John Paxson can recall those early days of his career when he didn't know how long he'd last, when championships seemed so far away for a 6-foot-2 guard just trying to make his way in the NBA.
"After my first year in San Antonio, I thought I was done," Paxson said Monday, announcing his retirement after 11 years, the last nine with the Chicago Bulls."I guess it was perseverance. I never knew I'd be making shots to win championships."
But he did.
Paxson, who appeared in 772 regular-season games and 119 playoff games during his career with the Bulls and Spurs, is best remembered for hitting a 3-point shot with 3.9 seconds left in Game 6 of the 1993 finals.
The basket gave the Bulls the lead over Phoenix and they held on for their third straight NBA title.
Paxson could always hit big shots. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the 1991 finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, sending the Bulls to their first title.
"For me the greatest moments were those championships years. Those are the things I will remember forever," said Paxson, who joined the Bulls in 1985.
"I was fortunate enough to see the transition from a team that wasn't very good to one that won. The special thing for me in all three of those (championships) was that I was on the floor at the end of each game."