USC Student Wins $165,000 at Lakers Game

Posted: February 17th, 2009 | Author: yosef | Filed under: News | Tags: Los Angeles Lakers | 1,808 views

Robert Ward, a Senior at USC, made an unbelievable half-court shot tonight worth $165,000. It was at the Staples Center, where the Lakers took on the Atlanta Hawks. The annual half-court jackpot shot was put on by The Mirage Hotel out of Las Vegas and this was the first year someone actually hit it.

Robert Ward, a Mechanical Enginerer major, who had only played one year of basketball in high school was stunned and told the reporter that the money would go to his tuition.

The Lakers bench erupted after seeing the shot in and the crowd gave the only standing ovation of the night. Power forward Sasha Vujacic ran over to and gave Ward a celebratory hug. The shot occured at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Lakers were up by more then 20 at that point and ended up winning the game 96-83.