Game-winners are some of the most exciting plays to watch in the NBA. Aside from the entertainment of watching games going down to the wire, game-winners often bring out the best in players who execute in the clutch. Furthermore, a lot of basketball fans will agree that game-winners are often the best conclusion to any game.
Throughout the years, we've witnessed the best game-winning plays that find a special place in a player's legacy. Let's rank the 10 toughest game winners in NBA history.
10. LeBron James' floater to officially become ‘LeBronto'
LeBron James often gets a knock for not having a clutch factor. However, The King proved everyone wrong after hitting a game-winning floater to reassert his mastery over the Toronto Raptors. The game-winning shot allowed James and the Cavs to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their 2018 series before returning to the NBA Finals for the ninth time in his career.
9. Paolo Banchero's off-balance jumper
The Pistons were easily the cellar dwellers of the 2023-24 season. However, they did manage to put up a fight against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic. Fortunately for the Magic, the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year had other plans. Despite going off-balance thanks to Jalen Duren's defense, Banchero put up a tough shot off a step-back that sealed the win.
8. Kawhi Leonard's lucky bounce
A lot of basketball fans will agree that Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors were special, especially having won the franchise's historic first NBA championship in 2019. During that championship stretch, Leonard dispatched Joel Embiid and the Sixers in the most dramatic way possible. To end the series, Leonard hit a corner fadeaway, which went in thanks to some lucky bounces.
7. Nikola Jokic pulls up from way downtown
Nikola Jokic is a solid playmaking center. However, a lot would agree that pull-up threes isn't his main repertoire. But in a tied contest against the Golden State Warriors in 2024, the reigning NBA champion and Finals MVP had no choice but to pull up in the dying seconds of the game. The shot surprisingly banked in to seal the game for Denver.
6. Brandon Roy's shot from the parking lot with less than a second to go
After Yao Ming made a short stab with 0.8 seconds to go, it seemed like the Houston Rockets had this game cooked. However, Brandon Roy accomplished the impossible by making a catch-and-shoot play from way downtown to give the Portland Trail Blazers a slim victory at the buzzer in 2009.
5. Michael Jordan hangs in the air
Michael Jordan is considered to be the GOAT for several reasons. From championship hardware to iconic shots inside the paint, it's safe to say that game-winners are also part of his greatness.
In fact, this game-winning shot against Cleveland saw him hang in the air like no other normal baller could. But more importantly, the shot went in at the buzzer to give the Bulls a victory in the winner-take-all Game 5 of their 1989 playoff series, which was capped off by an iconic Jordan celebration.
4. Kobe Bryant's running fadeaway three over Dwyane Wade
Speaking of the GOAT conversation, another superstar that belongs there is the late Kobe Bryant. During his peak years, Bryant was showering the league with game-winners, including this tough running banker three over fellow Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade in 2010. It was a shot that manifested the Black Mamba mentality.
3. Stephen Curry's half-court game-winner in transition
Stephen Curry is arguably the best shooter in the world. While he has countless threes and game-winners in his career, there's no question that it was this half-court game winner in transition in 2016 that takes the cake.
Instead of head coach Steve Kerr traditionally calling a timeout, the Warriors continued to play on and trusted the greatest shooter in the world to make the deep three in transition.
2. Devonte Graham makes the longest game-winner in NBA history
In a game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was obvious that neither team wanted to lose. While it seemed like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pushed overtime after a nearly impossible three, Devonte Graham crushed all of the Thunder's hopes after pulling off a 61-footer to give the Pelicans the win in 2021.
1. Damian Lillard takes ‘bad shot'
Although regarded as a bad shot by All-Star Paul George, Damian Lillard gave the Blazers a win in 2019 with this unbelievable game-winning fadeaway from halfcourt. But unlike conventional half-court shots, Lillard did it in the most casual way possible to score his 50th point in the game. Furthermore, the shot propelled the Blazers to a spot in the Western Conference Semifinals.
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