The King of Clutch; LeBron is No. 1 in NBA playoff buzzer beaters

Only six players have made multiple game-winning buzzer beater shots in the NBA playoffs. Who’s made the most?

It’s not a surprise to anyone in Ohio. The king is The King, LeBron James, of Akron — by far.

Be sure to note this stat doesn’t include Monday night’s crucial baskets, when James hit a game-tying layup over Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, with .8 seconds remaining to send Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series to OT. Nor when James hit yet another monster shot with 29.1 seconds left in the extra session to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 3-1 series lead.

It was simply the latest chapter in James’ bulging collection of clutch shots. But his most recent heroics didn’t meet the narrow parameters here, where he still reigns supreme.

Basketball’s buzzer-beater shot is one of the most enthralling moments in all of sports.

First, the shooter must get the shot off before the clock expires.

Then, the moments after the shooter’s shot seem to take an eternity as the ball arcs high over the hardwood.

Finally, the swish through the net or the clang of the ball bouncing off the rim triggers the purest joy of victory for half of the game’s fans and the purest agony of defeat for the other half.

The intensity only ratchets up during the NBA playoffs, when every win matters an order of magnitude more than during the regular season.

Entering the 2023 postseason, there have been 51 game-winning buzzer beaters throughout NBA playoff history, at least according to a Stacker analysis of Basketball-Reference.com data. Incredibly, James has nearly 10 percent of them all by himself.

This category includes the very first playoff game-winning buzzer beater in 1957 and goes all the way through the 2022 playoffs when two were scored. In total, Basketball-Reference.com counts 820 game-winning buzzer beaters during the regular season and playoffs — that means just under 1.2% of all games have finished with a game-winning shot.

During the 65 years between the first and last playoff game-winning buzzer beaters, only six players have managed to hit two or more such shots. Stacker ranked those six players — so keep on reading to find out who has made this elite pantheon.

Here’s a quick hint: Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird didn’t make this list.

In total, 18 teams have won at least one playoff game via a game-ending shot, while another seven have been on the losing end of such a play.

Just five franchises have never been involved in a game-winning playoff buzzer beater: the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.

#3. Damian Lillard (tie)

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 2

– Years scored: 2014, 2019

– Team scored for: Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard has emerged as one of the best clutch players in modern NBA history and has been a catalyst to the Portland Trail Blazers’ recent playoff appearances.

In Game 6 of a Western Conference first-round series in 2014, the seven-time All-Star drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Trail Blazers over James Harden and the Houston Rockets 99-98. The shot gave the Trail Blazers a 4-2 series win over the Rockets. Portland lost in the next round to the eventual NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

Lillard shocked NBA fans once again in the 2019 playoffs. Etched in history because of its popularity on social media, the 6-foot-2 guard’s series-clinching buzzer beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a 118-115 victory in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series. That game-winning basket rounded out Lillard’s 50th point of the game, marking his first 50-point playoff performance, a feat he repeated in 2021.

#3. Paul Pierce (tie)

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 2

– Years scored: 2010, 2015

– Teams scored for: Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards

Paul Pierce solidified his status as one of the best players to ever wear the green and white thanks to his playoff performances. His first playoff buzzer beater came in 2010 when he nailed a game-winning 21-foot jump shot over Dorell Wright to give the Boston Celtics a 3-0 series lead over the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Pierce worked his magic again in 2015 as a member of the Washington Wizards by making a banked-in buzzer beater in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks — the top-seeded team. The iconic “I called game” shot helped the Wizards get back in the series, but the team eventually got bounced by the Hawks in six games.

#3. Jo Jo White (tie)

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 2

– Years scored: 1974, 1977

– Team scored for: Boston Celtics

As another player who suited up for the Boston Celtics, Jo Jo White was expected to be great in the playoffs.

The Kansas graduate unconventionally nailed his first playoff game-winner at the free-throw line. White made two free throws with no time remaining on the clock to give the Celtics a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1974 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics went on to win their 12th NBA championship that season.

In 1977, the 6-foot-3 point guard sank another buzzer beater in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers to give the Celtics a 113-111 win, although the Celtics lost the series in seven games.

#3. Jerry West (tie)

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 2

– Years scored: 1962, 1963

– Team scored for: Los Angeles Lakers

Honored as the figure in the NBA’s logo, Jerry West had one of the most illustrious careers in league history. A part of his legacy was his ability to nail game-winning shots.

Known as “Mr. Clutch,” West made a layup to beat the buzzer in Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. His shot gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 117-115 win, but Boston won the NBA championship in seven games.

In 1963, West knocked down his second playoff buzzer beater in a 101-99 win over the St. Louis Hawks in Game 2 of the West Division finals.

While it wasn’t game-winning, West also hit a 60-foot buzzer beater in 1970 to force overtime against the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks went on to win the game 111-108 to take a 2-1 series lead en route to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

#2. Michael Jordan

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 3

– Years scored: 1989, 1993, 1997

– Team scored for: Chicago Bulls

One of the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan had no hesitation in taking his team’s last shot in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In 1989, the 6-foot-6 guard drained “The Shot” in that game to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jordan created another historic moment against the Cavaliers in 1993 with a buzzer beater in Cleveland to give the Bulls an Eastern Conference semifinals series victory in four games.

The North Carolina product used his clutch gene again in the 1997 playoffs with a jumper to give the Chicago Bulls an 84-82 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Chicago. The Bulls went on to win the NBA championship with a 4-2 series victory over the Jazz.

#1. LeBron James

– Number of playoff buzzer beaters: 5

– Years scored: 2009, 2013, 2015, 2018 (2)

– Teams scored for: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat

LeBron James — the second active player on this list — has the most playoff buzzer beaters.

Also considered one of the best to ever dribble a basketball, the 6-foot-9 forward has been making game-clinching shots in the playoffs since 2009. That year, James nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 96-95 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

In 2013, James shocked the Indiana Pacers with an overtime game-winning layup to give the Miami Heat a 103-102 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Heat eventually won the NBA Finals in seven games.

In 2015 — his first season back in Cleveland — James hit a 21-footer as time expired to give the Cavaliers an 86-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavaliers went on to win that series and the Eastern Conference crown before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Three years later, James won two separate games with buzzer beaters to solidify his greatness.

The first came against the Pacers once again. In Cleveland’s first-round playoff series, James nailed a game-winning 3-pointer over Thaddeus Young in Game 5 for a 98-95 victory.

He picked up where he left off in the next series against the Toronto Raptors by making a driving, off-glass floater in Game 3 to give the Cavaliers a 105-103 win. Cleveland went on to win the series 4-0 before later falling, once again, to Golden State in the NBA Finals.