Skills coach Gary Maitland reveals the secrets behind the NBA's most iconic shots and moves,. Here he analyses Michael Jordan's iconic turnaround fadeaway jump shot.
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What made Michael Jordan's turnaround fadeaway so good was that he could go either way - he could go over his right shoulder or his left. The defender would have no idea which way he was going. Jordan would force the defender to go one way, then he would go the other way to counter their movement in order to get the separation he needed.
Jordan would use his strength to gain separation. He would pound the ball and bump the defender. As you can imagine, the defender would be forced to scoot backwards. As they did, Jordan gained that small separation before turning and fading to gain even more separation from the defender attempting to close down the shot.
Once Jordan had his defender committed to the middle of the floor, as he dropped his hips, he would point his furthest foot away from the defender so it angled at 45 degrees from the baseline. That meant he didn't have to turn as much and, as he pivoted, he was already lined up and ready to go into his shot.
To prevent his body over-rotating or over-twisting, Jordan would kick out one foot and make sure it was pointed at the basket. That anchored him and ensured his shot would be on target.
Jordan would love playing with his defender. He would take them up the line, back down the line and, just as they would relax, he would drop his hips, turn, elevate and get a shot with his famous turnaround fadeaway.
Watch The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls on Netflix via your Sky Q box - episodes 1-10 available now