The Story Behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Unstoppable Skyhook | Ball the Right Moves | The Ringer

In the fourth installment of ‘Ball the Right Moves,’ The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann turns his attention to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his world-famous skyhook. He breaks down how the move came to be, what made it so deadly, and why it hasn’t been replicated since.
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[@ThinkingBasketball]

Spectacular video. Loved the story of Wooden and Kareem refining the shot. There's a "missing link" element to the Sky Hook that you filled in here, which explains why it's so different (and difficult to emulate).

[@Por-poI]

loved your vids, man!

[@kylander_1423]

Hey Ben!

[@ayysleepy7253]

Arguably my two favorite you tubers ah man

[@surprisecat7401]

Legend

[@Primo_Kpodo]

Ben, I love your work

[@peteanderson6121]

Just had a dream about Kareem telling me how to do the sky hook and now this

[@theringer]

Inception

[@jaimeandres8053]

Leets go! Make it real bro, u can do it

[@veerchasm1]

You can join an NBA team

[@baffourdanquah9603]

Every time I hear you on this channel I always forget you’re the dime drop

[@corvusmonedulas4895]

what did he say?!?!

[@JacoIII]

Kareem being the only player to master the skyhook is like if only one player in baseball history was ever able to throw a curveball. It's completely insane that a move so effective was never replicated.

[@vetoland92]

Everyone always talks about Kareem's skyhook but no one talks about Kareem's right hook 5:52

[@---jc7pi]

A team mate said he was never the same after that.

[@carlingram8316]

Kareem, or the dude that got popped?

[@2kmichaeljordan438]

-- which one?

[@resurrectedpa]

I mean he was a disciple of Bruce Lee so... what do you expect?

[@AB-sw4kb]

Kareem punched Kent Benson in the face so hard he broke his right hand on his face. Benson was the #1 draft pick for Milwaukee and was playing his first NBA game ever, but he tried playing dirty against Kareem, and that's what happened.

[@brandonalejandroblanco]

Somehow the man with the most MVPs in NBA history is massively underrated. I love to see him get some love.

[@jp3813]

It's mainly b/c of Magic's popularity.

[@alapandas3457]

@@jp3813 it's bcoz he's lame. His game lacks flare like Michael or Kobe, hence all those points but no chicks for grandpa😛

[@retiredwestbrookfan6049]

@@alapandas3457 nah. Thats your personal opinion

[@ricco3480]

@@retiredwestbrookfan6049 nah he’s right and that’s the public’s perception not just his opinion

[@gaffle7646]

I always hear of him on many people's top All-Time NBA lists. In my personal opinion, he's the greatest basketball player of all time (full carrier including high school) and for the NBA, he's my favorite and should unmistakably be in any top 3 list all time.

[@cassidydankochik3294]

He also was secretly an airline pilot as he played for the Lakers.

[@theringer]

"I'm sorry, son, but you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Roger Murdock. I'm the co-pilot."

[@cassidydankochik3294]

@@theringer Roger, Roger

[@mhhmmhhm3301]

"Listen kid, i've been hearing that crap every since i was at UCLA, im out there busting my buns EVERY NIGHT! Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier down the court for 48 minutes."

[@spacemountain5624]

He was also light sensitive and put a giant ass footprint on Bruce Lee’s chest

[@moeball740]

Kareem was always so serious that until he did that bit in the movie Airplane no one knew he had a sense of humor. It was refreshing to see him willing to poke fun at himself.

[@Mtdmpls]

Actually, if you said 'George Gervin' I'd probably say 'Ice Man'.

[@jp3813]

Too many uses of that nickname though (ex: Top Gun & X-Men).

[@ice-iu3vv]

heck yeah you would.

[@SteliGotGame]

In Magic Johnson's Fundamentals of Basketball , Kareem said he shot 500 hooks a day - 100 in close , 100 at the 12ft mark and 300 in the middle at about 8ft.

[@coachwane]

Damn no wonder he a goat

[@oldsocrates]

@@jasoncramer6651 There's absolutely an incentive-scoring lots of points. Unfortunately, that incentive doesn't motivate young players for whatever reason. It's kinda like shooting free throws underhand like Rick Barry. Shooting underhand works, but kids don't want to do that either for whatever reason.

[@manz7860]

The thing that blows my mind is kareem went to the top of the nba scoreboards without a 3 point shot, AND he spent a full 4 at college. The absolute goat His social work is icing on the cake. He risked it all and came out on top.

[@margarinetaintedgreen8140]

My dad was at UW in late ‘60s. UCLA b-ball was in town. He went to the gym and saw Kareem practicing the sky hook. His practice partner was on a ladder with a broom, swatting back shots, yelling, “not enough arc!” Later, my dad was walking out of a bathroom and found a torso in his face. My dad craned his neck back, looked up, realized what had happened and muttered, “excuse me, Mr. Alcindor.”

[@qwikscopez6619]

An unfortunate result of his amazing hook, is people dont realise just how good his post game was overall

[@michaelbarnes2617]

That move says it bro no one even thinks of disrespecting his post game i hope lol

[@carlyata1]

The sky hook is a post move, idk what you're talking about. He literally only has a post game because he doesn't have a perimeter game. Let's just call your comment retarded.

[@SteliGotGame]

@@carlyata1 He meant that he had a lot more moves than just the skyhook , if you studied Kareem's game you would know, so I'd say your assumptions and ignorance is retarded.

[@doktarr]

Crazy, I just watched "Minority of One" a couple days ago, now this. Kareem has an underrated case as the GOAT.

[@willhooke]

Yeah I just watched it 2 nights ago! Great movie. My love for Kareem increased after watching it. Inspiring dude!

[@razkable]

you can argue he was the go to late scorer for title teams in 1971 and in 1988 ...that helps his resume..when it mattered most they went to kareem for a bucket even at age 41

[@AverageMfDoomEnjoyer]

You should look up making the case : Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

[@willhooke]

@@AverageMfDoomEnjoyer I have 😆 I really liked it. 👍 I'm happy to have him as my #1 in front of MJ at #2

[@AverageMfDoomEnjoyer]

William Hooke Honestley I think Kareem is better than MJ but I think Wilt is the goat

[@raymondhmuifoo11]

Kareem with good positioning. Magic with a pass. Kareem dribbles now. Swings left. Shoots right. Swish!

[@cellorddelabahan7559]

The hell are you doing here prison mike

[@davidr.2633]

With of course, Chick on the call...

[@daniel-eunbum-lee]

Did he just say a 6’6” 10-year-old...?

[@jdm2339]

yeah he was 7 feet tall in middle school already... insane right

[@GameChanger-xi4iy]

The tallest man ever to live was like 7 feet when he was 9

[@moeball740]

One of the stories his mom used to tell about him was that with him being so tall for his age many people would think he was much older than he really was. If he was around any strangers and goofing off as a 10 year old will do, they would usually chastise his mom with something like "that young man is so childish, why doesn't he act his age?" To which his mom would say "he is".

[@GregoryFord98]

What we've all been waiting for. What this series was made for.

[@yocraigst]

Can we agree that there is not one, but several NBA Goats?

[@espyLive]

Shout out to all the other people who still warm-up with Mikan drill.

[@kewalos1497]

Because of his prickly personality, might be the most underrated superstar ever.

[@kicka11]

These are by far the best videos put out by the Ringer. This guy is so good.

[@razkable]

he actually seems to know what hes talking about like hes seen more than just the average fan whose reading stats/accomplishments/awards on basketball reference or just watching a twenty minute reel of highlights like many analysts as well as fans online...he actually watches games and players and looks for flaws not just when it went right on highlight tapes made to make said player look good cough like kobe fans ...many of these kids today just watch highlights of kobe and think hes mj lol..he was not that smooth...if you watch enough you see what a player does poorly like for example lebron and his over dribbling at times...or kobes selfish 20 foot tough shot jacking over two defenders rather than make the right basketball play...stuff like that....it gives you the right perspective of a player's iq and impact....regardless of teammates its a good measure of their basketball dna and who can fit next to them and if their flawed why they are so flawed...watching games matters and helps make you look like you know what your talking about....can't substitute actually watching both ends and looking for both positive and negative things not just watching highlights of your favorite player....

[@scottb80]

Image if Tacko Fall developed the skyhook? With his 7'5" height and 8'4" wingspan it would be unblockable.

[@mikeesteves8427]

he doesnt really seem to have the finesse and agility to pull it off but im hoping he can prove me wrong

[@angeloucol8463]

Yeah, that would be fantastic, I hope he put the effort to learn it.

[@kaospat4173]

they will teach him how to shoot from the logo before that happens

[@coachwane]

I hope he fly out to KaJ

[@gaffle7646]

Isn't Tacko 7'6" with an 82" wingspan? I believe only Manute Bol had an 84" wingspan.

[@t4d0W]

Watching this again years after and Walton's commentary regarding Kareem's body type resonates well with why he could develop that sky hook to that level. I don't think we've seen another NBA player who has that Scottie Pippen/Dr. J athletic mold in a 7'2" long frame. We've seen guys who try come close but they certainly aren't as coordinated or have that strength, balance and touch around from 12~15 feet away from the rim like Kareem had. Truly a unique icon of the NBA that still stands today.

[@Oj_Pimpson]

The most graceful athlete I’ve ever watched

[@razkable]

the shot of him in color as a buck shooting over cowens in the 74 finals is insanely fluid

[@TChambers85]

This series has become one of my favorite videos to watch. Keep them coming! I would love to see a discussion on the evolution of the attacking Guard (I.e. Kevin Johnson)

[@exquisitemeat5845]

Hell yeah, some of the best bball content around

[@joserodriguez4383]

This was a great video. Super informative and shines the light on a player that is strangely overlooked.

[@adamainen]

These are the best breakdown vids out there!

[@joeOdhiambo]

When I was kid back in Kenya, I watched clips of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar along with Wilt Chamberlain, and I model my game after them. Most important, I learn the sky-hook and I shot it just like the master. I am currently working on a documentary of how to shoot the sky-hook shot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When I was learning the shoot, I notice three the following things that made the hook shot a sky-hook: the hop and step keeping shoulders pointed to the basketball jumping off one foot extending the shooting up and out above the shoulder As I was your video on the skyhook, I noticed a lot of things that I have covered in my intended documentary and I would love the share notes, and possibly collaborate in the documentary. I am not just bragging about my ability to do a documentary on the hook shot, I can shoot it like the master - check out for pivot skyhook options and I am sure you will agree with me. The hook shot has not followers today because nobody can teach it right.

[@libertines24]

The skyhook can’t be matched because Kareem is legit the only person who could’ve shot it that way.

[@russellong843]

Thank you for another awesomely entertaining video Kyle! I look forward to every episode!

[@andrewtaylor2514]

The video doesn't emphasize Kareem's athletic superiority to most players - maybe they just weren't very good at it. Kareem's apex-hesitation-flick skyhook requires so much physical coordination that very few players are even capable of approaching it. As Magic said, "so beautiful."

[@MrSecondchancebro]

Amazing piece of content well done all involved.

[@standing8count923]

Some say Jordan, others say Lebron. But for me, Kareem = GOAT

[@filosurfer]

Agreed. 6 NBA championships. 6 MVPs. 3 NCAA championships. All-time leading scorer. 3rd in blocks all time but they didn't have the stat in his first 4 seasons. Of course, if he went straight from high school or even if he was like Jordan and left after his sophomore season, his stats would be out of this world!

[@caseys.1405]

Kareem is criminally underrated, but he’s far from the GOAT

[@stevejackson1572]

@@caseys.1405 SMH. Of course you, just like everyone else, is entitled to an opinion; but to say he's 'far' from the goat...well now my opinion is that you shouldn't even join in that conversation. SMH.

[@BeatsbyBlanch]

Casey S. look at all his accolades. Far from the goat conversation? What?

[@bobc8217]

I came to KZbin wanting a doc on the skyhook while I eat, perfect.

[@noahkupinsky1418]

Fist time I’ve seen this channel - quality video mate

[@ginobobinobobobanana4144]

1:19 that caught me off guard 😂 . But yeah I wish there were more NBA players doing skyhooks

[@knep24]

Yes this is what I wanted! Thank you.

[@qwikscopez6619]

i tracked over 40 games specifically for the hook, Kareem was 150/247 on the right handed skyhook (60.7%) mainly between 1975-85

[@michaelhathaway496]

I love this! Kareem is definitely 1 of 1.

[@DomainObject]

Great video. Thanks! 👍

[@jdw.karasu8034]

Two years later and this is such a great and thoughtful essay. Well done, J. Kyle.

[@whitleybryce6341]

I LOVED the Mikan drill!! Except the times I’d get dizzy...

[@razkable]

mikan would legit be a backup in today's nba..lets be real ..at best ...he was not some legend he just played in the right era ...by the late 60's at least the nba felt more like a league with 14 teams and colored players and athletes and legit size not 6'4 and 6'5 guys trying to guard a 6'11 possible 7 foot player ...in the late 40's and early 50's the nba was the ymca lol...seriously..any 7 footer could of dominated and shot under 40% like mikan did lol...at 7 foot in a league of 6 feet being the average height for guards in a 8 team nba

[@whitleybryce6341]

Asmosis Jones trees among bushes !!

[@HAMZA22]

This is beautiful!

[@tolkkiturilli]

Love that wild Conan cameo

[@billwill2210]

Awesome video bro,subscribed

[@beef88]

Great video. Nice research👌

[@BigYARK]

One of the best Kareem videos I've seen

[@georgetrevortan446]

I'm glad he's finally getting the respect he deserves. The media used to bully him because he was always so serious. Finally with his headline appearances in the political sphere recently he might be the most covered retired player at this point, and people are starting to do a bit of simple research to learn his shot was as old and as effective as the game wills it.

[@rodaxel7165]

You will always be dime drop to me. New York Knicks " Misery" I'd say Spike Lee.. But after what they did to him and the crap Dolan has been doing during this pandemic and blm.. He might support the one close by....

[@resurrectedpa]

Yeah it used to be Spike Lee but...tbh it's Misery...but not anymore I guess

[@chrissullivan6572]

I never knew Wooden helped him perfect it. J......you've done it again

[@realrich7509]

This is an outstanding video

[@silencedowell1722]

I do hope one day someone will bring the Skyhook back, man to that would be something to watch!!!

[@yatoyezx]

First time i saw Kareem was against artis gilmore, saw him do a skyhook and just fell in love with the shoot. Became a Laker fan because of him

[@MrPlow-jc4cr]

The Skyhook, Dream Shake, and Dirk-leg are just the coolest things ever

[@gaffle7646]

Dude, you forgot IceMan's finger roll!

[@MrPlow-jc4cr]

@@gaffle7646 True that. Wilt's Big Dipper move is also a pretty sweet one in a similar vein to Gervin's rolls

[@RICxRODx23]

That Shaq quote was really eye opening tho. Just goes to show that everyone does wish they could shoot a really nice J than be a dunker/paint scorer

[@Jake.r606]

Love kareem and this content, nice work

[@GlockBarium]

Great timing with Kareem in the news today

[@keepkalm]

The Mikan Drill can really expand your mind/game if you are doing it right. Kind of like how musicians practice scales; if you don’t think scales are interesting, practice them until they are.

[@vigneshsubramanian2511]

8:42 It could be effective for guards if you add a bit of a fadeaway to it, but you would need a lot of leg power for that to work. However, since the game is much faster today you would need to set it up with a crossover or a "Dream Shake."

[@marksheppard6498]

The GOAT!

[@sdyooper]

During the rise of Jordan, coaches also started aggressively double-teaming the post in the late 80s. This neutralized the separation that the hook created. Think what it could do now in an era of jump shooters.

[@gaffle7646]

Kareem DEVOURED double teams. He'd either create an assist for someone or score on the duo himself...

[@oldsocrates]

@@gaffle7646 THIS! Too many people forget what a great passer Kareem was. He could get open shots for his teammates if a double team came.

[@rodneyjr7172]

I just started using it and it works for me

[@gaffle7646]

Yooo... this intro was excellent! 5:54 - 6:00... yep, THAT sums up KAJ vs. the competition!

[@danielolugbemi]

1:19 with the lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@fade_ruby2119]

Everyone underrates Kareem, his sky hook is the best move their is. It doesn't matter if it's old school or if its not cool. Everyone these days just wants to shoot 3s. I'm the only one in my school that actually practices the sky hook. Thanks again for the vid.

[@urbananalrapist]

Great vid! I have a few points to make, based on my study of the move and other post moves: 1. All post players become effective scorers because of a go-to move. That move is their bread and butter, and the mere threat of a go-to move that can get consistent buckets allows the post player to get his defender in the air or at least on his toes. 2. Most post players prefer their go-to moves to go towards the center of the lane This allows them room to make a countermove the other way (towards the baseline) if needed. So for rightys, they would prefer to post up in the left block so they could make their move to the right towards the lane. And for leftys, they would prefer to post on the right block so they could make their move to the left towards the lane. 3. Kareem's skyhook is unique in that he was a righty, and preferred to shoot the skyhook from the right block turning towards the baseline. So he basically committed himself to shooting the shot with basically no room to make a countermove. 4. Basically, every time he moseyed down and planted himself into the right block, he was almost definitely always going to shoot a skyhook going towards the right baseline. He knew it, and his defenders knew it. 5. So how did Kareem always get his go-to shot, even though his defenders knew it was coming? This was something that took me years to figure out, mostly because of my own stubbornness when playing basketball (I also use the skyhook, or something close to it). Kareem uses the threat of the pass to a potential cutter running down the lane. His defenders didn't quite know if he is merely faking a pass (which was frequently the case) or if there was an actual cutter slicing through the lane. By using the pass threat, he sows doubt in his defenders mind. 6. So he only needs that mere doubt of a pass threat to a cutter to open up enough space to cleanly shoot the skyhook. Remember that an open layup is an even higher % shot than the skyhook. It's a "pick your poison" situation. And because Kareem worked with Coach Wooden to refine his skyhook so that it could be shot with virtually no windup (as stated in this video), he basically needs very little open space to get it off. 7. This same technique (using the threat of a pass to open up space for your post-up game) should be taught to all aspiring post players and big men from day one. My beloved Knicks have employed a bunch of witless big men over the years who still don't know this lesson. Instead, we've had guys like Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, and Kevin Seraphim who fall in love with their post games even though they're no Kevin McHales. So when they commit to their moves, it's either an easy double team to strip the ball, or the defender holds his ground because the defender knows the post player isn't making a high percentage move and is unlikely to pass. 8. Meanwhile, a mere rookie, Zion Williamson, understands this technique extremely well at such a young age. Zion isn't a post menace merely because he's a strong bull with quick hops and nice touch. It's because he is always a threat to make a sharp pass to a cutter or a 3-pt threat on the Pelicans. That opens up space for Zion to make his move against a single (usually) overwhelmed defender. Or, if he attracts the double team, he makes good on the pass threat.

[@davidr.2633]

Good analysis. I would add in his earlier years, he would shoot it from the right block, wheeling into the lane, in the middle and the left high post, where hit his game winning shot, the first regular season game he ever played with Magic. In his later years, he developed a LEFT handed skyhook.

[@urbananalrapist]

@@davidr.2633 Yes, that's true. Now that I think about it, he preferred the right-block baseline skyhook as his go-to move in his older days because he was no longer as mobile enough, nor had the energy to make a bunch of intricate countermoves like in his younger days. Plus, he had Magic feeding him the ball, so he knew he was getting the pass where he wanted it.

[@antoniompacosta]

best ringer man right here

[@BigYARK]

The GOAT

[@GrayMinemanLOL]

this is really interesting. i'm gonna put this in my game even though i'm a point guard lol

[@pabl0sauced0]

I fucking LOVE these hoop breakdowns. Im a sucker for any details about hooping, i am the definition of basketball head I'll go watch my local community college just cuz😂😂

[@kakouhai7162]

1:18 When mom pulls out the cookie jar

[@RudieObias]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell are greater than Michael Jordan and LeBron James. 🐐

[@Pau1danelli]

If this video was exactly the same, but consisted of you reading the phone book I’d still have enjoyed it. Mans voice is sooooooothing.

[@gauravshahi9494]

Those who are practicing sky hook the key to the sky hook is fading the direction of shoulder from where you are realeasing the ball not like a fade away but just a little instead of going directly vertical try to mix it with a fade it will make your shot more accurate.

[@silencedowell1722]

@The Ringer could you do a video about Rick Barry's underhand free throw shot

[@JohnBonini]

"Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!"

[@noahallen7992]

Best player ever

[@kevinjones4001]

All time greatest move. Plenty of guys have a crossover. Some have amazing fadeaway turnaround jumpers. Nobody but Kareem has the Sky Hook.

[@hostjoe]

I wanna see modern players incorporate the skyhook into their game, guys like Siakam and Embiid can probably do it with regularity if they practiced it.

[@HitMeOnMyPeja]

the real goat.

[@MrMigzz29]

This was my favorite move when I learned basketball. Sadly basketball isn't just for me.

[@thiagowaldhelm]

This is dope. And I agree =)

[@deandria4900]

The skyhook everything

[@shanthi-the-bard]

I can understand the set shot and underhanded free throws seeming lame, but I don't understand why the sky hook was seen that way. Even today, after internalizing so much modern basketball, the sky hook looks extremely graceful and not at all old-fashioned or clunky.

[@arkangelarkangel1302]

The move is the man. Ying Kareem Yang Skyhook. Its almost sacrilege to do Abdul-Jabbar signature move.

[@mikhael4822]

What’s the song used in the very beginning? It’s so good.

[@kmusic5944]

I used it in the late 90s in middle school.. No one ever stopped it.. I don't care if it look dated....I had the fadeaway too if they started to talk shit...And arching my shot for the tall freaks

[@TakumiFujiwara80]

The move himself is not the killer. It's the phisique of Karim that make it impossible to defend. Ho do you suppose to extend and try to reach the ball when it start to leave his hand? He has the wingspan of a 747.... It's the same thing of the finger roll. This shot techniques leave the ball wide open to be steal if you are not very tall and with long arms.

[@iago7185]

More of this

[@jasonchen2761]

I once read that Kareem was so fast that even if he were only 6 Ft he’d still be an all star player

[@guillermovazquez1084]

Hell nah he wasn't that fast, aglie yes

[@jasonchen2761]

@Guillermo Vazquez not the Lakers Kareem tho, younger one when he was in UCLA and Bucks, but honestly I did not watch him played,

[@kenneth7826]

@@guillermovazquez1084 good morning,,he was fast ....saw him at power memorial..he was not slow

[@kevintrovador]

He had a perfect technique

[@bigzbo1989]

Man I never thought about that. Kareem is a skilled Rudy gobert

[@simonbionary11010]

Obv Kareem is the best basketballplayer of all time(In consideration of points over an career). Tho he was underappreciated by the fans cause he was practical instead of fancy.

[@bchen0709]

Oh I agree

[@PancakeMan123000]

Dime drop video = instant like

[@cesarquint256]

Contrary to shaq and Wilt, Kareem was good at the ft line, he would be averaging 38 18 with 70% fg or something crazy like that lol

[@davidr.2633]

Great point, and could out run both of them. Rebounding would have been a hard battle against Wilt, but I can see him out-rebounding Shaq.

[@melmanchildjones696]

Zavier Simpson uses a version of the hook shot..point guard at Michigan, check him out!

[@Gifted_Since1981]

🐐

[@jmsflora279]

And he dunked on Wilt! He also wrote Profiles in Black Courage, it should be required reading in all schools.

[@wessh00]

Thank you Ringer for this video👍🏽 KAJ33 = 🐐 💜💛💜💛💜💛 New sub because Lakers4Life

[@lucasfamily4670]

I hate when people call a dumbass running hook a sky hook. Completely different shot. Kareem is the only player I've seen do the sky hook.