2011–12 NBA season

The Big Three, also colloquially known as The Heatles, were a trio of professional basketball players - LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh - who played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2010 to 2014. All three players were selected within the first five picks of the 2003 NBA draft, and became scoring leaders for their respective franchises over their first seven seasons.

The 2012 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2011–12 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder four games to one to win their second NBA title. Heat small forward LeBron James was named the Finals MVP.

The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor of the 2011 NBA draft. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the first pick due to a previous trade they had involving the Los Angeles Clippers, choosing point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke. Of the 60 players drafted, 7 were freshmen, 7 were sophomores, 14 were juniors, 19 were seniors, 12 were international players without U.S. college basketball experience (including the first-ever Qatari-selected player), and 1 was a D-League player.

The 2011–12 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 4th season of the franchise's existence in Oklahoma City as a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Thunder continued to build on recent success in previous years by making the NBA Playoffs and advancing to the NBA Finals. Other season highlights included forward Kevin Durant's third consecutive NBA scoring title, and Durant being named the MVP of the All-Star Game.

The 2011–12 Miami Heat season is the franchise's 24th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They came into the season as the defending Eastern Conference champions, the second season playing with the "Big Three" of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, and the fourth season under head coach Erik Spoelstra. Prior to the beginning of the season, they looked to bounce back from their disappointing finish to the previous year where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Following the 2011 NBA lockout the Heat played only 66 games this season. They won their division for the 9th time and appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals for the 5th time. For the second year in a row, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh were all selected to the NBA All-Star Game, tying the record for the most Heat players in an All-Star game in franchise history.

The 2011–12 Los Angeles Lakers season is the 66th season of the franchise, its 63rd season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 52nd season in Los Angeles. Following the 2011 NBA lockout each team only played 66 games instead of the usual 82. The Lakers finished 41-25, winning the Pacific Division for the 33rd time. They finished the season as the #3 seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 1-4 in the Western Conference semi-finals.

The 2011–12 Dallas Mavericks season was the 32nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They were attempting to win back-to-back NBA Finals but were eliminated in the first round by a sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP.

The 2011 NBA lockout was the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Team owners began the work stoppage upon expiration of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The 161-day lockout began on July 1, 2011 and ended on December 8, 2011. It delayed the start of the 2011–12 regular season from November 1 to December 25, and it reduced the regular season from 82 to 66 games. The previous lockout in 1998–99 had shortened the season to 50 games. During the lockout, teams could not trade, sign or contact players. Also, players could not access NBA team facilities, trainers, or staffs.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 26, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, home of the Orlando Magic. This game was the 61st edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game and was played during the 2011–12 NBA season. The Orlando Magic were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on May 4, 2010. This was also the second time that Orlando has hosted the All-Star Game; the city had previously hosted the event in 1992 in the Orlando Arena, the Magic's previous home arena. This game also marked the first time an Eastern Conference city hosted an All-Star game since Atlanta in 2003. Despite the 2011 NBA lockout, which reduced the regular season to sixty-six games on a condensed schedule, the All-Star Game took place as scheduled. The Western Conference team defeated the Eastern Conference team 152–149.