Sports · 3
Who scored the winning basket in the final seconds of Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals to clinch Chicago's first championship?
Answer
John Paxson
John Paxson hit the clinching jumper late in Game 5 as the Bulls closed out the Lakers. Paxson's clutch shooting was a recurring theme during the Bulls' first championship run.
💡 Did you know?
Paxson's championship-winning role in 1991 foreshadowed his even more famous three-pointer to clinch the 1993 title — making him the quiet hero of two Bulls championships.
Other options people guess
- Scottie Pippen
- Horace Grant
- Bill Cartwright
Topics
- john-paxson
- chicago-bulls
- 1990s
- nba
- nba-finals
Know your sports trivia?
Play a free Sports quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Sports facts
Sports
Which Chicago Bulls player famously guarded Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals, shifting the series' defensive momentum?
Scottie Pippen's switch onto Magic Johnson in 1991 was so effective that Johnson, one of the greatest point guards ever, averaged under 20 points per game for the series.
Sports
Which veteran point guard started alongside Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls' backcourt during the 1991 NBA championship run?
John Paxson, who started in 1991, hit the championship-clinching three-pointer two years later in 1993 — making him part of two iconic Bulls Finals moments in a single dynasty.
Sports
Which Los Angeles Lakers player led all scorers in the 1991 NBA Finals but still ended up on the losing side?
James Worthy's nickname 'Big Game James' was earned after his 1988 Finals triple-double, making his 1991 leading-scorer-yet-losing performance one of basketball's great ironies.
Sports
How many games did the Chicago Bulls lose in the entire 1991 NBA Playoffs on their way to Michael Jordan's first championship?
The Bulls' 1991 playoff run included sweeping the 'Bad Boy' Pistons — the team that had eliminated Chicago three years in a row — a victory that felt as cathartic to Bulls fans as the championship itself.
Sports
As of the 2021 French Open, in how many Grand Slam finals has Novak Djokovic won after trailing by two sets?
Djokovic recovered from two sets down and match point to win the 2021 French Open final—his only Grand Slam final comeback from that deficit.
Sports
Which Detroit Pistons star famously refused to shake hands with the Bulls after being swept in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals?
Dennis Rodman, who snubbed the Bulls in 1991 as a Piston, later joined Michael Jordan as a teammate and won three championships with Chicago from 1996–1998.