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basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after the clock expires and the buzzer sounds hence the name "buzzer beater". The concept normally applies to baskets that beat an end-of-quarter/half/overtime buzzer but is sometimes applied to shots that beat the shot clock buzzer. Officials in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
,
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
,
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
,
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
(Italy), and the Euroleague ( Final Four series only, effective 2006) are required to use
instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live. The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...
to assess whether a shot made at the end of a period was in fact released before the game clock expired. Since 2002, the NBA also has mandated LED light strips along the edges of the backboard and the edge of the scorer's table for the purposes of identifying the end of a period.


Notable buzzer beaters

Although buzzer beaters are fairly common, several instances have been recognized as special occasions:


NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

*Dubbed "The Dunk", in the 1983 NCAA Championship Finals, NC State forward Lorenzo Charles caught Derek Whittenburg's airball and dunked it as time expired to defeat Houston 54–52. In the most improbable match-ups, NC State won its last 10 games of the season, including ACC Tournament Championship to become eligible for the NCAA Tournament. NC State also had the most regular season losses (10) of any previous NCAA Champion. *In the 1992 East Regional Finals, with 2.1 seconds left and down 103–102 in overtime, Duke forward
Christian Laettner Christian Donald Laettner (, ; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hi ...
caught a full court inbounds pass from Grant Hill, turned and hit a 17-footer (5 m) at the buzzer to give the
Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
a 104–103 victory over the
Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
. The lead changed hands five times in the last 31.5 seconds of overtime. *In the 1992 NCAA Tournament, the
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wrec ...
' legendary coach
Bobby Cremins Robert Joseph Cremins Jr. (born July 4, 1947) is an American retired college basketball coach. He served as a head coach at Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, and, most recently, the College of Charleston. Early years Cremins attended All Hallows H ...
led an inexperienced Tech team to the Sweet 16, thanks in no small part to James Forrest's buzzer-beating game-winning 3-pointer in the second round against USC (to which CBS commentator
Al McGuire Alfred James McGuire (September 7, 1928 – January 26, 2001) was an American college basketball coach and broadcaster, the head coach at Marquette University from 1964 to 1977. He won a national championship in his final season at Marquette, a ...
famously shouted, "Holy mackerel! Holy mackerel! Holy mackerel!"). With eight tenths of a second left, Forrest received a half-court inbounds pass, rotated 180 degrees and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the win. *On January 5, 2004, the
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
' forward P. J. Tucker hit a buzzer beater in a game against Providence College to win 79–77 in OT. After extensive looks at instant replay, it was clear that the ball was in his hand when the game clock hit 00.0, but out before the red backboard light came on; by rule, the game ends when the backboard lights up, so the basket counted and Texas won the game. *On January 31, 2005, Guilford College was tied at 88 with Randolph-Macon College. Randolph-Macon was shooting 2 free throws with 6 tenths of a second left. After making the first to take an 89–88 lead, the second shot missed. Guilford player Jordan Snipes grabbed the rebound under the basket and threw the ball towards the other goal. The shot went in, giving Guilford a 91–89 victory. Snipes duplicated the feat several days later on air with the local news network WFMY-TV in
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
. *In the 2006 NCAA Tournament First Round, #14 seed Northwestern State (LA) stunned the #3 seed Iowa Hawkeyes 64–63 with a last-second three-pointer "off the heels" in the far corner by Jermaine Wallace. Northwestern State had come back from 17 points down with 8 minutes to play. *In a 2010 NCAA regular season game against Georgia Tech, the
Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...
, in essence, made two buzzer beaters (with only the second one counting). First, with 3 seconds on the clock, Greivis Vasquez made a half-court shot on the run to beat what would have been the buzzer. However, Maryland coach Keith Booth had called timeout with 1.5 seconds left, before Vasquez had released the ball. Following the timeout on the ensuing inbounds pass, the Terps got the ball to Cliff Tucker, who made a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game 76–74.Ranking Tucker's clutch 3-pointer
*On February 7, 2013, in an NCAA regular season game, Tyler Griffey made an uncontested buzzer-beating layup off an inbounds pass with 9 tenths of a second left to lead the
Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...
to a 74–72 upset home win over #1 ranked
Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...
. *On March 18, 2016, during the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament, Paul Jesperson of Northern Iowa made a buzzer beater from half court to win the game for the 11th seeded
Panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...
75–72, and upset the 6th seeded
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
. *On March 20, 2016, during the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament, with 2.6 seconds left and the game tied at 63, Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig made a 3-point buzzer beater after receiving an inbound pass from Ethan Happ. This resulted in the 7th seeded
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
upsetting the 2nd seeded Xavier. *On April 4, 2016, Villanova's Kris Jenkins hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
to win the 2016 NCAA tournament, 77–74. *On April 3, 2021, Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
to win the NCAA Tournament Final Four, 93–90. Gonzaga would go on to the championship, but lost to Baylor 86–70.


NBA

* : ** On March 15, 1998,
Voshon Lenard Voshon Kelan Lenard (born May 14, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was listed as 6' 4" (1.93 m) and 215 lbs, and was born in Detroit, Michigan. ...
hit a buzzer beater to give his
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
a 79–76 victory over the Orlando Magic. The goal was initially disallowed, but following video review, it was allowed after it was determined that the ball was out of Lenard's hands before the Orlando Arena game clock struck 00:0. * : ** On January 3, 2007,
Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...
scored a 32-foot buzzer-beater to lead the
Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
to win the game against the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
108–105. ** On January 15, 2007, Gilbert Arenas' game-winning 3-point shot led the Washington Wizards to a 114–111 victory against the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
. * ** On December 2, 2008,
Troy Murphy Troy Brandon Murphy (born May 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township. He at ...
tipped in a buzzer-beating shot to lift the Indiana Pacers over the Los Angeles Lakers 118–117. ** On January 23, 2009,
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
scored a buzzer beater to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 106–105 victory against the Golden State Warriors. * : ** On December 4, 2009, Kobe Bryant's game-winning three-pointer over Dwyane Wade gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 108–107 victory against the
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
. ** On January 14, 2010, rookie Sundiata Gaines hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end a frenzied series of comebacks and give the Utah Jazz a 97-96 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. ** On March 25, 2010, Josh Smith swooped in to slam through Joe Johnson's missed shot just ahead of the buzzer and the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
finally beat the Orlando Magic, clinching a third straight trip to the playoffs with an 86-84 victory. * : ** On December 21, 2010, Mike Dunleavy's tip-in at the buzzer gave the Indiana Pacers a 94-93 victory over the
New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
. ** On December 29, 2010,
Tyreke Evans Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Indios de Mayagüez of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). After playing college basketball for the Memphis Tigers, he was selected with the f ...
made a 3-pointer from midcourt as time expired, lifting the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
to a 100-98 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
on Wednesday night. * – On December 29, 2011,
Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
of the
Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
led the team to a 104–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, thanks to his game-winning dagger three-pointer. * : ** On November 9, 2013, Jeff Green hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Boston Celtics to a 111-110 victory over the Miami Heat. ** On November 15, 2013, Joe Johnson stole a pass and dropped in a short jumper as time expired in overtime, giving the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...
a 100-98 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. ** On February 7, 2014,
Tobias Harris Tobias John Harris (born July 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before declar ...
scored a game-winning dunk as the buzzer sounded as Orlando Magic won 104–103 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. ** On February 24, 2014,
Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gre ...
's 19-foot jumper bounced up and then fell in as time expired, giving the Dallas Mavericks a 110-108 victory over the New York Knicks. * : ** On November 14, 2014, Courtney Lee scored on a lob pass as time expired to cap a furious fourth-quarter rally, and the Memphis Grizzlies came from 26 points down to beat the Sacramento Kings 111-110 on Thursday night. ** On January 23, 2015, James Harden creates space and knocks down the game winning jumper as time expires to lead the Houston Rockets to a 113-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns. ** On February 6, 2015, Anthony Davis led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 116–113 win vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. * – On March 23, 2016,
Emmanuel Mudiay Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese-American professional basketball player for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he ...
made a 35-footer at the buzzer to finish with 27 points and give the Denver Nuggets a 104-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. * : ** On January 4, 2017, Giannis Antetokounmpo made a turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 105-104 victory over the New York Knicks. ** On March 5, 2017, then- Phoenix Suns rookie Tyler Ulis made the 3-point shot at the buzzer to upset the Boston Celtics and win the game for the Suns 109–106. ** On April 9, 2017,
Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...
led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106–105 win against the Denver Nuggets with his 42nd career triple-double and a buzzer beater. * : ** On October 23, 2017,
Andrew Wiggins Andrew Christian Wiggins (born February 23, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first ov ...
made a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded to lead the
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
to a 115–113 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. ** On December 26, 2017,
Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...
dunked
Dragan Bender Dragan Bender (born 17 November 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB. He stands and plays the power forward and center positions. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth ...
's inbounds pass from the opposite sideline with 0.4 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix Suns a 99-97 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. ** On February 7, 2018, LeBron James scored another game winner at the buzzer in overtime to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 140–138 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. * : ** On December 23, 2018,
Luka Dončić Luka Dončić ( ; ; born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Slovenian national team. Born in Ljubljana, Dončić shone ...
of the Dallas Mavericks scored a game-tying buzzer beater to tie the
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
107–all and force an overtime. ** On February 7, 2019,
Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...
's game winning shot stuns his former team, the Boston Celtics, and wins it for the Los Angeles Lakers to win the game 129–128. ** On February 27, 2019, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat scored a three-point shot with no time left to defeat the Golden State Warriors 126–125. ** On March 24, 2019,
Jeremy Lamb Jeremy Emmanuel Lamb (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a freshman, he was the second-leading scorer on the 2011 national cha ...
hit the half-court shot to stun the
Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...
-led
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
and win the game for the Charlotte Hornets 115–114. * : ** On December 23, 2020,
Buddy Hield Chavano Rainer "Buddy" Hield (born December 17, 1992) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 201 ...
pushed the ball to lead the
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
to a 124–122 win against the Denver Nuggets. ** On March 27, 2021,
Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sele ...
of the Sacramento Kings scored a 3-pointer as the time expired to win the game 100–97 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. ** On April 14, 2021, Luka Dončić scored another regular season buzzer-beater to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 114–113 victory against the
Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
. ** On May 3, 2021, Ben Simmons saved
Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who also holds French and American citizenship. After one year of college basketb ...
's attempt at a 3-point shot to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 113–111 victory against the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
in overtime. * : ** On October 27, 2021, Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings scores the 3-pointer to 110-107 comeback victory against Phoenix Suns. ** On November 6, 2021, Luka Dončić scored a 3-point buzzer-beater to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 107-104 victory against the Boston Celtics, making him to beat the buzzers twice in six months and two regular seasons. ** On December 15, 2021, Devonte' Graham scored the improbable 61–foot buzzer-beater, lifting New Orleans Pelicans to a 113-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. ** On December 31, 2021, DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls scores the one-legged buzzer beater to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 108-106 victory over Indiana Pacers. The following night, he scored another buzzer-beater to beat the Washington Wizards 120-119, making him the first man to beat the buzzers twice in two days. ** On January 21, 2022, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors scored a buzzer beater against the Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. to allow the Warriors to win 105-103. ** On February 16, 2022, Stephen Curry's clutch shot gave the Golden State Warriors a 115–114 against the Denver Nuggets. A free throw from the Warriors followed and then
Monte Morris Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...
scored a game-winning 3-pointer, and the Nuggets won 117–116. * : ** On November 5, 2022, De'Aaron Fox of Sacramento Kings scored the insane buzzer beater from the logo by beating the Orlando Magic 126–123, in overtime.


Playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

* In Game 1 of the 1950 NBA Finals, Bob Harrison hit a 40-foot (12 m) buzzer-beater to win the game for the Lakers, 68–66. * In Game 3 of the 1962 NBA Finals,
Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...
steals the ball and makes a layup as the time expired to give the lakers a 2-1 lead over the Celtics. * In Game 4 of the 1969 NBA Finals, Sam Jones hit an off-balance 18-footer (5.5 m) as time expired to lift the Celtics to a series-tying 89–88 win over the Lakers. * In Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals, with the Lakers trailing the Knicks 102–100.
Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...
sank a desperation buzzer-beating 60-foot (18 m) shot to tie the game. Since the
three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
was not adopted until the
1979–80 NBA season The 1979–80 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, and is notable for being ...
, it only tied the game. The Lakers lost 111–108 in OT. * In Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, Gar Heard hit a buzzer beater against the Boston Celtics to tie the game at 112 and force a third overtime. This was one of the many high points of the game, which the Celtics won, 128–126. Heard's shot is one of the many reasons the NBA refers to Game 5 as "The Greatest Game Ever Played". * In Game 1 of the 1986 Eastern Conference First Round, Dudley Bradley banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game 95–94 for the Bullets after the 76ers led 94–77 with 3 minutes left. * In Game 3 of the 1986 Western Conference Semifinals,
Derek Harper Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A second-team All-American at the University of Illinois, he was the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guar ...
hit a long 3 with 3 seconds left to beat the Lakers, 110–108. * In Game 5 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals, the Rockets and Lakers were tied at 112 with 1 second left and the ball at half-court.
Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
hit a turn-around shot at the buzzer to win the series for Houston. * In Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round, Michael Jordan took the inbounds pass with 3 seconds left, sprinted to the free throw line and hit '' The Shot'' over
Craig Ehlo Joel Craig Ehlo (; born August 11, 1961) is a retired American basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assists and 3,139 rebounds. ...
at the buzzer to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101–100. * In Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference First Round, with Charlotte down 103–102 with 3.3 seconds left, Alonzo Mourning took the inbounds pass and hit a 20-footer (6 m) with 4 tenths left. * In Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, "The Shot II". With the score tied at 101, Michael Jordan made an 18-foot fade-away over Gerald Wilkins at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 103–101 victory and sweep Cleveland. * In Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals with 1.8 seconds left and the Bulls down 2–0 in the series,
Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč, nicknamed ''“The Waiter”'' (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian-American former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful perio ...
sank a 23-ft (7 m) fadeaway at the buzzer to give Chicago a 104–102 victory over New York. * In Game 5 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals,
Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA teams from 1 ...
hit a 3 with 5 tenths of a second left in OT to give the Lakers a 98–96 win over the Spurs. He had also hit a 3 with 10.2 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 88 and force overtime. * In Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals,
Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds to erase a 6-point deficit and beat New York, 107–105. * In Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana's
Rik Smits Rik Smits (born 23 August 1966), nicknamed "the Dunking Dutchman" is a Dutch former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The center was drafted by the ...
faked a shot over Tree Rollins, then hit a 10-footer (3 m) at the buzzer to beat Orlando 94–93. The lead changed hands four times in the last 13.3 seconds. * In Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals, Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon tipped in a missed layup by Clyde Drexler with 3 tenths of a second left in OT to beat the Magic 120–118. * In Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference First Round, the Suns' Rex Chapman caught an overthrown
Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards a ...
pass and made a falling-out-of-bounds 3 with 1.9 seconds left to tie it at 107. The Suns still lost 122–115 in OT. * In Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals, Houston's Eddie Johnson hit a buzzer-beating 3 to beat Utah 95–92. * In Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals,
John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...
hit a 3 at the buzzer, lifting Utah over Houston 103–100 to win the series 4–2. * In Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan hit a jumper over Bryon Russell at the buzzer to give Chicago an 84–82 victory. * In Game 4 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana was trailing Chicago 94–93 with 2.9 seconds left. Derrick McKey inbounded to
Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) ca ...
, who hit the game-winning 3 with 7 tenths left. They still lost the Series. The Bulls went on to win the NBA Championship against the
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
. * In Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals, the Lakers were trailing the Kings 99–97 with 11.8 seconds left. The Lakers were trailing 2–1 in the series and faced Game 5 in Sacramento. After Kobe Bryant and Shaq missed consecutive layups, Vlade Divac swatted the ball away in a vain attempt to run out the clock. However, it went right to Robert Horry, who caught the ball and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 100–99 victory. * In Game 1 of the 2003 Western Conference First Round, Stephon Marbury of the Phoenix Suns scored a buzzer beater and had a 96-95 victory against the San Antonio Spurs. * In Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals, Tim Duncan made a fade-away 18-footer (5.5 m) over Shaquille O'Neal to give the Spurs a 73–72 lead with 4 tenths of a second left, but Derek Fisher hit a 20-footer (6 m) at the buzzer to win the game for the Lakers 74–73. * In Game 5 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals, with the series tied at 2, the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
were down 88–85 to the Nets with no timeouts.
Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...
banked in a 3 from half-court at the buzzer to tie the game at 88. Detroit lost in 3OT, but won the series in 7 and proceeded to defeat the Lakers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. * In Game 4 of the 2006 Western Conference First Round, Kobe Bryant made a buzzer beater to defeat Phoenix 99–98 and give the Lakers a 3–1 series lead. The Phoenix Suns, however, won the series in seven games and are the 8th team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit. * In Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals,
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
took the inbounds pass and hit a 3 at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 96–95 victory over the Orlando Magic. This buzzer beater caused the Cavs to tie the series against the Orlando Magic. * In Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals, after Kobe Bryant air-balled a 3,
Ron Artest Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
hit the put-back at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 103–101 win over the Phoenix Suns to give the Lakers a 3–2 series lead. The Lakers won the series 4–2 and went on to win their 2nd straight title. * In Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, with the Heat down 102–101 in overtime against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James made a driving lay-up as time expired in OT to give the Heat a 103–102 win over the Pacers. * In Game 3 of the 2014 Western Conference First Round,
Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...
hit a 3 from the left corner at the buzzer, giving the Mavericks a 109–108 victory and a 2–1 series lead over the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
. However, Dallas would lose in 7 games to the eventual NBA champion Spurs. * In Game 6 of the 2014 Western Conference First Round, with the
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
down 98–96 with 9 tenths left,
Damian Lillard Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earned ...
hit a buzzer beating 3 off the inbounds pass to beat the Houston Rockets 99–98 and win the series 4–2. * In Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Derrick Rose banked in a 3 at the buzzer to give the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
a 99–96 win against the Cavaliers and take a 2–1 series lead. * In Game 4 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, LeBron James hit a corner 2 at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers an 86–84 win against the Bulls and tie the series at two, while Cavaliers coach David Blatt was being held back from trying to call a timeout. Cleveland had none at the time, and the technical foul would have given Chicago a free throw and possession. * In Game 3 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals,
Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...
banked in a step-back 21-footer (6.5 m) at the buzzer to give the
Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
a 103–101 win against the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
and take a 2–1 series lead. * In Game 1 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals,
Kyle Lowry Kyle Terrell Lowry (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been a six-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016. Lowry ...
of the
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie it at 90. Toronto eventually lost to the Heat 102–96 in OT. * In Game 5 of the 2018 Eastern Conference First Round, LeBron James hit a game winner at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 98–95 win against the Pacers and take a 3–2 series lead. * In Game 3 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals, LeBron James hit a floater at the buzzer to defeat the Raptors 105–103 and take a 3–0 series lead. * In Game 5 of the 2019 Western Conference First Round, Damian Lillard hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer from 36 feet and Paul George's outstretched arm to beat the Thunder 118–115 and win the series 4–1. * In Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals,
Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...
's last-second shot bounced off the rim four times before falling to give the Raptors a 92–90 victory over the 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. * In Game 4 of the 2020 Western Conference First Round, Luka Doncic hit a 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for the Mavericks, 135–133. * In Game 3 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinals, OG Anunoby hit a corner 3-pointer with 5 tenths of a second to give the Raptors the win over the Celtics, 104–103. * In Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals, with the Lakers trailing 103–102, Anthony Davis hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to win the game, 105–103, and give the Lakers a 2–0 series lead. * In Game 2 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, with the Suns trailing 103–102, Deandre Ayton puts up 24 points, alongside a buzzer-beating, game-winning alley-oop dunk, and 14 rebounds, to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. * In Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference First Round, the Boston Celtics defeated the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...
115–114 with
Jayson Tatum Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr. (; born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A McDonald's All-American in high school in Missouri, he played college baske ...
's buzzer-beating layup.


WNBA

*On September 4, 1999, during Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals, Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty made a buzzer beater from just beyond the half-court line to beat the Houston Comets 68–67, and tie the series at one game apiece. The Comets eventually won the series, two games to one.


Olympics and Europe

*In the 1972 Olympic Finals, Alexander Belov of the Soviet Union scored a last-second basket after catching a full-court desperation launch by a teammate. As time expired, Belov hit a layup that won the game 51–50 against the U.S. team. *In the second round of the
1997 Eurobasket The 1997 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1997, was the 30th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, giving a be ...
, in a high-strung game between
FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yug ...
and
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
(the first one after the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia and the ensuing
Yugoslav wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...
),
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serve ...
won the game for Yugoslavia 64–62 with a coast-to-coast three-pointer. The same player won the 1992 Euroleague title for
Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...
in strikingly similar fashion (albeit with 2 seconds left on the clock). *(Euroleague) On April 7, 2004,
Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
was trailing Žalgiris at home, on the decisive round-robin match to determine which team advances to the Final Four tournament, held later that month on Maccabi's home court in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
. Maccabi's failure to advance would mean utter disaster, as team officials battled all season long against Euroleague attempts to relocate the tournament due to ensuing
Al-Aqsa Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...
and similar
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
ban on
football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
matches hosted in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. With 2 seconds remaining and Maccabi trailing by 3, Derrick Sharp caught a long pass from Gur Shelef, turned to the basket and fired a game-tying fade-away three-pointer, forcing overtime. Maccabi won that game, advanced to the Final Four and became
Euroleague Champion The rosters of each season's champions and finalists of the top-tier level European-wide professional basketball competition in Europe, the EuroLeague. From 1958, through the present. 1958 FIBA European Champions Cup Winner: Rīgas ASK (USS ...
, winning the final game against Skipper Bologna by the all-time record score of 118–74. * On August 15, 2004, in the first game of the Olympic Games, after a run of Alejandro Montecchia,
Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David Ginóbili Maccari (, , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Over a 23-year professional career, he became one of only two players (along with Bill Bradley) to have won a EuroLeague title, an ...
received the ball trailing 82–81 against Serbia and Montenegro with 7 tenths of a second left. He made the shot while falling sideways after it hit the board. Argentina then would win the gold medal. * In an exhibition match between the US and Germany during the run-up to the 2004 Olympics, a less than stellar Team USA was saved by Allen Iverson (then of the Philadelphia 76ers), who hit a half-court shot to keep the game from going into overtime. * On April 25, 2010, in the title game of the 2009–10 ABA League,
Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...
topped
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...
in overtime in
Arena Zagreb The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used fo ...
, thanks to an off-the-glass three-pointer by Dušan Kecman from half-court at the buzzer, bringing the celebration of Cibona players and staff (who already invaded the floor as
Bojan Bogdanović Bojan Bogdanović (; born 18 April 1989) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. Standing at , he plays t ...
hit a corner three-pointer for Cibona with just 6 tenths left on the clock) to an abrupt end. Partizan thus won its fourth consecutive Adriatic League title. The final score was 75–74. * On January 24, 2014, in a Top 16 Euroleague game between Anadolu Efes and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Efes was trailing by two points when Keith Langford from Milan had another free throw attempt (after hitting the first one) with three seconds left on the game clock. He then probably missed the second free throw on purpose so that Anadolu Efes cannot take another timeout. Zoran Planinić from Anadolu Efes then grabbed the rebound, took one dribble and threw the ball from within their own three point line to the basket of Milan. He made it and no time remained on the game clock; the final score was 61–60. * On April 25, 2014, in the semifinal game of the 2013–14 ABA League Final Four, between
Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...
and Cedevita Zagreb, Cedevita was trailing with 1 point and possession less.
Milenko Tepić Milenko Tepić ( sr, Миленко Тепић; born February 27, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player. He is 2.02 m (6 ft 7.5 in) tall, and a combo guard-point forward. Professional career Tepić began his ...
of Partizan missed the three-point shot with 6 seconds left, Nolan Smith of Cedevita grabbed the ball, ran to the other side of the court with his defenders not guarding him, and hit a running three-point buzzer beater from 30 feet (9 m). The final score was 81–79. The significance of that shot is even more than just a victory, if it is known that it secured a direct spot in the 2014–15 Euroleague season for Cedevita, while leaving Partizan out of the Euroleague for the first time after 14 years, and the first time since ULEB takeover of the competition in 2000. * On September 16, 2018,
Greece national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team ( el, Eθνική Oμάδα Καλαθοσφαίρισης Ελλάδος) represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for ...
qualified to the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup after a thrilling win with a buzzer beater made by Kostas Papanikolaou after a
Nick Calathes Nicholas William Calathes (Greek: Νικόλαος Γουίλιαμ "Νικ" Καλάθης, born February 7, 1989) is a Greek-American professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the Eu ...
assist in Tbilisi over
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
86–85.


Asia


PBA

* In Game 6 of the
2016 PBA Governors' Cup Finals The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup Finals was the best-of-7 championship series of the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Meralco Bolts comp ...
,
Justin Brownlee Justin Donta Brownlee (born April 23, 1988) is an American-born Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). College career Brownlee played college basketball at St ...
hits the championship-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer against the Meralco Bolts to end the 8-year championship drought of
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers ...
, with the score of 91–88 at the end. This is the first-ever championship-winning buzzer beater in professional basketball. * In Game 5 of the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, Mark Barroca gave the
Magnolia Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...
a 3–2 Finals lead against the eventual champions San Miguel Beermen, the final score is 88–86.


MPBL The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines. History Manny Pacquiao launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League on August 29, 2017, starting off as a semi-professional lea ...

* In the winner-take-all championship game of the
2021 MPBL Invitational The 2021 MPBL Invitational, officially known as the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Invitational powered by TM for sponsorship reasons, was an invitational tournament that serves as the prelude to the 2022–23 MPBL season. It commenced on December 11, 2021 and ...
, Philip Manalang of the Basilan Jumbo Plastic, hits the championship-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer against the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards to win the 2 million peso prize with the score of 83–80 in overtime.


In other sports

The term is sometimes applied to analogous achievements in other sports.


Ice hockey

In
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
, a buzzer beater is a goal that is scored just before the clock expires in a period. Unlike in basketball, the puck must completely cross the goal line with 0.1 seconds or more remaining on the clock in order for the goal to count; if the period expires (the exact moment when the green goal light comes on at 0.0 seconds) before the puck completely crosses the goal line, the goal is disallowed.


Football

In Australian rules football there are kicks after the siren, where a mark or free kick awarded just before the end of a quarter may be kicked as the final action of that period. In Gaelic football play is extended to allow for the kick of a free kick or puck awarded prior to the end of a half. In gridiron football, a
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
after time expires or a field goal (or, much more rarely, a successful
fair catch kick The fair catch kick is a rule at the professional and high school levels of American football that allows a team that has just made a fair catch to attempt a free kick from the spot of the catch. The kick must be either a place kick or a drop kic ...
in American football or an open-field single point in Canadian) kicked as time expires can be described as a "buzzer beater," though no actual buzzers are used in that sport. More generally, in all codes, if a play (whether or not involving a kick) is in progress at the time the clock expires, play continues until the ball is dead. (In
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
, the snap on the buzzer-beating play must take place before the clock expired, except if the defense commits a foul on the last play, in which case an untimed down is added. In
Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...
, a play can and must be executed even if the clock expires after the previous play but before the snap.) Several important games have been decided on the outcome of buzzer beaters, such as
Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
and Super Bowl XXXVIII, both of which were decided on successful kicks by
Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...
; in contrast,
Scott Norwood Scott Allan Norwood (born July 17, 1960) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also played for the Birmingham Stallions in the United States Footb ...
's infamous missed kick in
Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
decided that game in favor of the opposing New York Giants. A related concept in football is the Hail Mary pass. In
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
the game does not end until the ball goes dead after time has expired – therefore if a side trailing by less than one score can maintain possession and keep the ball in play they have a chance of victory. A rule change in 2017"2017 Rugby Law Changes"
"Sport24", 31/01/2017 amended the rules so that if a penalty is awarded the ball can be kicked out and a line-out taken, even if time has elapsed. The rules in
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
also allow for play after time has elapsed; however, a tackle will also end the game, meaning that significant extensions are less likely.


Lacrosse

Starting with the 2018 season, the
National Federation of State High School Associations The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. NFHS's headquarters are located in White River State Park in Ind ...
rules for high school boys'
field lacrosse Field lacrosse is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867. ...
in the United States allow for buzzer-beaters. A goal counts if the shot was released before the official's whistle signaling the end of play for any period of the game, even if it goes in after having previously contacted part of the goal or a defensive player (post-whistle shots that contact an offensive player in any way before entering the goal, however, do not count). The opposing team may request a stick check after buzzer-beaters, unless it comes at the end of the game and does not result in overtime, since the rules consider the game over at that point.Rule 4, Section 9, Article 2o, ''2018 Rule Book'', p. 42 US Lacrosse similarly changed the
youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Yo ...
rules the same season to allow buzzer-beaters.Rule 4.8.1; However, the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
rules for men's lacrosse still require that any shot enter the goal before the whistle to score.Rule 4, Section 11a,


See also

* List of longest NBA field goals *
Walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...


References

{{Basketball Basketball terminology Ice hockey terminology