Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in Oakland Yesterday and was Asked if the Kids Ask Him for Tips on the Skyhook: “They’ve forgotten about anything that doesn’t say three-points on it. I’ve got to go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for him changing everyone’s mind about how to play the game.”
by NokCha_
25 Comments
Kareem’s a funny guy
[Source](https://twitter.com/CharlieWalterTV/status/1641173087600386048)
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He was there to attend an event to speak to the recent high school state champs Oakland High School (Boys) and Oakland Tech (Girls)
Honest question:
What would be the impact of the NBA going back to there being no three point line?
Would it help increase the diversity of shot selection/generate more creative halfcourt offensive possessions?
ngl I would pay for to watch that
Antoine Walker was way ahead of his time.
Just make the 3 worth 2.5
Kareem pulling a Will Smith the next time Steph hosts the Espys.
Steph will be remembered for a long time for just this. Breaking the game’s fundamental approach on how to win in basketball
I’d pay to watch Steph relocate after every attempted slap and drain a three in his face
Steph gets the blame for this but it’s only partially his fault. 3 point attempts have been increasing since like 2009 due to analytics. Hell even the competitive online 2k community back around then was essentially just 2023 NBA strategy
This reminds me of when Bill Russell wouldnt gaf and just say anything
Skyhook from the 3pt line, everybody wins.
The last time I played pick there were a few guys who just took 3s and did nothing in terms of defense or rebounding and such.
I put the majority blame on coaches not being able to teach post play and specifically the sky hook.
But it’s definitely a self fulfilling prophecy where three point shooters are paid, kids don’t want to learn in the post because they see more value on the perimeter, and then coaches don’t want to lose kids who will go somewhere else.
There’s a bad incentive structure that is limiting youth development
I’ve always wondered – when people talk about “analytics” causing players to shoot more 3s what exactly are they talking about? It doesn’t seem like some insane AI or machine learning level math to say that the expected value of shooting a 3 at a certain % is higher than a 2. Couldn’t they have figured that out like 50 years ago?
“In my day we built our pick and rolls outs of sticks and reeds”
Ironically Steph is one of the best midrange shooters who utilizes it a lot more than he gets credit for.
The skyhook still gets more ooohs and awwws than any 3 pointer where I play
Dubs fan, and thankful for what Steph has done in the NBA but man that skyhook is a thing of beauty..
Skyhook from 3
i tried to learn how to do a skyhook when i was younger
doesn’t work as well when you’re not 7’3
While Gen Z learned basketball through Steph and just chucking-up threes, Millennials learned iso-play through Iverson, Steve Francis and others playing And-1 streetball.
Me and my boys practice hook shots and use em in pickup. They’re super effective people just want to look cool.
People keep asking him, but who the hell shot the skyhooks? Jokic, Embid, Giannis got a little mini hook, with Jokic being the closest to the skyhook sometimes. So did Shaq and Duncan back in the day.
Hakeem, Ewing, and Malone weren’t famous for one either. Neither was McHale or Moses.
When it comes strictly to the “Skyhook,” how far back do I have to go to find when it was popular league wide? Or maybe it was just an anomaly unique Kareem.
I think the lack of the skyhooks prevalence in today’s game has more to do with how difficult it actually is. It’s the ultimate finesse shot and KAJ was the perfect player to weaponize it. Look at other bigs, especially in the 90s. None of them mastered it, let alone try. Sure, Shaq and Hakeem had their standard hooks, but KAJ form was a work of art.