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Beauty is subjective, but not when you are admiring your favorite NBA superstars cook their opponents with their footwork. These NBA players make basketball look like a work of art, having honed their skills on the hardwood floor after hours of practice on the court.
When such players are faced with a one-on-one situation with a difficult defender to contend with or when they get double-teamed, they find a way out of the sticky situation thanks to their superior technical skills and feet movement. They may not be lighting it up from downtown or going for a high-flying acrobatic dunk in that moment, but they still leave you gob-smacked with their ability to score even with the entire defense focusing on them.
With this perspective, we take a look at five NBA superstars who exhibited such great footwork that they made basketball look like poetry in motion.
#5 Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki, the 2011 Finals MVP, was never blessed with innate athleticism. But the one thing he had was incredible footwork, which covered up for his lack of speed and agility. How many times have we seen Nowitzki operating in the low post, with his back towards the basket, wearing down his opponent by banging his bigger frame against the defender, only to either turn around and hit his patented one-legged fadeaway over the defender, or slip right under him just as the defender over commits to blocking Nowitzki.
Nowitzki also had the ability to dribble the basketball, then brake suddenly, lean in the other way and make an off-balance shot. All of this was largely possible because Nowitzki was a special talent, but he also had great inputs from German coach Holger Geschwindner who taught him several techniques of operating on the basketball floor.
#4 Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony has a poor reputation on defense. He is also considered a ball-hogger, someone who doesn’t necessarily make the right play. But one thing is for certain, Anthony can ball. No matter who is defending him, Anthony has shown the capability of scoring against the best of players in the league.
Blessed with good physical strength, Melo is a monster on the lblock. Give him the ball there and he will cook his defender with a series of dribble steps and head fakes. His ability to finish with both hands, go up-and-under or casually take a step-back jumper makes him one of the best in the business.
#3 Kobe Bryant
There is a reason NBA players rate Kobe Bryant so highly. The late LA Lakers legend may not have been the most efficient shooter ever, but he was a deadly scorer nonetheless. Kobe had all the moves, jab steps and head fakes, in his arsenal, but when that combined with his otherworldly athleticism, it really made for a devastating combination.
Kobe always had the capability to get to the basket thanks to his nimble footwork. He could handle the ball with both hands which was a bonus, but his ability to spin both ways, lean in and draw contact made guarding him an absolute nightmare for any defender.
#2 Hakeem Olajuwon
Few seven-footers had the kind of skill level that Hakeem Olajuwon was blessed with. For a man his size, he was remarkably quick on his feet. Give him the ball in his comfort zone, a few feet away from the basket, and Hakeem would absolutely kill his opponent with a series of moves, finally culminating with Hakeem spinning one way, but finishing in an entirely different direction.
His deftness on the floor, with him quickly veering from side-to-side, led to his moves being known as the ‘Dream Shake’. The number of times Hakeem decimated defenders, making them look entirely helpless against the Dream Shake is innumerable. But Hakeem pulled off his moves with so much style and grace that even his opponents were left admiring him. Even today, younger players seek out Hakeem because he simply was the best in the business.
#1 Michael Jordan
The GOAT has to be the best in the business. Watch MJ do his dance against Larry Bird and the Celtics in the 1986 Playoffs, when he dropped 63 points on them in Game 2, and you will understand why Larry Bird said, “It’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.” Or watch him as he dunked over Patrick Ewing, after completely faking his way past John Starks and Charles Oakley in Game 3 of the 1991 Eastern Conference first round matchup versus the New York Knicks, and you will understand just how deft MJ was with his footwork.
With his ability to hang in the air giving him an unfair advantage over any opponent, Jordan also had solid basketball fundamentals that made him the most efficient scorer. That is how he was able to beat his way past double and triple teams.
Even the famous "The Last Shot" that he made as a Chicago Bulls player over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals is a masterclass in footwork. He went to his right, then stopped on a dime and pulled up to hit the mid-range jumper. His trademark fadeaway shot put him at the very top of this very elite group of players.
