Sean Elliott

Context matters for the Memorial Day Miracle. Sean Elliott had returned from a kidney transplant less than a year before May 31, 1999, and his comeback story alone was worth a documentary. But sport being sport, what it demanded was a three-pointer. With San Antonio trailing Portland in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and the Trail Blazers pushing for a 2-0 series lead, Elliott caught the ball along the baseline with his right foot threatening the out-of-bounds line, pump-faked once, and released a three with all the time in the world. The shot was ruled in bounds, the Spurs won the game, and a franchise that would go on to claim its first championship weeks later had its signature moment. Elliott's personal journey, fighting for his life and then fighting for a title, gave the shot a weight that pure basketball metrics cannot carry.

Top Shot Debut

Championship Year