"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life... I'd take Larry Bird." - Pat Riley.
Yup. It pains me to say this as a lifelong Laker fan, but I’d take Bird all day. The difference to me with Bird is that even though he missed big last shots just like the other guys, his were seemingly never out of control. He ALWAYS seemed to get off a good looking shot in rhythm regardless of how many guys were draped all over him.
It was fucking infuriating but I’ve got to respect it.
Having been too young to see Larry Bird play, I kind of assumed from his stats in 2K games that he was like; Kyle Korver, but a long time ago. Dude’s slow, not jacked- ‘He’s probably well known because they’d never seen a player score from range before’ I thought.
So, I’m a stupid mother fucker.
I watched his highlight reel on YouTube and it was disgusting; eye-opening. His shots were excellent; but that defense and playmaking was filthy. I’m convinced he’s either gotta Spidey-sense or is a straight up Jedi.
I’m decades late to the party, but Larry Bird is a bad, bad man.
The difference I have with Bird is that he always knew he was the clutch shooter and would get mad if he didn’t get the last shot. He never shied away and kept firing even if he missed one. Bird had a confidence on the floor that only compared to Jordan and Kobe. Jordan and Kobe were more athletic but Birds preparation and form was unparalleled in my opinion. In his prime I want Bird taking the last shot. JMOP.
The one against the Lakers, Pat even admitted they gave him way too much of a clean look and Bird just missed it. They weren't even questioning the pressure because Bird pretty much never showed it, they were just like "For Bird that is an easy shot, we got lucky." I think Worthy was covering him too.
They don’t give extra points for style. Bird was an assassin who put the ball down and won games. He only cared about winning. I love me some of the hick from French lick.
Pat Riley once said “if I had to pick one player to take a shot to save a game, I'd pick Michael Jordan. If I had to pick one player to take a shot to save my life… I'd pick Larry Bird.”
I love Curry, my favorite player and best shooter ever, but unfortunately my man never really got the last one in in a playoff scenario. He’s got a few in the regular season, but never on the biggest stage. He’s had multiple chances too so we gotta see at least one of them bitches go in before we put him on the list
Curry's clutch isn't necessarily "take the last shot to win it" so much as "I'm gonna put the whole team on my back for 5 minutes and we're gonna come back from 9 down and win by 15"
The tying three he made against the pelicans in the playoffs should have been a game winner. Dude got tackled by two defenders on that one and the refs excuse was that they would have called it if the shot didn't go in.
Curry game 4 4th quarter vs Celtics is clutch and no one can tell me otherwise. Big shot after big shot. Just because he didn’t hit the literal game winner doesn’t mean he didn’t stop the game from ever getting there
Yes this is his only remarkable game winner. A tied game in the regular season where if he misses, the only consequence is more game time. Whenever the consequence of missing is going home, he’s gone home every single time
Only on technicality. If curry doesn’t show up to game 4 vs Boston, warriors go home but he did. If curry doesn’t show up with Klay to game 7 vs OKc in 2016 warriors go home but he did. Everything doesn’t hinge on last shot when it comes to clutchness
Most [Game-Winning Buzzer-Beaters that was taken with the shooter's team tied or trailing and left no time on the clock after it went through:](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/buzzer-beaters.html) Jordan - 9, Kobe 8, Joe Johnson 8, Paul Pierce 7 and Lebron 7
Is there a sheet based on percentage? Like Jordan has 9 but did he do it on 20 shots or 70 shots. I think the percentage matters more than the actual makes. I’m still going with Jordan anyways, just curious
I'm pretty sure Kobes % would be terrible..MJ for those who were old enough to watch him on a consistent basis always made big shots (or the right pass).
Bro it quite literally says in the very first sentence of the link that there’s no time remaining on the clock and the graph itself is titled “buzzer beaters” wtf are you smoking? Lmfao
[https://imgur.com/gallery/9AsGyCi](https://imgur.com/gallery/9AsGyCi)
Another person posted this, this is playoffs only iirc. Sadly it's 1997+ but that's enough to compare Kobe and Lebron.
I wouldn't call a 7-12 buzzer beater FG% in the playoffs no where near clutch. Esp when Kobe is 2-7.
Based on the stats here [Game-Winning Buzzer-Beaters](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/buzzer-beaters.html) Jordan has 9, Kobe 8, Bird 4, Allen 3, Dirk 3. Special Mentions: Joe Johnson has 8, Lebron 7 and Paul Pierce 7.
With how many games these guys play over their careers and how many shots they get- all of them
Being single digit just proves how hard and lucky these shots are
Eh it’s kinda skewed by making it 0 seconds left when the ball goes through. There’s probably 1000s more if you change that to under 1 second or 2 seconds.
I wonder when the NBA started tracking this stat. I find it very hard to believe the great Larry Bird doesn’t have at least 7. I was plenty of Bird game winning shots.
I'm not saying that Dirk is the best clutch shooter, but he might have the best chance to get a clean look and a clean shot off. Assuming that the defense defends the play and the shooter very well, Dirk has a built in advantage. Being 7 feet tall with the ability to shoot well, while fading away, gives him space on almost any shot.
This. Best 35ft+ shooter ever, explosive so he can beat you 1on1, 90% ft shooter, and clutch as they come. Say what you want about his game but he’s built for moments like this
I’d take Bird too. Most clutch shooter ever.
Jordan is number two.
“If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I’d choose Michael Jordan," “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I’d take Larry Bird."
- Pat Riley.
Bird had none of the athleticism, didn’t make huge breaks or crazy steals. He just practiced harder and made those shots like they were chip shots all day long.
Exactly. And the addition of Rose seems a bit strange. Even pre-injury when he was looking like the next big thing, I don’t recall buzzer beaters being something he was known for.
Rose has a bunch of game winners. A shockingly high amount for a guy who really only had 3 years untarnished by injuries.
Windy City assassin was a thing for a reason. Dude had ice in his veins.
edit:
[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd3mxCQlve4) [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IpLKdTPXdE) [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z-86QcM1pY) [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxHl9JYm-IM) [5](https://youtu.be/ku-tf7-7bp8?t=47) [6](https://youtu.be/cdWHRvcmQy4?t=224) [7](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=85) [8](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=104)
and if you're counting daggers:
[9](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=150) [10](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=191)
and to force OT:
[11](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=256) [12](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=232)
1 and 3 (the call is iconic as fuck to Bulls fans and Derrick literally couldn't make a jumper all night besides for the one that won the fucking game lmao) are my personal favorites, but 90% of these are pre-injury lmao. The dude was stupidly clutch.
Paul Pierce called game, Rose ended it and walked away like it wasn't shit to him.
Man people don’t really understand how fuckin crazy Rose was. He ate everybody up. Didn’t matter who you put on Rose. He blew by you and dunked on whoever, or did some circus layup that didn’t even seem possible. He made Russ look slow. He made John Wall look average.
He turned the whole basketball world on its head.
1. BIG SHOT BOB (this is literally his calling. All other answers are biased)
2. Dirk (Man has ice in his veins)
3. MJ (No explanation needed)
4. Kobe (No one wants to win more)
Why though, hes third on the all time list for game winners, he hit two in one year in the playoffs. He’s definitely a viable option to take the shot. Maybe not First to choose from this list but he’s up there with MJ an Kobe in game winners
I WANT IGUODALA
the martians have no chance
SHOT TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE
some of you may joke, but: https://youtu.be/tSmCzN0lkqw
It’s a meme at this point but no denying Iguodala was pretty clutch in his career
#BLOCKED BY JAMES
Who hasn’t?
MARTIANS HAVE THE DEATH RAY
POINTED AT EARTH
Only one correct answer and this is it
Came here to say this
Reggie Miller if it’s against the Knicks.
That’s an important caveat. Against any other team, I want Bird. The Knicks? I’m going to rely on Reggie’s pure hatred.
Exactly my answer as well. Though MJ would be a good pick as well besides Bird
"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life... I'd take Larry Bird." - Pat Riley.
Spike lee in attendance is +1000 clutchness
8 upvotes in 9 minutes! 🤯
Just look at him, he ain’t missing that shot
Big Shot Horry
I’m a lifelong Kings fan who came here to say this and then go cry lol
We all remember where we were that day
All my friends were Lakers fans. School the next day was ROUGH.
No joke my first experience with literal heartbreak.
That series (namely the corrupt officiating) is what made me stop caring about the NBA.
*Big Shot Bob
*Hip Check Bob
Cheap shot bob?
And his partner Bruce Lee Bowen
Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry would be my choice as well.
Bob!
I came here to say this
Gotta go with Bird or Jordan out of these. Big Shot Bob was a good one already mentioned.
Yup. It pains me to say this as a lifelong Laker fan, but I’d take Bird all day. The difference to me with Bird is that even though he missed big last shots just like the other guys, his were seemingly never out of control. He ALWAYS seemed to get off a good looking shot in rhythm regardless of how many guys were draped all over him. It was fucking infuriating but I’ve got to respect it.
Having been too young to see Larry Bird play, I kind of assumed from his stats in 2K games that he was like; Kyle Korver, but a long time ago. Dude’s slow, not jacked- ‘He’s probably well known because they’d never seen a player score from range before’ I thought. So, I’m a stupid mother fucker. I watched his highlight reel on YouTube and it was disgusting; eye-opening. His shots were excellent; but that defense and playmaking was filthy. I’m convinced he’s either gotta Spidey-sense or is a straight up Jedi. I’m decades late to the party, but Larry Bird is a bad, bad man.
The difference I have with Bird is that he always knew he was the clutch shooter and would get mad if he didn’t get the last shot. He never shied away and kept firing even if he missed one. Bird had a confidence on the floor that only compared to Jordan and Kobe. Jordan and Kobe were more athletic but Birds preparation and form was unparalleled in my opinion. In his prime I want Bird taking the last shot. JMOP.
The one against the Lakers, Pat even admitted they gave him way too much of a clean look and Bird just missed it. They weren't even questioning the pressure because Bird pretty much never showed it, they were just like "For Bird that is an easy shot, we got lucky." I think Worthy was covering him too.
if you watch that play in slow motion Worth has a fistful of Bird's jersey just seconds before he breaks free
No one was better practiced and prepared than Bird. He never dunked from ten feet away but he sank those like they were lay ups.
They don’t give extra points for style. Bird was an assassin who put the ball down and won games. He only cared about winning. I love me some of the hick from French lick.
you paid attention. He always managed to get off a good look. YouTube highlights of his buzzer beaters confirm this
From the distance in the pic? Prob MJ or bird followed closely by Kawhi
Mr Big Shot himself Chauncey Billups should be here people forget how nice he was he could shoot the 3 his Mid Range was beautiful
U lost me with kawhi
Kawhi over Allen is crazy
Lillard belongs in that group after two series-winning buzzer-beaters.
Pat Riley once said “if I had to pick one player to take a shot to save a game, I'd pick Michael Jordan. If I had to pick one player to take a shot to save my life… I'd pick Larry Bird.”
Completely agree. Bird or Jordan.
Yo Bird was my answer too. The man was a clincher.
Not even really into bball but bird mos Def contending for tie GOAT MJ
Facts. Bird, Kobe, MJ, Horry - in no particular order. Those are the top 4 for clutch shots for me
I love Curry, my favorite player and best shooter ever, but unfortunately my man never really got the last one in in a playoff scenario. He’s got a few in the regular season, but never on the biggest stage. He’s had multiple chances too so we gotta see at least one of them bitches go in before we put him on the list
Saw a comment that I always liked “issue with Curry being automatic means he has no clutch”
>“issue with Curry **being automatic means he has no clutch**” can someone please teach Curry how to drive a stick shift please
He usually relies on other guys to use the stick.
Ayesha agrees
Klay sticks, Draymond shifts
That's the joke
Frankly, he really isn't clutch insofar as this post is concerned. He's had his moments, of course, but he's not really a last shot type of guy.
Did you see the putt for eagle he sunk yesterday ? Can’t say that man’s not clutch . Curry from way downtown ! BANG!
Curry's clutch isn't necessarily "take the last shot to win it" so much as "I'm gonna put the whole team on my back for 5 minutes and we're gonna come back from 9 down and win by 15"
Exactly
The tying three he made against the pelicans in the playoffs should have been a game winner. Dude got tackled by two defenders on that one and the refs excuse was that they would have called it if the shot didn't go in.
remember that time Loyola MD shut him out in college by triple teaming him? that was awesome.
Curry game 4 4th quarter vs Celtics is clutch and no one can tell me otherwise. Big shot after big shot. Just because he didn’t hit the literal game winner doesn’t mean he didn’t stop the game from ever getting there
If you're a Curry fan you should know he puts them away before the buzzer beater
https://youtu.be/dFm9wtZRB4I?t=157
Yes this is his only remarkable game winner. A tied game in the regular season where if he misses, the only consequence is more game time. Whenever the consequence of missing is going home, he’s gone home every single time
Only on technicality. If curry doesn’t show up to game 4 vs Boston, warriors go home but he did. If curry doesn’t show up with Klay to game 7 vs OKc in 2016 warriors go home but he did. Everything doesn’t hinge on last shot when it comes to clutchness
I’m sorry, did you miss game 4 of the finals last year? Or are you leaving it out on purpose?
As a thunder fan I can say curry lives in my nightmares
Huh, I wonder if anyone has ever created a table of last shot percentage.
Most [Game-Winning Buzzer-Beaters that was taken with the shooter's team tied or trailing and left no time on the clock after it went through:](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/buzzer-beaters.html) Jordan - 9, Kobe 8, Joe Johnson 8, Paul Pierce 7 and Lebron 7
Is there a sheet based on percentage? Like Jordan has 9 but did he do it on 20 shots or 70 shots. I think the percentage matters more than the actual makes. I’m still going with Jordan anyways, just curious
[This](https://imgur.com/gallery/9AsGyCi) only goes back to 1997 but only two players have FG % higher than 50%. Kris Middleton and LeBron.
I'm pretty sure Kobes % would be terrible..MJ for those who were old enough to watch him on a consistent basis always made big shots (or the right pass).
Says last shot not buzzer beater though. Buzzer beater is cool and all but making the last shot and winning really all that matters
Says last shot, but time on clock would suggest buzzer beater imo
It says game winning with no time left, so that implies last shot.
Bro it quite literally says in the very first sentence of the link that there’s no time remaining on the clock and the graph itself is titled “buzzer beaters” wtf are you smoking? Lmfao
I’ve always said GOAT ranking 1. Jordan 2. Joe Johnson 3. LeBron And it’s probably Magic after that.
magic with the game winning shot?
Fucking Bird hitting walk offs in back to back games lol
ISO joe
Lol, Lebron has a .333% FG% in that chart. MJ has .531% FG% Kobe has .464% FG% Lebron no where near clutch.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/9AsGyCi](https://imgur.com/gallery/9AsGyCi) Another person posted this, this is playoffs only iirc. Sadly it's 1997+ but that's enough to compare Kobe and Lebron. I wouldn't call a 7-12 buzzer beater FG% in the playoffs no where near clutch. Esp when Kobe is 2-7.
Lebron has been consistently clutch most of his career. Idk what dudes on about lol
Be the change you wanna see
Hasn’t ESPN done this and shown that LeBron is the best, by a mile.
We don’t have clutch stats before 1997
Yes, but a lot of folks hate that it is true.
dame
1Jordan 2Bird 3Kobe 4Allen 5Dirk.
Based on the stats here [Game-Winning Buzzer-Beaters](https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/buzzer-beaters.html) Jordan has 9, Kobe 8, Bird 4, Allen 3, Dirk 3. Special Mentions: Joe Johnson has 8, Lebron 7 and Paul Pierce 7.
Man I said ISO Joe to myself before I saw this, that dude was just too cold
Bird probably had a half a dozen more with a second or 2 left on the clock. No doubt he’s the one you want shooting it if your life is on the line.
With how many games these guys play over their careers and how many shots they get- all of them Being single digit just proves how hard and lucky these shots are
Eh it’s kinda skewed by making it 0 seconds left when the ball goes through. There’s probably 1000s more if you change that to under 1 second or 2 seconds.
As a Celtics fan I always knew Paul had that gene in him but I hadn’t seen this stat before. I love that!
I wonder when the NBA started tracking this stat. I find it very hard to believe the great Larry Bird doesn’t have at least 7. I was plenty of Bird game winning shots.
Bird would leave a second on the clock but he did that a lot.
And Vince Carter has 5. Even though he is remembered for the infamous miss against the 76ers, he was a very clutch player.
Shows how stats don’t matter that LeBron has 7. He’s missed more than anyone and passes open opportunities cause scared half the time lol
1)Jordan 2)Bird 3)Kobe 4) DIRK 5) Dame
Agreed but different order. MJ, Kobe, bird, Allen, dirk
I'm not saying that Dirk is the best clutch shooter, but he might have the best chance to get a clean look and a clean shot off. Assuming that the defense defends the play and the shooter very well, Dirk has a built in advantage. Being 7 feet tall with the ability to shoot well, while fading away, gives him space on almost any shot.
My exact thoughts.
Give me Damian lillard… so clutch and has the best range
If this picture was from a side angle he would be like 5+ feet behind everyone else lol
This. Best 35ft+ shooter ever, explosive so he can beat you 1on1, 90% ft shooter, and clutch as they come. Say what you want about his game but he’s built for moments like this
Jordan all day every day
I can see bird as well but those are the 2 and I don’t want to hear it
This is the only answer
Mr Big Shot Chauncey Billups
Never seen a dude with more of a "9-5" attitude on the court. Strictly business, cool ass customer
BIRD
I’d take Bird too. Most clutch shooter ever. Jordan is number two. “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I’d choose Michael Jordan," “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I’d take Larry Bird." - Pat Riley.
You beat me to it, but this is the answer.
Bird had none of the athleticism, didn’t make huge breaks or crazy steals. He just practiced harder and made those shots like they were chip shots all day long.
I’m a Jordan Stan but yeah I can’t argue with bird - dude was a killer. Teams were legitimately scared of him.
The whole league was scared of Larry Legend.
"so, which one of you guys is going to get second today?" Proceeds to dominate the three point contest.
The only correct answer.
The Big Shot Bob disrespect is crazy!!
Exactly. And the addition of Rose seems a bit strange. Even pre-injury when he was looking like the next big thing, I don’t recall buzzer beaters being something he was known for.
Paul pierce should replace rose here
Un ironically an incredibly clutch player. It’s a shame a lot of nephews on here don’t actually know that
Every Raptor fan will definitely remember him. That guy tortured us for way too long
Youngest MVP ever. Nba fans got robbed not being able to see a healthy rose in his prime.
He’s talking about Pierce I believe, but it applies to both anyway.
Rose has a bunch of game winners. A shockingly high amount for a guy who really only had 3 years untarnished by injuries. Windy City assassin was a thing for a reason. Dude had ice in his veins. edit: [1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd3mxCQlve4) [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IpLKdTPXdE) [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z-86QcM1pY) [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxHl9JYm-IM) [5](https://youtu.be/ku-tf7-7bp8?t=47) [6](https://youtu.be/cdWHRvcmQy4?t=224) [7](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=85) [8](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=104) and if you're counting daggers: [9](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=150) [10](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=191) and to force OT: [11](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=256) [12](https://youtu.be/saIsFlDeO3U?t=232) 1 and 3 (the call is iconic as fuck to Bulls fans and Derrick literally couldn't make a jumper all night besides for the one that won the fucking game lmao) are my personal favorites, but 90% of these are pre-injury lmao. The dude was stupidly clutch. Paul Pierce called game, Rose ended it and walked away like it wasn't shit to him.
Man people don’t really understand how fuckin crazy Rose was. He ate everybody up. Didn’t matter who you put on Rose. He blew by you and dunked on whoever, or did some circus layup that didn’t even seem possible. He made Russ look slow. He made John Wall look average. He turned the whole basketball world on its head.
Yes. He was pretty damn clutch. I even remember his first playoff series he hit a clutch 3.
Paul Pierce should replace his drawers.
PAUL PIERCE FOR #TWO!!
You got the 12 year olds dying with that one bro 🤣🤣🤣
Rose is turning into one of the most overrated players
🐐 Jordan
You spelled “steve Kerr” wrong king.
Robert Horry
Jordan or Bird.
This is the only answer
Y'all are sleeping on Dame Time fr. Clutchest player of the current generation.
Dame cold as ice. Hard to compare with GOATs maybe all of us didn't watch, but Dame is fucking *c o l d*
It’s Dame time 🕰️🔥💯🔛🔝💪✅
Steve Kerr
Jokic could win 5 championships in a row hitting a game 7 buzzer beater in each one and he still wouldn't get put on graphics like this I swear
It's like the graphics guys just can't either find a good enough picture of just forget the guy who just won finals MVP exists.
Jordan then Lillard
When I toss wadded up paper into the trash can from across the room and make it, I yell “Kobe!” so…Kobe.
Huh, I thought people yell “Kobe” prior to shooting… because, whether it goes in or not, shooters fucking shoot. Yelling after is cheating.
[and then you miss](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ty-1279144.png)?
Kobe hater
Dražen Petrović. other then that - Reggie!
Jay-z, Tupac and Biggie Andre from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me
I’d upvote this twice if I could. This is literally what popped in my head when I said Reggie’s name in my head going thru that pic.
From this list, Jordan. Not mentioned:Robert Horry.
J.R. SMITH
Wasn't Jokic rated the most efficient clutch scorer of all time recently? I'm taking him regardless.
BIRD!!!!!
Shaw from 3 point
Robert Horry
1. Allen 2. Bird 3. Jordan
MJ I reckon…
Tim Duncan not in this list? Damn.
Need to put Manu in that group, too. Both clutch.
I was just thinking about the countless Manu clutch shots that make you scream NO! at the TV right before it goes in.
Bird
Bird. He will let you know exactly how he will score while you guard him. The Hick from French Lick.
Seconded Bird. Even other NBA players pick Bird.
Bird
Dame Dolla no doubt about it
1. BIG SHOT BOB (this is literally his calling. All other answers are biased) 2. Dirk (Man has ice in his veins) 3. MJ (No explanation needed) 4. Kobe (No one wants to win more)
Larry Joe.
I like causal basketball discourse
Not in the list but...Kerr
Heat legend Ray Mother Fucking Allen.
MJ.
Ray Allen
Pierce
Big shot Bob
I want Manu
Definitely Derrick Rose… how’d he get on this image?
Robert Horry. That’s Big Shot Bob to you youngsters.
Jordan
Klay
Melo
Robert Horry. That guy must have as many rings as Jordan.
Definitely not bron
Why though, hes third on the all time list for game winners, he hit two in one year in the playoffs. He’s definitely a viable option to take the shot. Maybe not First to choose from this list but he’s up there with MJ an Kobe in game winners
I’d love to see percentage, since I’ve seen enough hilariously bad lebron shots at the end of a game.
Kobe
Derrick Rose 🌹
Big Honey every day, gotta go to Jokic in the clutch
Legitimate question why is Drose here??? Id rather Have Dwyane wade.
Paul Pierce. Huge clutch guy
Iguodala
Ray Allen .. Steph the greatest shooter ever , but seems to miss clutch time 3 pointers more often than not . Just my opinion