# The 16 Most Clutch Athletes of All Time

> Closers from six different sports, judged on what they did when the game was already lost. Arguing about this is half the fun of watching.

*By YPB Team · Published August 3, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-most-clutch-athletes-of-all-time*

---

## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Michael Jordan**
   Basketball's definitive closer, with six Finals titles and a catalogue of series-ending shots.
2. **Tom Brady**
   Quarterback with 14 postseason game-winning drives, including a 25-point comeback in a Super Bowl.
3. **Tiger Woods**
   Golfer who converted a long run of 54-hole leads at majors into wins, often on the last hole.
4. **Derek Jeter**
   Shortstop whose postseason hitting over five World Series titles earned him the nickname Mr. November.
5. **Serena Williams**
   Tennis player who repeatedly saved match points on the way to 23 major singles titles.
6. **Novak Djokovic**
   Saved championship points in major finals more often than any player of his era.
7. **Joe Montana**
   Quarterback who never lost a Super Bowl and closed the 1989 title with a 92-yard drive.
8. **LeBron James**
   Erased a 3-1 Finals deficit in 2016 and finished it with a chase-down block.
9. **Mariano Rivera**
   Closer with the lowest postseason earned run average of the modern era across five titles.
10. **Larry Bird**
   Forward whose steal and last-second shots defined Boston's tightest playoff games.
11. **Kobe Bryant**
   Guard who took and made more late-game shots than anyone of his generation.
12. **Lionel Messi**
   Scored in a World Cup final and delivered late goals in the biggest matches of his career.
13. **Cristiano Ronaldo**
   Built a reputation on stoppage-time goals in Champions League knockout ties.
14. **Jack Nicklaus**
   Won 18 majors, several of them with a closing round that broke the field.
15. **Reggie Jackson**
   Nicknamed Mr. October after hitting three home runs on three pitches in a World Series game.
16. **Wayne Gretzky**
   Hockey's leading playoff scorer, with four Stanley Cups and a habit of deciding overtime.

Tags: sports, athletes