The latest NBA season has recorded 6 buzzer-beaters scored by different players. While you would see teams competing for 48 minutes where one of them emerges as a winner, there are times when separating both the teams is not an easy thing to do.
At times, it takes individual brilliance to push the team over the winning line. There were approximately 775 in the NBA’s history where fans witnessed individual brilliance making the real difference in the end.
Booker’s last-second finish this season is discussed by many analysts, and the media is calling him the king of buzzer-beating.
Still, other players have an excellent record of winning matches for their teams at the moment that matters.
We bring you the list of basketball who are ranked as the top three influential match winners when it comes to beating the buzzer.
Who has the most buzzer-beater in NBA history?
Paul Pierce – 7
Paul Pierce has been famous lately for his aggression, but only a few would know that his aggression was far more lethal in the basketball court where he used to decide matches at his will.
Among the 7 buzzer-beaters he has scored, 6 were made in the isolation condition, which is still a record for the 2nd highest.
Talking about the teams for which he has scored all those important points, 6 were scored to pull Boston Celtics out from the jaws of defeat, and the remaining one was scored wearing Washington Wizards colors in the year 2017.
LeBron James – 7
If holding nerves during the big games is art, then James is the Picasso of it. Out of the 7 match deciding points that he scored, 5 were scored in the playoffs that allowed his team to win the all-important games.
This record is still relevant and very hard to beat for the next generation of players.
His vault’s best beater is undoubtedly the all-time famous point against the Orlando Magic in 2009 during game 1.
The love continued till the year 2018 where he scored his last match-decider Toronto Raptors.
The best thing about LeBron James’ record is that these numbers will surely add on as he is super fit at 35. A strong contender for dismantling the all-time greats in this respect.
Joe Johnson – 8
Every sport sees a specific class of players who are underappreciated no matter how brilliantly they play. The same story is true for Joe Johnson, or should we say Iso-Joe?
He has scored last-minute pointers on 8 different occasions where he failed to win a game for his team on just one occasion. All seven of his match-winning buzzer beaters were scored in isolation, which is a record of its own.
Now, talking about the most influential finish, he scored a buzz-beater against LA Clippers in the playoffs, which was praised by everyone (even the opponents). This famous finisher was probably his last, as we do not expect him to continue any longer.
Kobe Bryant – 8
A legend, a Hall of Famer, and an all-time great in the LA Lakers’ history, if not the NBA. Kobe has scored all of his buzzer-beaters in the match-winning cause, which adds more prestige to the record that he holds.
He also holds the record of scoring the most finishers in regular seasons where he ties with Joe Johnson at 7.
His buzzer-beater against the Phoenix Suns in 2006 during game 4 of the playoffs is still titled as the best winners of all times where he enforced overtime to help his team’s cause.
Michael Jordan – 9
A no brainer in the end. We already know that you were expecting Jordan’s name on the list. Your expectations were justifiable because Michael has a total of 6 buzzer-beater that ended up in a winning cause.
If we discuss all these match-winning shots, we will know that 3 of them were scored in the all-important playoffs.
The other 2 of the total came in the postseason (this also makes him only the second player to score multiple buzzer-beaters in postseasons after Damian Lillard).
Both of the times, the unlucky team at the receiving end was the Cleveland Cavaliers. The last one in the list is even better and more fitting than the other five, where he scored a crucial point against Utah Jazz in the first game of the 1997 finals on the NBA.
This game is considered the real game, after which people started calling Jordan the best basketball player on the planet.
Conclusion
Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce are considered the king of isolation, where they hold the record of scoring deciders for a record first and second most number of times, respectively.
Kobe is also a legend for handling pressure whenever the team needed him to bear its weight. In the end, the best buzzer-beating basketballer is the undisputed legend in the NBA, Michael Jordan.
His legacy will remain intact, but we must inform you that LeBron James is the only player to watch out as he is fit and young enough to score the remaining couple of buzzer-beater to tie the record with Jordan. We know this conclusion might hurt Michael’s fans’ sentiment, but the reality will never change. You can still hope things go for the best if you are one of them.