster said, referring to the F-bomb. “Just disbelief. Thankful. That was a surreal moment. WTF all the way till my name got called.”

Even Shams Charania couldn’t believe the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade was real!

The list ends with news that was real but felt like a parody.

“I thought my phone was hacked,” ESPN senior insider Shams Charania described, after the trade.

Such was his surprise at seeing the details of the transaction. Charania has built a reputation for delivering breaking news with incredible speed and accuracy, making him one of the most trusted NBA insiders. But even with his track record, the Doncic-Davis trade was so shocking that fans refused to believe it.

At around 11:05 p.m., he got what he described as “a tip.”

Initially, he assumed it was related to a previous discussion he had heard between the Lakers and Mavericks, which seemed like a dead end. Yet, despite gathering all these puzzle pieces, he still couldn’t see the full picture. Charania responded, explaining how even confirming the report felt strange.

“Even though for me, it’s like I said yes, this is real,” Charnia explained. “Like, I was trying to, like, because even to say, yes, this is real.”

The tweet today sits at 112.4 million views. His first post about the deal hit social media at 12:12 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Charania followed up four minutes later to say, “Yes, this is real.”

Even today, it feels surreal that Luka Doncic is suiting up in Purple and Gold.