Arkansas student wins $20,000 for half-court shot at Oklahoma City Thunder Game

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla (KARK) — A once-in-a-lifetime shot brought an Arkansas teen $20,000 on Wednesday night as the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the Utah Jazz.

Cody Hoover made a half-court shot during a second quarter time out, landing the 18-year-old the cash prize.

After sinking the shot, Hoover said he was stunned for a second before he realized he was quite a bit richer.

“It went in and everyone’s screaming that I made it and I’m like, ‘Oh, I just sank a $20,000 half-court shot,” Hoover said.

Hoover first had to win a free-throw contest to qualify for the half-court shot. As a senior at Mount Vernon Enola High School, he had just wrapped up his basketball career about a month prior, but he said half-court shots were something he often worked on after practice.

“I guess you could say I practiced for that moment,” Hoover said.

As for what he will do with the money, he said he plans to repay his parents for buying him the game ticket and get them something nice, with the rest going towards college as he prepares to head to the University of Central Arkansas in the fall.