Eight unstoppable signature moves in basketball

When I think of signature basketball moves, the first one that comes to mind is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook. Kareem’s sky hook may be the most unstoppable shot in the history of the sport. It’s beautiful to watch, extremely deadly and that unique shot – many times replicated but never successfully duplicated – is the biggest reason why The Big Fella is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Other signature moves that give defenders nightmares are Michael Jordan’s fadeaway jumper, George Gervin’s finger roll, Isiah Thomas’ crossover dribble (or Tim Hardaway’s crossover depending on which era you grew up in), Earl Monroe’s spin move and Hakeem Olajuwon’s “Dream Shake.” All those moves mentioned are go-to moves that are nearly impossible to stop.

When it comes to today’s game, there are quite a few signature moves that are nearly impossible to stop. Former SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick used to say: “You can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.” That line applies to these seven incredible basketball moves from eight amazing individuals:

KOBE BRYANT’S PUMP FAKE AND PIVOT
Opposing players know its coming, but they still bite on Kobe’s head, shoulder and ball fakes. Kobe has amazing footwork, and he uses it to his advantage. When he unleashes his pump fakes, he gets on his tip-toes which throws the defender off balance when Kobe is about to go up for a shot. And then he reverse pivots to get separation and a clear shot at the basket. It’s a move that requires tremendous patience, practice, smarts and amazing balance.

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TONY PARKER’S TEARDROP
Spurs guard Tony Parker is one of the originators of the “teardrop.” Year and year out, Parker ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage and points in the for guards because he has perfected the one-handed runner or floater that drives big men crazy because it is difficult to block. Parker sets up defenders by running full speed at them and once he gets within 15 feet of the basket he pulls up and drops one over a defender’s outstretched arms with this very effective and soft one-handed shot. The move is now used by practically all the guards in the NBA. If you don’t have this shot in your arsenal, you better learn it because it’s a very effective, high-percentage shot.

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CARMELO ANTHONY’S JAB STEP
If you’re putting together a video tape on how to execute the jab step from the triple-threat position, pop in one of Carmelo’s highlight highlight tapes. Melo is the master of the jab step. When Melo squares his shoulders to the basket, a defender has to respect two things: the jump shot and the dribble drive. Both are made possible because Melo can create space with his jab step.

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PAUL PIERCE’S STEP-BACK JUMPER
The name known as The Truth loves to set up his defender by bringing him to the foul line and then stepping back to gain separation on his shot. Pierce is adept at executing the step-back jump shot whether he’s driving left or right. A lot of players have the step-back jump shot in their arsenal, but Pierce has won multiple games for the Celtics with his signature shot. Once he gets his defender near the top of the key, all he needs is a slight breathing room and it is game over.

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DERRICK ROSE’S CROSSOVER DRIBBLE AND JUMP STOP
Tony Parker was one of the first to use the “teardrop” in the NBA as a main weapon against bigger defenders patrolling the paint, but Bulls guard Derrick Rose has taken it to a whole new level and does it better than anyone in the Association. He uses his great quickness to set up his defender. Once Rose has his opponent on his heels, he utilizes his lightning-quick crossover dribble, stops on a dime, springs up off both feet, and floats a shot with his strong hand. Bucket! What makes Rose’s jump stop so tough to defend is the way he can contort his body when he attacks the rim. Because of that threat, his floater is extra tough to anticipate.

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MANU GINOBILI’S EURO STEP
Manu Ginobili introduced the Euro Step to the NBA in 2003. It has been imitated but never duplicated. Even though Ginobili is from Argentina, he made his mark in Europe and the Euro Step was a big part of his repertoire. The Euro Step is an effective way of keeping a defender guessing. Manu uses his long strides to avoid the charge, steps across from left to right (usually) and finishes with his left hand. Current European stars Juan Carlos Navarro and Ricky Rubio utilize this move, as well as NBA stud Dwyane Wade, but nobody does it better than Ginobili. Pay attention to the instructional video below on how he executes the move off of a pick-and-roll.

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JAMAL CRAWFORD’S CROSSOVER DRIBBLE
Jamal Crawford has the best crossover dribble since Isiah Thomas and Tim Hardaway. The man known as The True Essence at Rucker Park, Crawford has amazing handles and plays the ball like he has strings on them. If you don’t believe me, check out this jaw-dropping move against the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan.

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DIRK NOWITZKI’S FADEAWAY JUMPER
The Dallas Mavericks superstar has amassed more than 22,000 points during his soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career and 15,000 of those points most likely were produced off of those fadeaway jumpers. Dirk starts his move at the free throw line, or at the “elbows,” and then he sets up his defender by backing him down and once he feels enough separation he fades back, jumping off his left foot, and shoots his favorite shot. The move looks a little awkward during the process because the 7-foot Nowitzki is tall and lanky so there’s a lot of herky-jerky movements. And, let’s face it, Dirk is not the most graceful athlete on the court. But, the end result is absolutely gorgeous.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. To read his previous posts, visit www.onemanfastbreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.