Michael Jordan still has more career buzzer-beaters than anyone else in NBA history. While the first eight came as a member of the Chicago Bulls, his final game-winning shot came in January 2002 as a member of the Washington Wizards, capping off a career most label as the best of any ever.
Unsurprisingly, Jordan is the last player to hit a buzzer-beating shot in an NBA Finals game. In the nearly 80 years since the NBA’s inception, only five players have ever done the ‘impossible’ in a game with the title on the line.
Revisiting Jordan’s iconic game-winner
With 9.2 seconds to go and the score tied at 82, Utah Jazz superstar power forward Karl Malone, aka The Mailman, had two free throws to potentially ice the game. Malone, a 76 percent free throw shooter, missed both attempts, opening the door for the best player in the world to do what he does best.
On the next possession, Jordan iso’d on the left wing and made his move—from just inside the 3-point line, No. 23 hit a jump shot at the buzzer to win the game. Chicago went on to beat the Jazz in three of the next five contests, securing a fifth championship.
Jordan averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the 1997 NBA Finals. He won his fifth Finals MVP.
Four other players on the list
After Jordan, Jerry West was arguably the most popular player in the old-school NBA. West was known for his ability to make clutch game-saving or game-winning buckets. In his early years, West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” by former Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, and that name rang true for the rest of his career.
One of the most iconic shots from his career was in just his second season—in the 1962 Finals. With four seconds on the clock and the score tied at 115 in a pivotal Game 3, West deflected Sam Jones’ inbounds pass at half-court to Bob Cousy. No.44 stormed downcourt for a game-winning layup at the horn.
The other three names to crack the list are Dennis Johnson, Cliff Hagan, and Larry Wright.
Amid the intense Lakers-Celtics battles in the 1980s, Johnson put a dent in Lakers fans’ hearts in Game 4 of the 1985 NBA Finals. He hit a buzzer-beater to defeat the Lakers and tie the series at two games each.
To L.A.’s credit, they didn’t let this shot bury their hopes. They went on to snag back-to-back wins to close out the series in six games.
With the Finals returning to center stage, could we see the sixth NBA Finals buzzer-beater go down? The chances are pretty high, given that the series features Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, two of the best clutch performances in the league.
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