‘Craziest shot ever’: NBA hero stuns world with miraculous last-second 61ft winner (VIDEO)

A colossally sharp-shooting basketball star has been hailed for a "ridiculous" effort that decided a game with little more than a second to go – and some have called the extraordinarily dramatic finish to the contest "impossible".

With 1.4 seconds left in a razor-tight showdown between hosts Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans, guard Devonte Graham collected possession in a seemingly benign area of the Paycom Center court.

The Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just scored to level the game at 110 apiece, leaving any sensible fan around the arena readying themselves for overtime as the end of a thrilling tussle neared.

That was when Graham gloriously intervened. Perhaps taking inspiration from Gilgeous-Alexander's successful 30ft shot seconds earlier, the 26-year-old went considerably better with an outlandish effort from way out to give the Pelicans victory in sensational style.

"Incredible," roared one commentator as Graham was mobbed by his teammates before racing off court despite the best attempts of astonished fans to congratulate him on his epic last-gasp act. "Get out of here before they review it."

His co-commentator thundered: "It's good, it's good. They can review it all they want to: this is good."

At 61 feet out, the staggering buzzer-beater is said to be the longest ever final shot in an NBA game in 25 years.

"The most impossible finish to an NBA game you will ever see," gushed NBA host Rob Perez, spelling out his thoughts entirely in capitals.

"Imagine paying all that money to [watch] your home team lose to a shot like that," added another. "RIP."

One viewer called the conclusion "literally the craziest basketball sequence I’ve ever seen," although they qualified that view by saying they "just didn't feel the emotion" – an understandable state of affairs given that the shot silenced the home crowd and was followed by the players rushing off.

Graham modestly said he was "just playing around" and reportedly pledged to hand the game ball to his mother or grandmother.

"When I was at [college in] Kansas, I used to shoot half-court shots every game, every practice – trick shots and stuff like that," the instant hero recalled.

"You never know, you might get into that situation one day, just like today. And it ends up paying out for you."

ESPN Stats and Info said that the game was the first in 25 season to contain more than one shot from at least 30 feet away to tie or decide the game within the final five seconds of action.