Ever since Stephen Curry rained in what Ian Eagle immediately and perfectly dubbed the “Golden Dagger” in this summer’s Olympics, I’ve been thinking about where that shot ranks among the most iconic shots I’ve seen throughout my lifetime. Roughly, that dates back to the early 1990s, when I really started watching NBA basketball.
But obviously that’s an arbitrary and highly personal cutoff. So then I narrowed it to the 2000s. That takes out all the Michael Jordan shots, the Reggie Miller eight points in nine seconds, the Larry Johnson four-point play and the Mario Elie kiss of death, the Alonzo Mourning fall-on-his-back buzzer beater, the Steve Kerr and John Paxson Finals winners, the Magic Johnson All-Star Game 3-pointer, the Patrick Ewing missed finger roll and a bunch of others.
Those shots will never be forgotten, but they also won’t be on this list. Other shots that won’t make this list: Dunks and free throws. Dunks are their own category, and free throws aren’t field goals. That removes Klay Thompson walking to the line and sinking a pair on a torn ACL in the 2019 Finals, the famous Kobe Bryant lob to Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000 Western Conference finals, and Vince Carter’s dunk over seven-footer Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics. All other shots qualify.
So, without further ado, here are my 21 most iconic shots by NBA players of the 21st century. Note: They aren’t all game-winners, and they didn’t all come in the playoffs. The unofficial barometer of these rankings is how clear the shot remains in the average fan’s head, or how quickly someone would recall the shot. If it’s an “oh yeah, I forgot about that one” shot, it’s further down on the list. Here we go.
21. Dirk stamps out Heat (2011)
It’s too bad that this shot isn’t even more memorable, because it was the signature shot of one of the more signature championships of this century. Dallas was well on its way to going down 2-0 in the 2011 Finals as Miami’s Big 3 had raced out to 15-point lead with just over seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The…
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