Basketball players at all levels have that one move they go to when they need to find their rhythm or need to get themselves a bucket. Whether it be a move in order to create their shot or the shot itself is a part of the maneuver, every basketball player has at least one in their bag. Things are no different at the NBA level. Every NBA superstar has either created or adopted and expanded on a move from another star and added it to their arsenal. It has been apparent since the early days of basketball 75 years ago.
- 10. Tim Hardaway – Killer Crossover
- 9. George Gervin – Finger Roll
- 8. Shaquille O’Neal – Black Tornado
- 7. Magic Johnson – No Look Passes
- 6. Allen Iverson – Crossover
- 5. Hakeem Olajuwon – Dream Shake
- 4. Dirk Nowitzki – One-Legged Fadeaway
- 3. Kobe Bryant – Spin-Pivot Jumper
- 2. Michael Jordan – Fadeaway
- 1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Skyhook
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While we recognize the Top 10 signature moves in NBA history, there will be some iconic moves that are left out. Tim Duncan’s famous bank shot is one. No disrespect to the greatest power forward of all time, but a bank shot just isn’t that iconic, even if it comes from an all-time great. Also, the euro step was made famous first by Manu Ginobili and, recently, James Harden. Sure, it is a great move that frees up space and creates an easier path to the hoop but iconic? I just don’t view it that way. Enough about the moves we haven’t included, though.
Here are the Top 10 signature moves in NBA history.
10. Tim Hardaway – Killer Crossover
We could sit here and say that Tim Hardaway was the innovator and originator of the Killer Crossover. When he was with the 1990s Warriors, they were the epitome of flash and stylish athleticism. The move was just as devastating with his right hand as it was with his left. He would lure the defender in by hanging the ball to one side, then snapping it back to the other with amazing control and burst to the basket.
Hardaway looked like he was dodging punches from a heavyweight the way he made defenders miss with his crossover. What makes the move so impressive is that Hardaway mastered it during a time when hand-checking was still allowed. Even with the much more physical defense of the 90s, Hardaway was still able to finesse his way around them with his incredible handles. Hardaway brought this move from Golden State to Miami and even to later stops in his career in Indiana, Dallas, and Denver.
9. George Gervin – Finger Roll
If you ever want to learn how to execute the perfect finger roll layup, then you need to do your homework and watch some George Gervin highlights. Gervin was a superior athlete in his day, and he used that athleticism to his advantage when driving to the basket. Gervin would float down the lane and, in midair, extend his arm and, with a flick of the wrist, lay it in with perfection. The thing is, this move wasn’t just for coming straight down the lane. Gervin could hit this shot from any angle and even on up and under reverse layups as well.
Another impressive thing about Gervin’s finger roll is no one layup ever looked the same. Even if the shot was off just a little bit, with Gervin’s soft touch and finesse, it would still find a way to fall in. The key to Gervin’s success was the way he could change speeds around defenders, allowing him to knock down the layup any which way. Gervin racked up over 20,000 points in his NBA career and over 26,000 if you combined his NBA with his ABA career. He took home 4 NBA scoring titles as well, and the finger roll was a source of a good percentage of it.
8. Shaquille O’Neal – Black Tornado
From his young days in Orlando and throughout the rest of his career, Shaq had one move that he used to become the most dominant big man in NBA history, the Black Tornado. Using just his size and power, he still could have dominated the NBA for years, but he developed this Black Tornado and went even beyond those levels. Even as his speed and endurance deteriorated, Shaq still had this move in his bag to be somewhat effective towards the end of his career.
What he did was an inverted jab-step with his outside leg, which put his entire weight right into his defender. Then he would use his agility to either spin or go right over the top of his defender and embarrass him with a powerful finish. The best thing for defenders was to just get out of the way. If you wouldn’t allow your pride to let you do that, then at least try to wrap him up and alter the shot so you can send Shaq to the free throw line where he struggled for most of his career. Most of the time when you tried to do that, he would just finish the play anyway because he was just that strong and the move was that effective.
7. Magic Johnson – No Look Passes
It is no secret that Magic Johnson is the greatest passer and playmaker in NBA history. Chances are with Magic on the floor, you would get more than your fair share of good looks at buckets because he could thread the needle on any small opening and hit you in the right spot for an easy finish. It didn’t matter if it was on fast breaks or in set offenses, you better have your head on a swivel because a pass from Magic was coming at any moment and he didn’t even need to be looking at you.
Yes, Magic’s no-look passing is the stuff of legend. More often than not, Magic would be looking at someone like Michael Cooper on a fast break, but deliver the pass to Worthy, who was cutting from the complete opposite side. It was pretty amazing how he could take full-speed action and slow it down to deliver a strike to someone he wasn’t even looking at. He was the absolute best at getting everyone involved in the offense and distributing the ball equally to his teammates. The only way to describe these passes is pure art in motion on the court.
6. Allen Iverson – Crossover
If you grew up watching basketball in the 90s and 2000s, then you made sure to be sitting in front of the television whenever Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers were on. Iverson was the king of snatching ankles and catching bodies on the perimeter with his elite ball-handling skills. It was pretty surreal as you watched Iverson make some of the best athletes in the world look absolutely lost and confused as he crossed them up and left them in the dust. Iverson was a nightmare isolation matchup and his handles were the reason.
I do not know that there was anyone at his position with more body control and agility than Iverson. He would constantly be criticized for his size and small stature, but it was the size that made him so unguardable. It didn’t take much for Iverson to change direction on a dime and pull it back for a quick jumper or go straight to the hoop for a finish. He certainly didn’t have a problem letting you know about it either, just ask Tyronn Lue how he feels about that one.
5. Hakeem Olajuwon – Dream Shake
There is a reason why Hakeem Olajuwon is sought after constantly by modern-day players for improving their post-game, footwork. Hakeem easily had the best post footwork in NBA history and I am not afraid to put that out there. His footwork combined with his IQ helped innovate one of the most emulated moves in history, The Dream Shake. I can’t tell you how many elite centers and power forwards Hakeem made look silly with this patented post move.
What Hakeem would do is shimmy his shoulder as a decoy move to feel out the defender’s balance. He would quickly select a pivot foot, it didn’t matter which one, and spin around the defender for an easy flush. If he felt the defender was on his heels, he would simply pull up for a short turnaround jumper, which he hit with a nice efficiency. Hakeem used this move on a nightly basis and defenders still had no idea how to defend it because Hakeem adapted to any situation he needed to score. Hakeem used this move on his way to becoming the best big man of the 90s to the tune of back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.
4. Dirk Nowitzki – One-Legged Fadeaway
At 7-feet tall, Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest big man shooter in NBA history. The fact that a 7-footer’s signature move is a one-legged fadeaway is something simply remarkable. Nowitzki’s fadeaway was at a time unblockable and unguardable during his playing days. Nowitzki paved the way for 7-footers that could shoot and some like Kevin Durant have built on it by adding in skillful handles and a further range for shots.
Many tried to stop or block Dirk’s one-legged fadeaway and most failed to be effective. What he would do is catch the ball in the post, leaning his shoulder into the defender, and fadeaway while launching a shot that seemed like it would never come down to hit nothing but the bottom of the net. If he didn’t have the fadeaway, he would still be able to get his high-arching jumper off in other ways. There was no greater display of this move from Dirk than during his run to the 2011 NBA championship for the Dallas Mavericks.
3. Kobe Bryant – Spin-Pivot Jumper
Kobe Bryant never met a shot he didn’t like to take. It didn’t matter if he was on a cold or hot streak, you better believe Kobe wanted the balls in his hands so he could be the one to get the shot up. He was relentless, and it was that mentality that made him as legendary as he was just as much as his skill and talent. Kobe built his legacy on scoring the basketball and winning championships and what a legacy it is.
The move you could guarantee you were going to see from Kobe any given night was his spin-pivot jumper. Usually, if he was on a cold streak, he would look for this shot to get himself going, even if it was from the three-point line. He would get the ball in his hands and scope out the defense. Then he would post-up his man, back him down, plant his pivot foot, spin, fadeaway, splash. You know the move, you saw it for 20 years from when he was a young man to the day he walked away from the game.
2. Michael Jordan – Fadeaway
When you are the most iconic player of all time, you are also bound to have a bag of iconic signature moves. Michael Jordan is indeed the most iconic player of all time and his arsenal of different ways to score goes unmatched. We could have talked about his ridiculous reverse layups that made it seem like he could walk on air. Of course, we could have spoken about his incredible dunk package and the way he use to leap above defenders, whether bigs or wings. They are all equally iconic, but the one that stands above the rest slightly is his patented fadeaway mid-range jumper.
Jordan’s game from 8 to 15 feet was his bread and butter. He is one of the best mid-range players to ever play the game and his fadeaway jumper has everything to do with it. One thing that people tend to forget about Jordan is just how strong he was. His legs and upper body were his strongest areas, and he used them to full effect on this shot. When he would get the ball in the post, his left shoulder and hips would immediately dig into the defender, putting all of his weight back on his opponent. From there he would back you down to a spot he liked and rose up over most, using his freak athleticism to drain the shot. It was something so simple that Jordan made forever iconic and it was beyond efficient. Of all the moves in his bag, his fadeaway is the one to remember him for the most.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Skyhook
The most iconic and best signature move in NBA history belongs to the game’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem’s skyhook is so iconic that its silhouette could replace Jerry West as the logo tomorrow and it would receive minimal pushback. The move is cemented throughout NBA history as unstoppable. As one of the most complete offensive big men in history, the skyhook made Kareem pretty much unstoppable in the post.
Blocking the shot was a feat in and of itself as he released it at a point that ranged from 10 to 11 feet in the air. What made it an even more impeccable move was the way Kareem would shield off defenders with his off arm to give himself maximum clearance for his release. Kareem made a career of making the best interior defenders of his time look much inferior with this incredibly unique and devastating move. With the amount of success Kareem had with this maneuver, there can be no other choice for the greatest signature move in NBA history.
