20 NBA Players You Would Want to Take the Last Shot

In the first 47-plus minutes of an NBA game, there are plenty of players any fan, coach, or teammate would be comfortable shooting the ball. They’re professionals, after all. But there’s something that happens to many guys when the clock is winding down that turns even the best shooters into your classic rec-league brick layer. And while it’s true that some players are just as good in crunch time as any other point in the game, "just as good" doesn’t inspire much confidence when the game is on the line either.

A select few, however, actually elevate their game when their teams need it most. Whether in the regular season or the playoffs, these players are ready for the big moments and find a way to get their teams a hoop regardless of the circumstances. One of the greatest players ever in those situations was Robert Horry, who earned the nickname “Big Shot Rob” thanks to the amazing number of clutch shots he hit during his career.

In honor of Horry’s 44th birthday today, we’re looking at the guys you would most want holding the ball with time winding down. From all periods of league history, these are 20 NBA Players You Would Want to Take the Last Shot.

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Career years: 2009-Present

Team(s): Golden State Warriors

While he has only been in the league a short time, Stephen Curry has already cemented his reputation as an outstanding late-game shooter. His remarkable accuracy from deep and ability to get open are traits everyone was familiar with from his college days at Davidson, and he’s brought those sharpshooting skills with him to the NBA. He has already made several huge shots for the Warriors, who lean heavily on their young star late in games even though he’s sometimes double-teamed as far as 30 feet away from the basket.

Career years: 1996-2011

Team(s): Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies

One of the toughest competitors ever to take the floor in an NBA game, Allen Iverson was the epitome of fearlessness throughout his career. That particularly manifested itself late in games, when The Answer would often take over and get his team a key basket. Especially in his prime, the diminutive Iverson was burdened with a heavier load than anyone in the NBA, with the 76ers leaning heavily on him for offense. AI’s ability to get to the rim and smooth shooting stroke meant that when his team needed him most, he almost always delivered.

Career years: 1997-Present

Team(s): Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers

Chauncey Billups’ reputation as “Mr. Big Shot” may have slightly exceeded what he actually accomplished on the floor, but that doesn't mean that Billups wasn’t a tremendous late-game shooter who was the go-to player for a championship winning team. Plus, that nickname wasn’t just conjured out of thin air; Billups hit huge shots for the Pistons numerous times, perhaps none more remarkable than his half court three pointer to send Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals into overtime.

Career years: 1984-2003
Team(s): Utah Jazz

Karl Malone may have gotten the MVP and a lot of the attention, but when the game was on the line, the Utah Jazz would always turn to John Stockton. Why? Because the king of the short-shorts was also the team’s best weapon when they needed a late bucket, and he could use his explosive quickness to create enough space for a game-winning jumper. His incredible three to send the Jazz to the 1997 Finals is one of greatest examples of a road player absolutely silencing a raucous home crowd, and is just one of several massive shots Stockton hit in his career.

Career years: 1996-2014

Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks

New Knicks coach Derek Fisher may not have been a Hall of Famer during his playing days, but you would hardly have known it watching him late in games. While everyone worried about what Kobe was doing, the quiet point guard would simply wait and often find himself open with the ball in his hands. His most famous shot is, of course, the “0.4” shot against the Spurs, but it is far from the only shot Fisher hit to win a big game.

Career years: 2007-Present
Team(s): Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder

He may still be relatively early in his career, but Kevin Durant has already proven that he is one of the best closers in the NBA. His incredible length and picture perfect shooting stroke make him an easy choice to take the last shot for the Thunder, and it seems a mortal lock that he’ll be hitting plenty more massive shots before his career is out.

Career years: 2003-Present

Team(s): Miami Heat

The Heat’s Dwyane Wade has a remarkable ability to get his shot off, and even though he struggles shooting from deep his mid-range game is still about as good as anybody in the NBA. Couple that with his ability to barrel to the rim and either draw a foul or finish with a layup (or both), and you’ve got one of the more dangerous late-game players in the league. The Heat's success in the 2006 Finals was largely due to Wade's ability to score points in crunch time both from the floor and at the free throw line.

Career years: 2003-Present

Team(s): Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat

It took a while for LeBron James to cement his reputation as one of the NBA’s best closers, but it seems he has finally shaken off the label of choker that dogged him during his first stint in Cleveland. It’s funny how winning rings will do that. In addition to his rapidly-improving outside shot (his three point percentage has increased dramatically in the last three years), LeBron is such a massive human being that he can get to the rim pretty much at will. That ability to score from literally any spot on the offensive end makes him one of the most unique late-game weapons in NBA history.

Career years: 1998-Present

Team(s): Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki’s fall-away jumper is basically unblockable. The high release point combined with his 7’ 0” frame make him one of the toughest players to guard in late game situations, and as anyone who has watched Dirk play can tell you, he can hit shots from just about anywhere. His range away from the basket makes him a brutal matchup for bigs, but his size means you can’t put a guard on him either. So basically, at the end of a game, you just have to let him shoot and hope he misses. It doesn’t happen often.

Career years: 2003-Present

Team(s): Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks

There may be no more willing shooter in the NBA than Carmelo Anthony, and late in games he finds a way to get it done. Melo’s willingness to take the tough shot—and his ability to make it more often than not—makes him a rare breed in that his confidence matches his actual output. With both the Nuggets and the Knicks, Anthony has won numerous games with his unshakable confidence as the clock is ticking down to zero.

Career years: 1998-Present
Team(s): Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies

There’s a reason everybody went wild for Vince Carter, especially in his early days with the Raptors. He was way more than a spectacular dunker; he was a late-game specialist, hitting a ton of game-winners for a young team on the rise. While his mid-career injuries and travels around the league tempered his reputation a bit, we saw in last year’s playoffs that Vinsanity is still more than capable of getting it done with the game on the line.

Career years: 1979-1991; 1996
Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson made a name for himself in college as the hero of the 1979 Final Four, and as a rookie became a go-to player for the NBA champion Lakers. While occasional bouts of inconsistency caught Magic a lot of grief, he also was one of the most trusted late game players in the NBA and the guy the Lakers counted on to either set others up or deliver the win himself. His game-winning skyhook against the Celtics in 1985 remains one of the most iconic shots in NBA Finals history, and is indicative of Magic’s incredible prowess late in games.

Career years: 1987-2005

Team(s): Indiana Pacers

Reggie Miller might be No. 1 on this list if it were only for shots against the Knicks. Having made more three pointers for his career than anybody not named Ray Allen, Miller was able to put the ball in the hoop from pretty much anywhere on the floor. Few players have been better at getting even the ugliest of jumpers to drop through the hoop, and thanks to Miller the Pacers won a lot of close games throughout the 1990s.

Career years: 1957-1969

Team(s): Boston Celtics

The Celtics’ Sam Jones was one of the driving forces of the Russell era, but his quiet demeanor meant that he doesn’t get a ton of love when people reflect on the players who made the dynasty go. But make no mistake, when the Celtics needed to score late, Jones was the one getting the ball. His remarkable work in the playoffs earned him the nickname “Mr. Clutch,” which was fitting after he famously nailed the jumper over Wilt Chamberlain in the 1962 Eastern Division Finals that sent the Celtics to the Finals.

Career years: 1996-Present
Team(s): Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat

Nobody in NBA history has made more three pointers than Ray Allen, and he has proven time and again that his stroke from deep is just as true when the clock is winding down. The three pointer to tie Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals will forever be known as one of the greatest shots in history, but it was far from the first huge shot of his career. Allen was the go-to guy at the end of games for the 2008 champion Celtics, and before that was the focal point of both the Bucks and Sonics’ offenses. The ultimate cool customer, Allen is someone who can always be trusted at the end of games.

Career years: 1960-1974

Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers

Honestly, Jerry West would probably be on this list even if the only big shot he had ever hit was his miracle heave against the Knicks in Game 3 of the 1970 Finals. After falling behind by two with three seconds to go, The Logo didn’t even to think to take a timeout when he got the ball on the inbounds pass. Instead, he bombed up a 60-footer that dropped straight in and sent the game to overtime. It seems kind of cruel to only get two points for a shot over half court, but oh well. The Logo hit several other huge shots in his career, but this one is a perfect example of why he is considered one of the most clutch players in history.

Career years: 1992-2008

Team(s): Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers San Antonio Spurs

“Big Shot Rob” Horry has a pretty staggering résumé when it comes to hitting huge shots. In the playoffs, the man was an absolute assassin. It all started in 1995 on the Rockets’ run to the title when he hit a game winner against Utah in the Western Conference Finals, then he followed that up with the more-remembered three pointer in Game 3 of the Finals that effectively ended the series. His three against the Kings in 2002 is still one of the craziest plays in recent NBA memory, and Horry’s 2005 Finals Game 5 overtime winner for the Spurs against Detroit was the perfect punctuation for a career built on huge shots.

Career years: 1996-Present

Team(s): Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant has shown a flair for the dramatic throughout his career, and is perhaps one of the most confident players ever to set foot on a basketball court. That’s the kind of guy you want with the ball in his hands late in a game, and Kobe has shown repeatedly that he can cash in. His ability to simply get off a shot despite being shrouded by multiple defenders is practically unprecedented, and makes him one of the most dangerous late-game shooters the NBA has ever seen.

Career years: 1979-1992

Team(s): Boston Celtics

If you ask most Celtics fans, they’ll tell you that Larry Bird never missed a big shot. Ever. And while that may not be true, what can’t be disputed is that he had a flair for the dramatic and an ability to make shots from the craziest of angles thanks to his size and unshakable confidence. His game-winners came from all spots on the court and in all kinds of situations, and as one of the most notorious trash talkers in the game, Bird was unafraid to let his opponents know exactly what he was going to do to them.

Career years: 1984-1993; 1995-1998; 2001-2003

Team(s): Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards

Michael Jordan was great when the stakes were low, but was even better when the stakes were at their highest. To say he was confident in his ability to score is one of the grossest understatements of all time; Jordan knew he was going to score, and more often than not he did. Beginning with his shot over Craig Ehlo in 1988 and ending with his free throw line jumper over Byron Russell in 1998, MJ hit so many big shots that trying to pick just one is a near impossibility.