The NBA world is still buzzing about Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving's incredible game winner to defeat the Denver Nuggets. Hitting a left-handed hook shot over the outstretched arm of Nikola Jokic, Irving pulled off one of the most incredible game winners ever, and made NBA history in the process.
According to Basketball Reference's StatHead, Irving's game winner on Sunday afternoon is the longest game-winning hook shot ever recorded. At 21-feet out, Irving's game winner is just the 11th record hook shot in league history from at least 20 feet, and the only one to win a game.
The NBA began tracking shot-specific data in 1996, so there is no way to officially track shots before that season, but Irving's buzzer beater is the longest game-winning hook shot in at least 28 years, and likely much longer than that.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on Monday that Irving's buzzer beater was the second-longest hook shot in the NBA this season, only behind an alley-oop pass from Irving earlier this season that accidentally went in. That shot of course was not also a game-winning buzzer beater like the one he intentionally took and made on Sunday.
While nobody needs any specific stats or data to appreciate this shot from Irving, it is still fun to see just how rare such a shot is, and especially in that moment.
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