Every Moment tells a story, and during the NBA Finals, the stories that create basketball legends are carved in stone.
From 1980 to 2022, some of the most iconic and championship-defining Moments in NBA Finals history exist on NBA Top Shot, and for the 2023 NBA Finals, that tradition will continue. During the 2023 NBA Finals, collectors will have opportunities to earn a piece of history on a series of limited-time NBA Finals Leaderboards.
As the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat battle for the right to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, collectors will battle for Legendary NBA Finals Packs that capture their greatest Moments — and a few other Legendary Moments that celebrate NBA Finals greatness.
When an NBA Finals champion is crowned, the opportunity to redeem Common Moments from this historic showdown will begin, and the boldest collectors will have the chance to take on the Champion's Challenge with 1 of every Moment and Redemption from the winning team — but part of the fun is the journey, not just the destination.
There will be up to 4 different Leaderboards during the NBA Finals, depending on how the series unfolds. All Rewards for these Leaderboards will be distributed shortly after the conclusion of the NBA Finals — and they will be epic.
In addition to the opportunity to earn Legendary NBA Finals Packs from 2023, 2022, and 2021, and new Hustle & Show Packs, two iconic Moments in NBA Finals history will be made available to collectors.
If you haven’t already downloaded the NBA Top Shot App, we recommend having it on your phone, with notifications on, to stay connected to all of the action.
NBA FINALS x ANTHOLOGY MOMENTS: THE BLOCK AND THE DAGGER
Over the course of his 20 years in the NBA, LeBron James has developed a variety of signature moves, but on the defensive end of the game, none hold a candle to the chasedown block.
In a long line of chasedown blocks, only one is THE BLOCK — the play that brought the city of Cleveland their first NBA championship, secured a Game 7 NBA Finals win against the Golden State Warriors, and is coming this June to NBA Top Shot as the next Moment in the LeBron James Anthology Collection.
Only 23 Legendary Moments of “The Block” will ever exist — continuing The Anthology for one of the greatest players of all time — and bringing the defining play of the 2016 NBA Finals, and a generation, to collectors.
To celebrate the start of the NBA Finals and this signature NBA Finals Moment, we’ve taken a Snapshot at 11am ET on June 1, 2023, to determine how some of these Moments will be delivered to collectors.
- The #1 collector on the LeBron James Player Leaderboard, MBL267, and the #1 collector on the Cleveland Cavaliers Team Leaderboard, alxo, at the time of the Snapshot (11am ET on June 1, 2023) will receive a free Airdrop of this Moment after the conclusion of the 2023 NBA Finals! Congrats to these two collectors!
- Additionally, a weighted draw of the top 1,000 collectors on the LeBron James Player Leaderboard and Cleveland Cavaliers Team Leaderboard took place today, with the results revealed following the conclusion of the 2023 NBA Finals, based on the Leaderboard and Top Shot Score from today’s Snapshot at 11am ET on June 1, 2023.
- Each Top Shot Score point you have on these Leaderboards is one entry into the weighted drawing for this Legendary Anthology Moment.
- One Legendary Moment will be distributed via this weighted draw to each Leaderboard.
- The remaining 19 Legendary Anthology Moments will be delivered via The Block Leaderboard (10 Moments), The Finals Leaderboards (6 Moments), NBA Finals Packs (2 Moments), and Hustle & Show Packs (1 Moment).
- If the Game 5 + 6 + 7 Leaderboard does not take place in the case of a sweep, the 2 outstanding Moments would be added to NBA Finals Packs (1 Moment) and Hustle & Show Packs (1 Moment).
In the aftermath of this iconic and series-winning defensive play from Game 7, the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant as a free agent — one of the biggest signings in NBA history.
The following season, they dominated. 67-15 in the regular season. Three consecutive Playoffs sweeps to make the NBA Finals, head-to-head with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third straight year, for a tie-breaking showdown after splitting the past two NBA Finals faceoffs.
In Game 3 of that series, with the Warriors up 2-0, but down 113-111 with 45 seconds left, Kevin Durant pulled up in transition for a pure three-pointer that sealed the victory, and ultimately the series, for Golden State — earning him his first NBA Championship and Finals MVP. This shot is the first Kevin Durant Anthology Moment — and all 99 of them are being delivered this June.
At 11am ET on June 1, 2023, a snapshot of the Kevin Durant Player Leaderboard was taken, and the Top 25 collectors on the Leaderboard have secured themselves these Legendary Moments.
- Congratulations to the following collectors, who have earned themselves Kevin Durant’s first Anthology Moment — which will be delivered following the conclusion of the 2023 NBA Finals: Cute_hamster6263, staystacced, fixed_barnacle6369, Galactus, fzk, Haku, Cuteknick, alxo, evantan, jayaaarrrgh, 5talen, dingaling, dakid456, woodenwootten, AE_Collection, Ganna, las_happiness22822, Oriental, Dotti, runcornwaves, Lions_For_Breakfast, AhmadScientist, JenK, TragikJonzun, and S_Unit.
- 25 more of these Moments will be delivered after the NBA Finals conclude in a weighted draw to collectors between 26th and 1,000th on the Kevin Durant Player Leaderboard at the time of the Snapshot, 11am ET on June 1, 2023. The weighted draw took place today and the results will be revealed after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
- Each Top Shot Score point you have on these Leaderboards is one entry into the weighted drawing for this Legendary Anthology Moment.
- The remaining 49 Kevin Durant Anthology Moments will be delivered inside 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs (33), 2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs (10), and NBA Finals Leaderboards (6).
The serial numbers of all /23 LeBron James “The Block” Legendary Anthology Moments and all /99 Kevin Durant “The Dagger” Legendary Anthology Moments will be 100% randomized within all of the different paths — Player Leaderboards, Team Leaderboards, Pop-Up Finals Leaderboards, the Pop-Up The Block Leaderboard, 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, and 2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs — that they’ll be distributed across.
If you think the introduction of two of the most iconic NBA Finals plays of the last decade is all we have in store, think again.
Starting tonight, for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the first NBA Finals Leaderboard is live — here’s how you can participate and what you can win.
Throughout the NBA Finals, up to 4 pop-up Leaderboards will give collectors the choice to compete for Legendary Packs and Moments, with some of them directly tied to the action on the court between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. Here’s a complete look at what you can expect, how to play along, and what’s at stake.
Game 1 + 2 Leaderboard
- The Leaderboard starts with the opening whistle of Game 1 on June 1 and ends with the final buzzer of Game 2 on June 4. Join the action here.
- To participate, burn any locked and unlocked Redemptions or Moments from any Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, and Series 4 NBA Playoffs Set in the Common, Rare, and Legendary Tiers.
- Collectors can earn 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2022 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2021 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs, LeBron James Anthology Block Moments, and Kevin Durant Anthology Three-Pointer Moments, with details below.
Game 3 + 4 Leaderboard
- The Leaderboard starts with the opening whistle of Game 3 on June 7 and ends with the final buzzer of Game 4 on June 9.
- To participate, burn any locked and unlocked Redemptions or Moments from any Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, and Series 4 NBA Playoffs Set in the Common, Rare, and Legendary Tiers.
- Collectors can earn 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2022 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2021 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs, LeBron James Anthology Block Moments, and Kevin Durant Anthology Three-Pointer Moments, with details below.
The Block Leaderboard: NBA Finals x Anthology History
- This Leaderboard starts on Friday, June 9 at the end of Game 4 and ends on Monday, June 12 at 8pm ET, before the start of Game 5.
- To participate, burn any locked and unlocked Series 1 LeBron James Top Shot Debut, Series 1 Rare LeBron James Moment, or Series 1-4 Legendary LeBron James Moments.
- Collectors can earn LeBron James Anthology Block Moments and 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs.
Game 5 + 6 + 7 Leaderboard
- The Leaderboard starts with the opening whistle of Game 5 (pending there is one) and ends with the final buzzer of the NBA Finals, whether that is Game 5, Game 6, or Game 7.
- To participate, burn any Rare and Legendary locked and unlocked Moments from any Series 1, Series 2, or Series 3 NBA Playoffs Set.
- Collectors can earn 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2022 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2021 NBA Finals Legendary Packs, 2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs, LeBron James Anthology Block Moments, and Kevin Durant Anthology Three-Pointer Moments, with details below.
The NBA Finals Leaderboard Prizes
The Games 1 + 2, Games 3 + 4, and Games 5 + 6 + 7 Leaderboards will all have the same prize structure.
Collectors can participate in all three, place and rank in all three, and earn prizes in all three.
Eligible NBA Finals Leaderboard Moments
During the Game 1 + 2 Leaderboard, and the Game 3 + 4 Leaderboard, collectors can burn locked and unlocked Common, Rare, and Legendary Moments from the following Playoffs Sets.
During the Game 5, 6, and 7 Leaderboard collectors can burn any Rare and Legendary Playoffs Moments from the following Sets.
The Block Leaderboard Prizes + Eligible Moments
Starting at 11pm ET on Friday, June 9, and ending at 8pm ET on Monday, June 12, collectors can burn Series 1 LeBron James Top Shot Debut Moments, Series 1 Rare LeBron James Moments, and Series 1 - 4 Legendary LeBron James Moments to climb the Leaderboard.
2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs
- There will be 319 2023 NBA Finals Legendary Packs distributed via Leaderboards this June.
- The remaining Packs will be made available for $499 each across a Priority Access Pack Drop for Legendary Set Rewards Collectors, an RSVP Early Access Pack Drop with a 100,000 Total Drop Score entry, and a General Admission Pack Drop for all collectors.
- Each of these Drops will take place shortly after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
- These Legendary 2023 NBA Finals Moments will be minted to /75 each.
- There will only be 1 Challenge Reward in this Set, and the total number of Moments in the Set will be determined by the outcome of the series.
- Each Pack will include 1 Legendary Moment, plus 1 Rare Metallic Gold LE Moment, and 7 Common Moments from the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season.
- The Legendary Moment in each Pack can be from a Denver Nuggets or Miami Heat player, or a Legendary Kevin Durant "The Dagger" Anthology Moment (33 total in these Packs), or a Legendary LeBron James "The Block" Anthology Moment (2 total in these Packs).
2023 Hustle & Show Common Packs
- The Series 4 Hustle & Show Set will be minted to /2500 for each Moment.
- 100% of the Packs can be earned via Leaderboards or purchased for Trade Tickets.
- Hustle & Show Common Packs can be earned by participating in 2023 NBA Finals Leaderboards, with collectors outside the Top 100 on all 3 NBA Finals Leaderboards eligible to receive one Pack for every 3,000 Top Shot Score they burn.
- Inside Hustle & Show Packs, collectors may find 1 of 10 Legendary Kevin Durant "The Dagger" Anthology Moments or 1 Legendary LeBron James "The Block" Anthology Moment.
- All Hustle & Show Packs that are not earned via Leaderboards will be sold for Trade Tickets in a Pack Drop following the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
- The number of Trade Tickets required to purchase these Packs will be shared closer to the Drop.
The 2023 NBA Finals Will Be Legendary
Will the Miami Heat or Denver Nuggets win the 2023 NBA Finals? Will you land a LeBron James or Kevin Durant Legendary Anthology Moment from 2016 and 2017 NBA Finals?
Watch the action. Climb the Leaderboards. Join the Drops. Enjoy the best of the NBA, and collecting alongside it.
Editor's Note: This blog was updated at 12:55pm ET on June 2, 2023, to include added details about the NBA Finals Legendary Pack Drop.
