Matt Ryan has an amazing story. And no, he’s not the longtime NFL quarterback.

He bounced around three different colleges as a basketball player, went undrafted at the pro level and ended up working two jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic took root — as a food-delivery driver and at a cemetery near where his grandparents owned a headstone company.

On Wednesday, he had a different job. He helped the Lakers win an important game.

Ryan drilled a three-pointer as time expired in the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime before the Lakers outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans, 120-117.

Ryan made only three of 10 shots before sinking the most important one of his young pro career in front of a disbelieving crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

It started with Austin Reaves throwing a perfect pass across the court after a time-out with 2.8 seconds left in regulation. Ryan caught the ball in the right corner and looked down briefly — very briefly — to see if he was behind the three-point line before successfully hoisting to tie the score at 111-111.

“I was just glad I didn’t step out of bounds or on the [three-point] line,” Ryan said. “I was just glad we had five more minutes to try to get a win.”

Ryan had made only three of 10 shots at the time. He didn’t miss his 11th as the Lakers improved to 2-5 after losing their first five games of the season.

“My confidence is unwavering,” Ryan said. “I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case after the past year-and-a-half, two years I’ve had.”

Lonnie Walker IV hit a three-pointer early in overtime and LeBron James and Anthony Davis added six points in the paint as the Lakers held New Orleans to only six points in the extra session.

Walker led all scorers with 28 points in only his seventh game with the Lakers since joining them as a free agent in July.

Lakers center Anthony Davis had 20 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots while continuing to fight through a sore back. James added 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while battling a cold that kept him bedridden for a couple of days, he said.

Davis and James credited the 25-year-old Ryan and also first-year head coach Darvin Ham.

“It’s a great play call,” Davis said. “Everybody probably thought the ball was going to ‘Bron, Lonnie, whoever. Hell of a pass over the top and Matt did what he do.”

Added James: “It was a great play call by coach.”

The first half was quite simply one of the Lakers’ best this season. Russell Westbrook was already close to a triple-double (11 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and the Lakers clamped down defensively to take a 56-44 lead.

The Lakers have been the ones fighting off injuries but they caught a break when All-Star Brandon Ingram didn’t suit up for New Orleans because of a concussion. Zion Williamson tried to pick up the slack with 27 points and CJ McCollum added 22 for the Pelicans (4-3).

Ryan, however, was the undisputed star of the night. He had quite a few text messages waiting for him after the game. Exactly how many?

“I don’t know. I don’t know. A lot,” Ryan said. “This is definitely the biggest shot of my life so far. I can’t remember the last time I hit a game-winner or sent a game into overtime.”