25 Most Iconic NBA Shots of the Last Quarter Century

It`s hard to believe, but a quarter-century has passed since the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O`Neal, kicked off their dominant three-peat. While it feels like just yesterday, the NBA has seen an incredible amount of action and legendary moments since then. To mark this significant 25-year milestone, we`ve compiled a list of the most iconic shots.

We proudly present the 25 most iconic shots from the last quarter-century of NBA basketball. While many of these are clutch game-winners, some earned their legendary status through sheer brilliance or unforgettable context. Our selection even includes two incredible dunks, but no free throws made the cut.

A crucial criterion for this list is that all shots must have occurred in the year 2000 or later. This means legendary moments from the likes of Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller`s `eight points in nine seconds,` Larry Johnson`s four-point play, Mario Elie`s `kiss of death,` and many other pre-millennium classics, though unforgettable, are not included here.

These classic shots will forever hold their place in basketball lore, but our focus remains on the past 25 years. My ranking methodology considers the stakes and the moment`s grandeur, but most importantly, how vividly the shot remains etched in the collective memory of fans. Shots that immediately come to mind rank higher, while those that elicit an `Oh, I forgot about that one` response are placed further down. It`s about enduring impact. Let`s dive in!

25. Dirk Stamps Out Heat (2011)

It`s a shame this shot isn`t more celebrated, as it epitomized one of the most remarkable championship runs of the century. In the 2011 Finals, Dallas faced a daunting 2-0 deficit against Miami`s “Big 3,” who had surged to a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 2. However, the Mavericks mounted an incredible 22-5 comeback, with Dirk Nowitzki personally scoring their final nine points, including a crucial game-winning lefty scoop with 3.6 seconds left. This pivotal shot propelled Dallas to win the series in six games.

24. Durant`s Game 3 Dagger (2017)

Kevin Durant`s pull-up transition three-pointer in Game 3 of the 2017 Finals, with the Warriors trailing by two and under a minute remaining, became instantly legendary, especially as it was scored over LeBron James. While some over-analyzed it as Durant `supplanting` James as the league`s best, it undeniably showcased Durant`s incredible talent. He was absolutely dominant throughout the series, averaging over 35 points per game on remarkable 56/47/93 shooting splits.

Durant also hit a similar Game 3 dagger in the 2018 Finals, but the context here was starkly different. In 2017, Cleveland was on the verge of taking the game and potentially making it a competitive 2-1 series. Durant extinguished those hopes. LeBron James appeared hesitant, fearing Durant`s drive, but leaving `KD` with open space for a three-pointer when a two would only tie the game proved fatal.

23. Luka Dances on Gobert`s Grave (2024)

This is the most recent NBA shot to make our list. In Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals, with the Mavericks trailing by two in the final seconds, Luka Doncic—already a master of memorable shots—got the switch he desired. He then went to work one-on-one against poor Rudy Gobert, who was stranded on an island with no hope of containing Doncic`s patented step-back.

After sinking the shot, Doncic famously exchanged some pointed words with Gobert, a player often less than admired by his NBA peers. This verbal exchange adds to the indelible memory of the shot. The bigger question, however, was why Gobert was even in the game. Minnesota coach Chris Finch later confirmed that the strategy was to switch all screens, making Doncic`s hunt for Gobert inevitable. Finch put his big man in an impossible situation, and Luka made them pay dearly.

22. LeBron Works His Magic (2009)

LeBron James delivered an electrifying performance in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic, averaging 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. Despite his heroics, Orlando eliminated the Cavaliers in six games. However, LeBron still carved out the series` signature moment and one of the most iconic shots of his early career: a buzzer-beating three-pointer to steal Game 2. The shot, coupled with his immediate reaction, remains vividly etched in our collective basketball memory.

21. Curry Puts Clippers in Blender (2015)

Stephen Curry revolutionized basketball in two key ways: his ability to shoot from virtually limitless distances and his unparalleled efficiency shooting off the dribble. He completely redefined what constitutes a `good shot.` Perhaps no moment better exemplifies this than when he effortlessly weaved through the Clippers` defense, treating them like traffic cones, before spinning and sinking what would be an utterly disastrous shot for anyone else in basketball history.

“I remember from the sideline him looking like Curly Neal from the Harlem Globetrotters,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr later remarked. “In my mind, I`m thinking about every coach that I`ve ever had in my life, their voice was in my head saying that`s a terrible shot. What I eventually figured out is that it`s a great shot, because it`s Steph Curry. The numbers don`t lie. That`s a shot he makes over 40% of the time. I finally realized, Steph gets to shoot whenever he wants.”

19. Chris Paul Finishes Spurs (2015)

Chris Paul has often been criticized for his struggles in closing out playoff series, notably being the only player in history to squander four 2-0 series leads. However, in 2015, he flipped the script. Paul`s Clippers overcame a 0-2 deficit to eliminate the defending champion Spurs, with Paul himself sinking the Game 7 winner with just one second remaining.

This shot is even more impressive when considering the incredibly difficult angle, as Paul narrowly cleared the outstretched fingertips of Tim Duncan. It cemented his place in Clippers` lore.

18. LeBron Becomes Scoring King (2023)

LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA`s all-time career scoring leader with a 15-foot fadeaway against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 7, 2023. While the shot itself wasn`t particularly spectacular, its historical significance made it unforgettable. For weeks prior, everyone was tracking his points; every media outlet had a countdown. He needed 36 points to break the record at home against OKC and finished the night with 38,390 career points, a total that has since climbed to 40,474.

17. Durant`s Toe on the Line (2021)

This is arguably one of the league`s greatest `what if` shots. Kevin Durant was literally an inch away from eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks with a phenomenal turnaround jumper, which appeared to give the Brooklyn Nets a one-point lead with one second left in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, upon review, Durant`s “big-ass foot,” as he famously called it, was barely on the three-point line, turning it into a two-pointer and tying the game instead.

Had Durant worn a size 17 shoe instead of a size 18, the Nets likely would have won that game and series, proceeding to face the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Finals. The ripple effects of that single inch are endless. Giannis Antetokounmpo might not have a ring. Chris Paul might. Or, Durant could have won his first championship outside of Stephen Curry and the Warriors, which would have also given James Harden and Kyrie Irving their first rings away from LeBron. In that scenario, perhaps Durant, Irving, and Harden would still be playing for the Nets, rather than for the Suns, Mavericks, and Clippers, respectively.

Alternatively, the Conference Finals could have unfolded differently, potentially sending the Hawks to the Finals, especially given the Nets` injury struggles (Harden left Game 1 after one minute and missed Games 2-4, while Irving missed Games 5-7 with a sprained ankle). How would Trae Young`s legacy be viewed with an NBA Finals appearance under his belt? Given the Hawks` postseason momentum, they might even have won it all if the Bucks hadn`t stopped them.

Alas, none of it happened. Instead of ending the series, Durant`s shot only forced Game 7 into overtime, where the Nets ultimately fell short. And the rest, as they say, is history.

16. Kobe`s Last Shot (2016)

The final jump shot of Kobe Bryant`s career is forever enshrined in NBA history. It punctuated an absolutely ridiculous sequence that capped perhaps the greatest exit performance in sports: a 60-point masterpiece against the Utah Jazz, who held a six-point lead with just 90 seconds remaining.

That`s when Kobe split two defenders, pulled up from the right elbow to cut the deficit to four. On the very next possession, he buried a wing three-pointer to trim Utah`s lead to one. Then he delivered the ultimate dagger.

Cliché as it sounds, Hollywood couldn`t have scripted a better ending. It embodied everything that made Kobe Kobe: the classic fadeaway, the relentless refusal to concede defeat, the steely gaze, the unwavering focus, and the pure showmanship. An entire team, arena, city, and the NBA world erupted around him, yet all he saw was the basket. It`s still hard to believe Kobe is gone, but this shot and his immense legacy live on.

15. Vince Carter`s Dunk of Death (2000)

A dunk so legendary it earned its own Wikipedia page, Vince Carter`s “Dunk of Death” over 7-foot-2 French center Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics stands as one of the most astonishing athletic feats ever witnessed. This is a moment that truly speaks for itself.

Seriously, it`s unbelievable. Weis was a legitimate 7-foot-2, and Carter`s head reached his hips. More importantly, he didn`t use his arm to push off Weis for extra height; even if he had, it would still be an incredible display of athleticism.

I`ve watched this dunk at least 100 times in my life, and I still can`t quite grasp it. In a league filled almost entirely with elite athletes, Vince Carter was, and always will be, in a class of his own.

15. LeBron`s Banked Buzzer-Beater (2018)

What LeBron James did to the Toronto Raptors after returning to Cleveland from Miami was a merciless display of dominance, eliminating them three straight years, with the final two being sweeps. The ultimate nail in their coffin was LeBron`s game-winner in Game 3 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He raced coast-to-coast for a floating banker that swished in just as time expired, giving Cleveland a 105-103 win and a commanding 3-0 series lead.

14. Derek Fisher 0.4 Seconds (2004)

This happened two decades ago, but time has done little to diminish the memory of Derek Fisher`s impossible shot. Catching an inbound pass with his back to the basket and only 0.4 seconds on the clock, he somehow managed to turn and launch a quick-release jumper cleanly through the net, stunning the Spurs in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Finals.

The minimum time required to catch and shoot is 0.3 seconds. Fisher had 0.4, and his back was turned. I vividly remember watching this shot live and nearly falling out of my seat. And I, along with millions of NBA fans, have never forgotten it.

13. Haliburton Stuns OKC in Finals (2025)

Tyrese Haliburton`s 2025 playoff run was truly legendary. The guy hit four shots to tie or win games inside the final three seconds – as many as Kobe Bryant made in his entire career. First, his dunk with 1.3 seconds left eliminated the Bucks in Game 5 of the first round. Then, he sank the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals with 1.1 seconds on the clock. Next, he stunned the Knicks with a game-tying buzzer-beater to send Game 1 to overtime (a shot we`ll discuss further at No. 9). And finally, we arrive at his Game 1 winner in the Finals.

After trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Pacers had clawed back to within one with under 20 seconds to play. With 14 seconds left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a midrange shot. Indiana`s Aaron Nesmith grabbed the rebound and passed it to Haliburton, who then delivered the dramatic winning shot.

When that shot went up, anyone who had been following the Pacers` improbable playoff run likely had one of two thoughts: “That`s definitely going in,” or “There`s absolutely no way this can happen again.” Indeed, it happened again. It`s a true shame that Haliburton ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7, as he and the Pacers were on an all-time magic carpet ride, fueled by comebacks and shots like this.

12. Curry`s Golden Dagger (2024)

Is this recency bias? I don`t think so. In fact, I believe that when all is said and done, this ridiculous, off-balance, falling-away, arching-to-the-heavens three-pointer—which capped a personal run of four threes in two minutes—will go down as the second-most memorable shot of Stephen Curry`s career, sealing a gold medal for the United States.

Context is crucial when ranking shots like these. With Curry`s first Olympic appearance and the immense hype surrounding his and LeBron`s teaming up, anticipation for this entire Olympic run was at an all-time high. Somehow, Curry, after a rocky start to the tournament, not only lived up to the hype but exceeded it. This shot was the ultimate exclamation point.

11. Kobe Sinks Suns (2006)

This shot belongs to the “Lakers aren`t very good, but Kobe is damn sure going to try to beat the world by himself” era. Bryant averaged 35 points per game in 2005-06, earning the first of two consecutive scoring titles, and he looked poised to eliminate the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

It was Game 4, with the Lakers up 2-1 in the series. After Kobe had tied the game with a twisting layup off a Smush Parker steal in the closing seconds of regulation, he then chased down a jump ball in overtime as it was heading out of bounds. With the Lakers down one, he turned, raced straight to the right elbow, and drained his patented pull-up jumper.

If you were watching this game, this was one of those shots you would have bet your life was going in the instant it left his fingertips. For me, perhaps because of his classic fist-pump reaction, this stands as the most memorable shot of Kobe`s career, and I don`t think I`m alone in that opinion.

10. Lillard Grounds Rockets (2014)

Damian Lillard has somewhat overshadowed this shot with another, more recent series-ender that we`ll discuss shortly. However, this is the shot that truly launched the legend of Lillard: a 30-footer off the catch that sent the Blazers into the second round with under a second to play in Game 6 of their 2014 first-round series against Houston.

Looking back, what stands out almost as much as the shot itself is how emphatically Lillard called for the ball, clapping his hands and sprinting toward the inbounder as he sensed the separation he`d created from the trailing Chandler Parsons. Keep in mind, this was Lillard`s first career playoff series and only his second year in the league, and he wanted this shot. This was the birth of one of the most clutch shooters we`ve ever seen.

9. Haliburton Chokes Out Knicks (2025)

This wasn`t a game-winner, but in the moment, everyone thought it was. Once again, the Pacers had pulled off the type of comeback fit only for fiction, erasing a 17-point deficit with just over six minutes to play. With under one minute remaining, they were still down by nine. That`s when Aaron Nesmith miraculously sank three three-pointers in just over 36 seconds. After OG Anunoby split a pair of free throws, extending New York`s lead to two with seven seconds left, Haliburton delivered his iconic shot.

Honestly, it`s hard to fully weigh these Haliburton heroics without acknowledging the possibility of recency bias. I can only say that at the time, it felt like I was witnessing truly iconic stuff. Perhaps the memory of even the Finals game-winner, if only because of Haliburton`s injury overshadowing everything that followed, will fade slightly over time. But if I had to bet, this shot against New York will be the one to stand the test of time.

Firstly, it was against the Knicks, in Madison Square Garden. Secondly, Haliburton gave the famous `choke` sign to the New York crowd, echoing Reggie Miller`s legendary moment in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals, when Miller scored eight points in nine seconds before flashing the hands-around-the-throat gesture at Spike Lee.

That Miller moment was so legendary that for Haliburton to pull off something arguably even crazier (with significant help from Nesmith) in the same building, playing for the same Indiana team, while giving the same iconic choke sign, all with Reggie Miller on the broadcast call, is so ridiculous. If you suggested that ending for a sports-movie script in a Hollywood writers` room—complete with the ball dramatically caroming about 10 feet in the air for a dramatic pause before dropping through—they would tell you it`s too far-fetched for the movies.

But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction, and in this case, that was certainly true. Initially, I thought the fact that this was eventually ruled a two-pointer instead of a three, thus only tying the game rather than winning it for the Pacers, would diminish its iconic status. But looking back, I think it added even more drama that after all that, everyone in the building—players, coaches, and fans—and everyone around the world watching on TV, had to somehow regroup in a matter of minutes for overtime, where the Pacers miraculously managed to keep their emotions in check enough to seal the deal.

8. Kobe`s Lob to Shaq (2000)

Most of you remember it. For those who don`t, it was Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. The Lakers, who had entered the fourth quarter trailing the Blazers by 15 points, had stormed all the way back to take a four-point lead with less than a minute to play.

If the Blazers could have gotten a stop, they still would have been within two possessions with enough time to play out the clock. But as the clock ticked down to 41 seconds, 21-year-old Kobe Bryant absolutely lost one of the greatest defenders in history, crossing over Scottie Pippen to penetrate the lane and force Brian Grant to step up as a helper. That left Shaquille O`Neal free to fly in for a perfect lob pass from Bryant, finishing one of the most iconic alley-oops in NBA history.

After completing that incredible comeback, the Lakers went on to win the first of three straight championships, defeating Reggie Miller and the Pacers in six games a few weeks later.

7. Curry Pulls Up on OKC (2016)

It wasn`t in the Olympics, nor was it in the playoffs, but Steph Curry`s 38-foot pull-up winner against OKC in February 2016 was an all-time shot and moment. Personally, I have never reacted to a shot as wildly as I did this one. Mike Breen`s double-bang commentary says it all. Nobody could believe what they just saw.

Curry was on another planet this entire season. Every game, he was making multiple shots that defied logic, and he was doing it routinely. He had 46 points in this game against the Thunder. The Warriors were down by 11 with under five minutes to play.

But that season, when Curry hit 402 three-pointers at a laughable 45% clip, you could be up by 30 on the Warriors and still be worried. Curry just kept firing. And eventually, he almost always got hot. He was can`t-miss TV for the simple fact that he would, on a random night in February, casually pull up from nearly half court in a tied game, in overtime, when his team still had a timeout in its pocket.

Forget the talent. The sheer audacity of this shot is worthy of a top-10 ranking on this list. Curry will likely never make a more memorable one.

6. Robert Horry Guts Kings (2002)

These early 2000s Lakers-Kings playoff series were absolute classics, and in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, it looked like Sacramento was finally going to get over the hump with a 2-1 series lead and a two-point lead in the closing seconds of Game 4.

Kobe missed a potential game-tying layup. Shaq missed the putback. That`s when Vlade Divac swatted the ball away from the basket, hoping time would expire. Instead, it served as a perfectly chest-high kickout pass to the waiting Robert Horry, who absolutely gutted the Kings with this unforgettable buzzer-beater.

After the game, Divac called this a `lucky shot.`

“That wasn`t no luck shot,” Horry famously responded. “I`ve been doing that all my entire career. He should know. He better read a paper or something.”

Horry was right. You don`t get the name Big Shot Bob for nothing. The man has made more big shots than just about any player in history, and none were bigger than this.

5. Dame Waves Goodbye (2019)

Under any circumstances, watching Lillard bleed down the clock to its final ticks before pulling up for a sidestep 38-foot buzzer-beater to win a playoff series would have been epic. But it was the simmering bad blood between Lillard and the Thunder—he and Russell Westbrook had been jabbing in the media for years, and Dennis Schroder had mocked Lillard`s `Dame Time` wrist tap earlier in the series—that elevated it to another level.

Forget Steph`s `night-night,` Kobe`s fist pump, or even Jordan`s hanging follow-through in Utah; Lillard literally waving goodbye to the Thunder bench was the most savage sendoff in NBA history.

4. Kawhi Bounces 76ers (2019)

I swear this ball is still sitting on the rim half a decade later. So many careers and franchise fortunes hung in the balance. If it had fallen out, perhaps the 76ers would have won in overtime, and Joel Embiid would at least have a Conference Finals appearance on his resume, if not more, considering the Warriors were hobbled. Maybe the Ben Simmons situation would have unfolded differently. Maybe Jimmy Butler would have stayed.

Instead, the ball fell through the net, and everything changed. The Sixers began to break up. The Raptors went on to win the first and only championship in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard became the most sought-after commodity on the market and even managed to break up the Thunder on his way to the Clippers by bringing Paul George with him.

The shot. The reaction. The future fortunes and fallout. This shot had it all: a Game 7 buzzer-beater unlike anything we`ve ever seen.

3. Allen Iverson`s Step Over (2001)

It wasn`t a series-winner or even a game-winner, but who could ever forget Allen Iverson hitting the brakes on Ty Lue, stepping back and swishing a corner jumper, and then famously stepping over Lue as he sat helplessly on the ground in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals?

Iverson, who was an absolute one-man offense for these 76ers, scored 48 points over 52 minutes in this overtime victory for Philadelphia. The Lakers went on to win the next four games and take the series handily, but it`s the iconic image of the step-over that has truly endured.

In Everything But The Chip: The 2001 76ers, Iverson recalled the step-over move: “I can`t tell you what the feeling was like. I can`t duplicate it. I was in the moment. I just know [Lue] fell in front of me; I don`t know how I even thought about stepping over him like that. I was just playing basketball.”

Lue, for his part, has never understood the big deal about the move.

“People make a big deal over it like he crossed me over and I fell down and then he stepped over me,” Lue said on an appearance on All the Smoke. “He hit a contested shot and I stepped back and I fell, he stepped over top of me. For me, it wasn`t a big deal. To this day it`s not a big deal.”

Lue is right. He actually defended that step-back about as well as anyone could have, getting a hand up on the shot and only stumbling afterward. It`s not as if Iverson broke his ankles with the actual move. Still, it`s a sequence of events that time has done nothing to fade. Iverson stepping over Lue is as clear an image now as it was more than two decades ago.

2. Ray Allen Rescues the Heat (2013)

This was a legacy-altering shot, but it wasn`t Allen`s legacy on the line; it was LeBron James`, after he famously changed the NBA landscape by forming the “Big 3” in Miami. If Allen hadn`t hit this shot in the closing seconds of Game 6, LeBron would have lost his second Finals in three years in Miami and would stand at 3-7 in the Finals for his career, which somehow sounds far worse than 4-6.

But Allen changed history by first instinctively knowing exactly how far to backpedal to the corner off a Chris Bosh offensive rebound, and second by actually drilling the shot to tie the game. The Heat went on to win in overtime, and two days later, they closed out the series in Game 7.

1. Kyrie Irving Puts the Cavs Ahead in Game 7 (2016)

This is a painful memory for the Northern California kid and longtime Warriors fan in me, but I have to admit, my nostalgic allegiances notwithstanding, I kind of smiled when this shot went in. It was all I could muster, but I had to tip my hat to Kyrie and the Cavs. To be down 3-1 against a 73-win team and come back to win the championship on a shot like this? Wow.

That`s the shot every kid dreams up in the driveway. Game 7. Tie score. One on one against the MVP. All the weight of a championship drought in Cleveland that had lasted well over half a century resting on your shoulders, and you rise up and stick that kind of dagger? Say what you want about Kyrie, but this was, is, and forever will be one of the NBA`s most legendary shots.