Who are basketball’s top clutch players?

Basketball is an exciting, end-to-end game and the shot clock ensures there’s action around each basket almost every few seconds. Scoring is fast and constant and many players can dunk, shoot or lay-up will breathtaking regularity throughout the game. However, what happens when the clock is running out and teams are locked together on the scoreboard? When the game enters a critical phase, that’s when a team’s clutch players step up.

What is a clutch player?

A clutch player is the one who can turn the game in the dying seconds. They don’t only have to rely on their innate ball skills, but also must summon up the resolve and fortitude not to be overawed with the high stakes involved. They must be mentally and physically strong.

Who are the top clutch players of recent years?

Here are a few players who got the job done when it mattered most:

Reggie Miller

A man who seemed to really come alive as the buzzer approaches. Miller has provided many late moments of drama. One was when reeled off eight points in just nine seconds to help the Indiana Pacers clinch Game 1 off the 1995 NBA Eastern Conference playoffs against the New York Knicks.

Kobe Bryant

The big man for the big occasion. LA Lakers legend memorably launched a shot just as the buzzer sounded in his team’s 2006 Western Conference playoff game with the Phoenix Suns and sunk the basket which handed the Lakers the win.

Michael Jordan

The greatest of all time has had too many clutch moments to mention and that just proves that he was a man who thrived under pressure and when the game was in the melting pot

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Shaq facts to mark the big man’s birthday

One of basketball’s most recognizable stars Shaquille O’Neal celebrates his 47th birthday on March 6. The former LA Lakers and Miami Heat star has become simply known as Shaq and is renowned for his huge size, even in a sport dominated by tall players, and ability to slam dunk the ball. To mark the big man’s birthday, here are a few ‘Shaq facts’ you need to know.

1. He was born Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal in Newark, New Jersey on March 6 1972.

2. O’Neal’s stepfather was in the military, which meant they moved around a lot and he actually went to high school in San Antonio, Texas where he helped his school Robert G Cole High School win a state championship.

3. He was a big fan of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and always wanted to wear his famous number 33. However, when it was unavailable, he would wear 32 or 34.

4. He never completed college, dropping out in his junior year at Louisiana State University to sign as a rookie for the Orlando Magic and he won Rookie of the Year in 1993.

5. He was traded to the LA Lakers in 1996 where we won three NBA Championship but his time there was also dominated by an ongoing feud with the Lakers’ other star player Kobe Bryant.

6. Shaq also had dreams of being a police officer and while at the Lakers, trained in with police officers in Los Angeles. He was made an honorary United States Deputy Marshal in 2005.

7. He is seven foot one inch tall and wears size 22 shoes.

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