The 10 Biggest Comeback Performances in NBA History

Image via Complex Original

Miami was public enemy No. 1 during the 2010-11 season after signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh earlier that summer and got its opponent’s best effort in every single game. It looked like the Big 3 was going to cruise to a victory in this November meeting with the Jazz, as the Heat led by eight points with 30 seconds to play, but Utah’s Paul Millsap had other ideas.

He had only made two three-pointers in his whole career up until that point. Then, out of nowhere, he sank one and miraculously drained another with just 12 seconds left to play. Following a Miami turnover, Millsap then buried a third three-pointer. Utah got the ball back, down by two, with 3.4 seconds left. Millsap didn’t make a three this time, though. Instead, he grabbed an offensive rebound, and, in one motion, flipped it up and in before the buzzer sounded. The Jazz went on to win in overtime as Millsap finished with 46 points, including a miraculous 11 in the final 28 seconds of regulation.

After being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Boston Celtics in 2010, Jeff Green was still trying to find his way with his new team when he received some startling news: He had an aortic aneurysm and would need to undergo open-heart surgery. At 25 years old, Green was facing a possibly career-ending, life-altering medical issue.

However, he remained focused on returning to the court. After missing the entire 2011-12 season, Green was able to make it back to the Celtics and would become one of the team’s most important players. He also continues to do extensive work off the court with heart patients, visiting people of all ages in Boston hospitals and giving them hope through both his words and his incredible on-court performances—like this ridiculous game-winner against the Heat last season.

Shaun Livingston was 21 years old and just starting to come into his own when an awkward landing took an absolutely gruesome turn. The footage of his injury is truly haunting, as is the list of injuries he suffered in the fall: a torn ACL, PCL and meniscus, a sprained MCL, and a dislocated patella. The point guard was lucky to keep his leg, let alone walk again.

And yet, somehow, through 20 months of arduous rehab and sheer willpower, Livingston was able to make it back to the NBA. Robbed of the athleticism that made him an elite prospect, however, it seemed like his return would be short-lived. The guard continued to work himself ragged despite the long odds, refining and reinventing his game, and learning to use his 6’ 7” frame to his advantage. This past summer he was rewarded with a three-year, $16 million contract from the Golden State Warriors and is now a key piece of a legitimate title contender.

When Magic Johnson announced in 1991 that he had HIV, it was effectively like announcing that he was going to die very soon. Back then, the treatment for HIV and AIDS was nothing like it is today, and many assumed that soon, this beloved star would no longer be with us. The statistics for HIV/AIDS survival were equally grim, and, to a degree, justified those concerns.

But Magic didn’t just defy the odds; he completely overwhelmed them. He came out of his retirement to play in the 1992 All-Star Game and Olympics, showing in both instances that he could still ball despite the fact that he was fighting off a deadly disease. It was the resistance of his fellow players, rather than anything physical, that caused him to abandon a 1992-93 comeback attempt, although he did return for a brief 32-game stint in 1996 before hanging up his sneakers for good. 

Injuries and playoff failures have overshadowed much of Tracy McGrady’s brilliant scoring ability, which was never more on display than in this December 2004 game against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets had fallen behind by 10 with just more than a minute to go, and it looked like they were done.

Unleashing a barrage of four three-pointers (including one four-point play), McGrady put up 13 points in the game’s final 33 seconds to erase the deficit and give Houston a one-point victory. The degree of difficulty on the shots was off the charts; every single time, he had at least one man in his face, most notably eight-time All-NBA Defensive Team member Bruce Bowen. It didn’t matter, though. McGrady delivered perhaps the greatest individual comeback effort in regular season history.

There’ve been very few pure scorers to come into the NBA who were greater at putting the ball in the hoop better than Bernard King. His incredible athleticism made him a threat to take it to the hoop from literally any spot on the court, but he could also bury a jumper in your face just as easily. He was the first player in 20 years to put up 50-plus points in consecutive games, and on Christmas Day in 1984, he poured in 60. However, three months later, King tore his ACL and was forced to miss two entire years of action.

While he returned a less athletic player, King still found ways to get his points. He wasn’t just a body out on the floor; he was a 20-plus point-per-night scorer who made the All-Star team in 1991 and solidified his Hall of Fame resume. Considering that most ACL injuries back then ended careers, King’s recovery was nearly unprecedented. 

Two very different circumstances took Michael Jordan away from the NBA for significant stretches of time, but each time he came back an equally good, if not better player.

The first incident occurred in 1985, when Jordan broke his foot very early on in the season. He missed nearly the entire 1985-86 season, returning to play sparingly in the final 15 regular season games. He wasn’t interested in missing the Bulls’ playoff clash with the Celtics, however, and scored 49 and 63 points respectively in the first two games of the series.

The more publicized Jordan hiatus was his decision to retire from basketball in October of 1993. After dabbling in professional baseball for a season, however, MJ got the itch to return to the court, and with little preparation of any kind became one of the game’s best players. With a full offseason to get back into basketball shape, Jordan led the Bulls to three straight titles and won another two MVP awards.

The state of orthopedics in the 1960s was not quite like it is now. Fifty years ago, a serious knee injury was basically a career killer, especially considering the fact that NBA teams did not employ the doctors, massage therapists, and rehab specialists that they do today. When Lakers star Elgin Baylor detached his kneecap during the 1965 season, it seemed that the explosive athlete’s career was basically over. Not so fast.

After being limited in his first season following surgery to repair his knee, Baylor returned to form and made four consecutive All-Star teams from 1967 to 1970. Although he would never lead his Lakers team to a title (that would only happen after he retired during the 1972 season), Baylor continued to be a star player despite the fact that he easily could have been done.

If you say “Eight points in nine seconds” to Knicks fans, you might need to duck as they load up to throw foreign objects at you. Such is the level of vitriol that they hold toward Reggie Miller, who single-handedly orchestrated perhaps the most absurd individual comeback in the history of the NBA playoffs.

Down by six in Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Miller hit a three, got a steal, and then hit another three to tie the game. Then, after a Pacers foul and a pair of missed Knicks free throws, he was fouled and buried a pair of free throws to complete his run and give Indiana the victory. The Pacers ended up winning the series in seven games, stoking the flames of what was already the fiercest rivalry in the game at the time.

Willis Reed suffered many injuries throughout his career, but his ability to grind through a torn thigh muscle in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals is still the stuff of legend. There’s a reason, after all, that “pulling a Willis Reed” is still a very commonly used expression both in and out of the sports world.

After tearing a thigh muscle during Game 5 and missing Game 6 altogether, Reed—the reigning MVP of the league—took a shot of painkiller and hobbled onto the floor of Madison Square Garden for Game 7. While he didn’t end up playing for long, he made it count; Reed hit both of his shots to send the crowd into an absolute frenzy, and the team rode that momentum all the way to a win and an NBA title.