Hook shot

For the cricket shot, see Batting (cricket) § Pull_and_hook. For the rappel item, see Grappling hook.

Kent Benson attempting a hook shot for the Indiana Hoosiers, 1977

Richard Mason Rocca making a hook shot for Eldo Napoli, 2006

A hook shot, in basketball, is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head. Unlike the jump shot, it is shot with only one hand; the other arm is often used to create space between the shooter and the defensive player. The shot is quite difficult to block, but few players have mastered the shot more than a few feet from the basket.

The hook shot was reportedly performed for the first time in official games in Eurobasket 1937 by the member of the would-be champions Lithuania basketball team Pranas Talzūnas. Former Harlem Globetrotter Goose Tatum is often credited with inventing the hook shot; he would even shoot them without looking at the basket. The hook shot later became a staple of many players in the NBA, including notable stars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Yao Ming. Widely considered the most accomplished hook shooter in college ball was the University of Wisconsin's Don Rehfeldt who played from 1947-1950 and had a brief NBA career.

In FIBA games, hook shots were a revered skill for centers before dunks became more popular; mostly because of the relative difficulty of blocking such shots.

Skyhook

The hook shot became a trademark of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the National Basketball Association's all-time leading scorer, who was proficient at the shot at a much greater distance from the basket than most players. The greater distance and resulting higher arc on the shot led to the name skyhook, which was coined during Abdul-Jabbar's tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks by the team's radio announcer, Eddie Doucette, who felt that "that hook was so high that it was coming out of the sky". The skyhook was rarely blocked, and it was accomplished by only a few players like Wilt Chamberlain.

Magic Johnson used a similar shooting technique during the 1987 NBA Finals, which he called his "baby hook" in reference to teammate Abdul-Jabbar.

Jump hook

Due to the increasingly physical nature of low post basketball, the "jump hook" has become a more popular style of hook shot, and has been employed by many players including centers Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard. The player jumps off using two feet, instead of taking steps and then jumping off using one foot. The jump hook provides for better balance as well as a quicker release, and the shot will be released from higher in the air. According to Hakeem Olajuwon, it is a "necessary shot that every center should have", because of the fact that it is very difficult to block.

See also

• Basketball moves

External links

• Sky Hook A Variant of Hook Shot
• Baby Hook A Variant of Hook Shot