10 Biggest Shots in NBA History (Ranked)

There are so many factors that decide an NBAgame, but in the end, putting the ball in the basket is the most important skill to have.

Against the best defenders in the world, players constantly wow fans with their abilities to score in both highly tense and seemingly improbable situations. But some shots stand above the rest in terms of their importance.

For this list, we are evaluating the significance of these shots in both creating and changing history, legacies, and shaping the league into what it is today.

In many cases, the more clutch the better, but several regular-season buckets also deserve recognition. GIVEMESPORT presents the top 10 biggest shots in NBA history.

10

Kobe Bryant vs Utah Jazz (2016)

Kobe Bryant didn’t need to score 60 points in his final game to cement his legacy. The Black Mamba was already a five-time NBA Champion and a consensus top 10 player in NBA history.

But this moment certainly added to the legend in one of the most-watched games ever. The L.A. Lakers‘ icon came into this April 13 clash against the Utah Jazz with nothing left to prove.

Meanwhile, Utah had a potential playoff spot at stake heading into this clash. But with his iron will, Bryant put on a show in his final game, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 unanswered points in the game’s final two minutes, to lead the Lakers to a 101-96 victory.

Bryant sealed the game with a bucket with just 31 seconds left to seal the game. That shot ended up being the last of Kobe’s career, a fitting, Hollywood ending to perhaps the greatest Laker of all time.

9

Stephen Curry vs Oklahoma City Thunder (2016)

Even though the Golden State Warriors had the championship the year before, it was the 73-win season that kick-started the three-point evolution to a whole new gear.

This was all led by the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, who had his best regular season in 2015-16. Steph led the league in scoring this season at 30.1 points per game while shooting above 50-40-90 from the field.

He subsequently became the first player in NBA history to be unanimously voted league MVP. Interestingly enough, the most memorable moment of this run, where the Warriors won, was against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 26.

Curry tied an NBA record for most threes in a game with 12, leading a furious rally against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

This included a stunning 32-foot three-pointer in OT to put the Warriors up 121-118 with 0.6 seconds left, which earned the first-ever double bang from Mike Breen.

This shot cemented the Warriors as a future dynasty on the rise while foreshadowing one of the most dramatic and consequential playoff runs in NBA history.

8

LeBron James vs Oklahoma City Thunder (2023)

LeBron James has a plethora of huge shots that could’ve made the list.

From the buzzer-beating shot against the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals to his two-game winners against the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors in 2018, James is one of the most clutch players in NBA history.

However, breaking what was thought of as an unbreakable record gets the edge on this list. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387-point record was up there with Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak as one of the most famous records in professional sports.

The legendary center showed continued excellence and longevity in his career that was seemingly going to be unmatched until the kid from Akron came along.

On February 7, 2023, LeBron was on a mission, scoring 38 points in three quarters against the Oklahoma City Thunder to break Abdul-Jabbar’s record. This historic moment happened in the late third quarter on a fadeaway two to put the game at 104-99 Thunder.

This shot is the only one on this list that didn’t result in a win and wasn’t in the fourth quarter, but it deserves this spot at No. 8.

7

Dirk Nowitzki – Game 2 NBA Finals (2011)

No. 7 on this list of the most unsung shots in NBA history, but also one of the most clutch and impactful. Dirk Nowitzki and the 2011 Dallas Mavericks put together one of the most extraordinary championship runs of the modern era.

After taking down the Brandon Roy-led Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, the Mavericks swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Dallas then beat the Thunder, which had three future MVPs on its roster, in five games. But, even on that road to the Finals, the Mavs were heavy underdogs against LeBron James and the Big 3 Miami Heat.

And after Game 1, those projections of a routine Heat title looked to be true. However, Dirk and several clutch, scrappy veterans completed a shocking comeback in Game 2 in Miami.

Dallas was down by 15 points with less than 6:30 left and seemingly out of the game with the way it was going. But possession by possession, the Mavs chipped away until they had the ball tied with 24.5 seconds left.

Nowitzki left American Airlines Arena in a stunned silence with a signature lefty layup to put Dallas up two points with 3.6 seconds left. Without this shot, the Mavs likely do not win their first Larry O’Brien Trophy in franchise history.

6

Kawhi Leonard – Game 7 Western Conference Semifinals (2019)

Kawhi Leonard only needed one season to be crowned King in the North. In that one year, the two-way forward put together an all-time great playoff run, which included a shot that will haunt Philadelphia 76ers fans for generations to come.

Before this season, the Toronto Raptors had been a recently successful franchise who were incapable of making that good-to-great jump.

Masai Ujiri subsequently made the gamble to trade franchise legend DeMar DeRozan for Leonard, even though there was a good chance Kawhi was going to leave for free agency next season. It was the ultimate gamble that paid off.

Locked in a slug fest with the best Philadelphia 76ers team since 2001, Leonard had the ball in his hands in Game 7 with 4.2 seconds left at 90-90. This shot changed the course of both the Raptors’ and 76ers’ history.

Toronto went on to win its first NBA championship ever, and Philadelphia still hasn’t made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001.

5

Robert Horry – Game 4 Western Conference Finals (2002)

People don’t understand how good the 2002 Sacramento Kings were. This team was an absolute buzzsaw, winning 61 games and easing their way into the Western Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were the two-time defending champs and were looking to complete the three-peat with their iconic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Kings gave Los Angeles their biggest scare by a mile during this dynasty. Sacramento was up 2-1 going into Game 4 and on the verge of being up 3-1 with homecourt.

Early on, it looked inevitable that that was going to happen as the West’s No. 1 seed was up 40-20 after one quarter. The Lakers, led by their dynamic duo, chipped their back into the game along with a guy who coined the famous nickname Big Shot Rob.

Robert Horry sent Staples Center into a frenzy, hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers the 100-99 victory. This came during a chaotic possession that included two missed shots by Los Angeles to tie the game.

The Lakers won this series 4-3 in controversial fashion, and the Kings’ best shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy went down the drain. It’s not a bold prediction at all to say that Sacramento would’ve won the title if Horry had missed that shot.

4

Magic Johnson – Game 4 NBA Finals (1987)

The Los Angeles Lakers- Boston Celticsrivalry has become both a staple of the NBA and critical to this league’s survival.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird formed both an unlikely friendship and a formidable rivalry with their dynasties that captivated millions of new fans.

The two met in the NBA Finals three times, including in 1987, when they were tied at one apiece in this series. After losing the first two on the road, Boston won Game 3 at home, looking to square the series in Game 4.

Magic had other ideas and had the ball in his hands down one with seven seconds left. The all-time great point guard drew inspiration from his teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a skyhook shot to put the Lakers up 107-106.

Los Angeles won their 10th NBA championship in six games, with this moment being the key turning point. This shot marked a high point in the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, and it was the last time Magic and Bird met in an NBA Finals.

3

Kyrie Irving – Game 7 NBA Finals (2016)

Everything was at stake heading into Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors were the first team in history to go 73-9 and were trying to cement themselves as the greatest team ever.

Golden State additionally was coming off an emotional 3-1 series comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, LeBron James, at age 31, had been waiting his entire life for this moment. One game to bring the Cleveland Cavaliers their first-ever NBA championship.

The Cavs also shockingly came back from a 3-1 deficit on the backs of James and his cold-blooded teammate Kyrie Irving. The result of this game shaped not only the immediate future of the NBA but also its long-term future.

James and Irving both had their iconic moments in this 93-89 victory, but Kyrie hit the game-winning shot that ended up sealing the deal.

The future Hall of Famer found himself with Stephen Curry on an island with less than a minute left in Oracle Arena, hitting a legendary three-point dagger off the dribble.

LeBron delivered on his promise to bring Cleveland a championship, while Golden State eventually pivoted over the offseason towards adding Kevin Durant in free agency. That was the impact of Irving’s shot.

2

Ray Allen – Game 6 NBA Finals (2013)

Ray Allen saved Lebron’s legacy. Ok, not really. The King was still going to be an all-time great even if he lost this series, but still this three-point shot changed the course of league history.

The San Antonio Spurs were up 3-2 in the series and leading by five points with less than 30 seconds left in Game 6. Not only were Miami Heat fans leaving the arena at that point, but LeBron had multiple errors down the stretch, which would’ve been held over him for years if he had lost.

But a clutch three by James and a few missed free throws by the Spurs set up one of the most memorable and clutchest shots ever. LeBron hoisted up a three-point shot with 11 seconds left with the Heat down 95-92.

The shot clanked off the rim to the right and fell into the hands of Chris Bosh, who had the wherewithal to kick it out to Ray Allen. Making sure his feet were behind the line, Allen tied the game with five seconds remaining.

The Heat went on to win the game and series, hoisting their third-ever Larry O’Brien in what was beginning to look like a dynasty. As monumental as this shot was, San Antonio got their revenge the following year.

1

Michael Jordan – Game 6 NBA Finals (1998)

It had to be this. While Michael Jordan does have a game-winner that is called “The Shot”, this is a moment that summed up his era in the 90s.

The Chicago Bulls were looking to win their sixth title in eight years, heading into Utah to face a Jazz team desperate to extend this series to a deciding seventh game.

Michael, at age 35, in about 15 seconds, subsequently created an ending that not even Hollywood scriptwriters would think of. After cutting down the deficit to three, the Bulls were on defense against the Jazz with less than 30 seconds left.

Jordan stripped all-world forward Karl Malone of the ball and created the NBA’s most iconic sequence on the other end.

With the shock clock turned off, MJ looked like he was going to drive in the middle before he crossed back to his left and dropped Jazz guard Byron Russell (with a little push off).

Michael then drilled the 20-foot jumper to put the Bulls up 87-86 with 5.2 seconds left to cement an immortal legacy at the top of the sport. This was the Most Watched Games in NBA History and a fitting last dance to one of the greatest dynasties in sports.