About This Quiz
Only 3 seconds left, can you make the shot?!
In North America, very few sports can rival the popularity of basketball. In fact, the National Basketball Association (NBA) - which is the most prolific basketball league - is a part of the "Big Four" group of sports leagues. This means that in North America, only the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), can hope to match up to the NBA's popularity. Basketball is notable for being a very fast paced game that still manages to be very technical in its own right. This has led to countless nail-biting moments and down to the wire plays being made over the years.
One of the most iconic and exciting moments in any basketball game is the "buzzer beater." This is a play that is made at the end of the game when there are seconds (or less than a second) left to spare. In this quiz, we've taken a look at the entire history of the sport and compiled a selection of some of the most iconic buzzer beaters in professional games. Can you beat the clock when it comes to mastering this quiz? Let's find out!
LeBron James scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Second Round. This gave the Cavaliers a 105–103 win against the Toronto Raptors and take a 3–0 series lead.
Advertisement
Bob Harrison scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 1950 NBA Finals. It was a 40-foot buzzer-beater that won the game for the Lakers, 68–66.
Advertisement
LeBron James scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 2018 Eastern Conference First Round. It gave the Cavaliers a 98–95 win against the Indiana Pacers.
Advertisement
Sam Jones scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1969 NBA Finals. It gave the Celtics a series-tying 89–88 win over the Lakers.
Advertisement
Teresa Weatherspoon scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals. The shot was made from just beyond the half-court line to beat the Houston Comets, 68–67.
Advertisement
Joe Johnson scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference First Round. It was a game winning layup at the buzzer to give the Utah Jazz a 97–95 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Advertisement
Jerry West scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals. The shot tied the game, but the Lakers still lost in OT.
Advertisement
Kyle Lowry scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie it at 90, but the Raptors still lost to the Miami Heat in OT.
Advertisement
Paul Pierce scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It gave the Washington Wizards a 103–101 win against the Atlanta Hawks to take a 2–1 series lead.
Advertisement
LeBron James scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It gave the Cleveland Cavaliers an 86–84 win against the Chicago Bulls and evened the series at two games apiece.
Advertisement
Derrick Rose scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It gave the Chicago Bulls a 99–96 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 2–1 series lead.
Advertisement
Jerryd Bayless scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round. It gave the Milwaukee Bucks a 92–90 win against the Chicago Bulls.
Advertisement
Damian Lillard scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 6 of the 2014 Western Conference First Round. It allowed them to beat the Houston Rockets 99–98 and win the series 4–2.
Advertisement
Vince Carter scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2014 Western Conference First Round. It gave the Mavericks a 109–108 win and a 2–1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
Advertisement
Gar Heard scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals. This shot is one of the many reasons why the NBA often refers to Game 5 as "The Greatest Game Ever Played".
Advertisement
Dudley Bradley scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 1986 Eastern Conference First Round. It allowed the Bullets to win the game 95–94, after the 76ers led them 94–77 with only 3 minutes left.
Advertisement
Derek Harper scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 1986 Western Conference Semifinals. It was a long 3-pointer with only 3 seconds left; allowing them to beat the Lakers, 110–108.
Advertisement
Ralph Sampson scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals. He hit a turnaround shot at the buzzer to win the series for Houston.
Advertisement
Michael Jordan scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round. This series-winning basket is often referred to as “The Shot” and it is considered to be one of the greatest clutch moments in all of basketball history.
Advertisement
Alonzo Mourning scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference First Round. He took an inbound pass and hit a 20-footer with only 0.4 seconds left.
Advertisement
Michael Jordan scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals. This 18-foot fadeaway over Gerald Wilkins at the buzzer gave the Bulls a 103–101 win – it is often referred to as “The Shot II”.
Advertisement
LeBron James scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. He made a driving layup as time expired in OT to give the Heat a 103–102 win over the Pacers.
Advertisement
Ron Artest scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals. He hit the putback at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 103–101 win over the Phoenix Suns to give the Lakers a 3–2 series lead.
Advertisement
Paul Pierce scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 2010 Eastern Conference First Round. He made a jumper from the free-throw line at the buzzer, giving the Celtics a 100–98 win and a 3–0 series lead over the Miami Heat.
Advertisement
LeBron James scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. He took the inbounds pass and hit a 3 at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 96–95 win.
Advertisement
Kobe Bryant scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 2006 Western Conference First Round. He gave the Lakers a 3–1 series lead after making a shot to defeat Phoenix 99–98.
Advertisement
Chauncey Billups scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He ran upcourt and banked in a 3 at the buzzer to tie the game at 88.
Advertisement
Derek Fisher scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals. Tim Duncan made a fadeaway over Shaquille O'Neal to give the Spurs a 73–72 lead with 0.4 seconds on the clock, but Derek Fisher followed that up with a 20-footer at the buzzer to bring the game back for the Lakers, 74-73.
Advertisement
Robert Horry scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals. While the Lakers were behind with 11.8 seconds left, Kobe Bryant and Shaq missed consecutive layups but thankfully Robert Horry got the ball and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers the 100–99 victory.
Advertisement
Allan Houston scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 1999 Eastern Conference First Round. He hit a runner with 8 tenths left to beat Miami 78–77.
Advertisement
Reggie Miller scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. He hit the game-winning 3 with 7 tenths left; after an inbound from Derrick McKey.
Advertisement
Toni Kukoč scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He scored a 23-ft fadeaway at the buzzer to give Chicago a 104–102 win over New York.
Advertisement
Nick Van Exel scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 5 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals. He hit a 3 with 5 tenths left in OT to give the Lakers a 98–96 win over the Spurs.
Advertisement
Reggie Miller scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He notably scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds to equalize after trailing by 6 points and then subsequently beat New York, 107–105.
Advertisement
Rik Smits scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals. He faked a shot over Tree Rollins and then hit a 10-footer at the buzzer to beat Orlando 94–93.
Advertisement
Hakeem Olajuwon scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. He tipped in a missed layup by Clyde Drexler with 3 tenths left in OT.
Advertisement
Rex Chapman scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference First Round. He caught an overthrown pass and made a falling-out-of-bounds 3 with 1.9 seconds left to tie it at 107.
Advertisement
Eddie Johnson scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. He notably hit a buzzer-beating 3 to beat Utah 95–92.
Advertisement
John Stockton scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. He scored a 3 at the buzzer to carry Utah over Houston 103–100 to win the series 4–2.
Advertisement
Michael Jordan scored a memorable buzzer beater in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals. He scored a jumper over Bryon Russell at the buzzer to give Chicago the 84–82 victory.
Advertisement