Who Has the Most Game-Winning Shots in the NBA?
We all know who the stars of the NBA are. But who has the most game-winning shots? We take a look at the players with the most clutch shots in NBA history.
LeBron James
LeBron James has the most game-winning shots in the NBA. He has made 28 game-winning shots in his career, which is more than any other player in the league. Kobe Bryant is second on the list with 24 game-winners, and Michael Jordan is third with 23.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he played his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Bryant helped the Lakers win five NBA championships, and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring and ranks fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
Bryant is considered one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He holds several NBA shooting records, including most seasons played (20), most consecutive seasons playing (20), most career field goals made (33,643), most career 3-point field goals made (7,497), most free throws made (8,378), most points scored in a game (81) and highest points per game average (30.5).
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time, and his game-winning shots are a big part of that legacy. Jordan hit some of the most clutch shots in NBA history, including a game-winner in the 1998 NBA Finals that cemented his place as one of the all-time greats.
Since his retirement from the NBA in 2003, no player has come close to matching Jordan’s game-winning shot total. Kobe Bryant is the closest active player, but he still trails Jordan by over 30 shots. LeBron James is another active player who has hit a number of big shots in his career, but again, he falls well short of Jordan’s total.
So, who has the most game-winning shots in the NBA? The answer is clear: Michael Jordan is the king of clutch when it comes to game-winners.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin, Nowitzki was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Mavericks on draft night. He is considered one of the greatest European players of all time. A versatile big man, Nowitzki primarily plays the power forward position but has also been playing center and small forward throughout his career.
Nowitzki has led the Mavericks to 15 NBA Playoffs, including trips to the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011. He is a 13-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member, and the first European player to start in an All-Star Game. He is also one of only seven players who played for an NBA team for at least 20 seasons. He has won many individual accolades, including four All-Star MVP Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007, and the Naismith Legacy Award in 2012. He led Germany to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and silver in EuroBasket 2005.
Nowitzki is recorded as having made more game-winning shots than any other player in NBA history. As of November 2020, he has hit 48 game-winners during regular season games and nine during playoff games; his 57 game-winners are more than any other player in NBA history.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the most game-winning shots in the NBA, with 57. He is followed by Kobe Bryant with 48, and LeBron James with 46.
