A step-by-step account of John Wall’s circus shot against the Bulls

The Washington Wizards guard scored a crazy basket as Mike Dunleavy tried to steal the ball from him on a breakaway drive.

by Dane Delgado

Jan 18, 2014, 6:12 PM UTC

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall hit an insane circus shot late in the third quarter in the Washington Wizards' 96-93 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Today, we're going to break down how Wall hit his shot by sticking to the fundamentals.

Step 1: Be on a fastbreak against Mike Dunleavy

It’s important to know your competition, and Wall-on-Dunleavy is a recipe for success. The Wizards star stays on the left lane line and forces Dunleavy to make a defensive move in order to stop an easy layup.

Step 2: Lock arms

Dunleavy swipes for the ball and Wall goes for the up-and-over move to the right side. Not known as a defensive specialist, the Bulls forward misses the ball entirely and shoves his arm between Wall’s grip.

Step 3. Rotate

If there’s one thing you can’t forget to do here, it’s spin wildly out of control. Wall sees an opportunity with Dunleavy firm in his sweaty embrace, and begins to pivot away from the hoop.

Step 4: Leverage with the leg

Wall needs to have some kind of force to stabilize himself, lest he rotate 360 degrees and end up looking like a fool. He cleverly plants his right knee firmly in Dunleavy’s backside in order to slow his spin. John Wooden wrote about this in Practical Modern Basketball, I believe.

Step 5: Square to the hoop

No one said you had to be facing the hoop to be square to it. Great technique.

We all heard the saying a thousand times in grade school, but you should “reach in the cookie jar” to form a perfect shot release. Wall executes to perfection here, cocking his elbow and wrist perfectly towards the hoop.

Step 7: Call “bank”

Little-known fact: Derek Fisher fought hard to get this rule implemented into the new CBA and it's required on all plays involving twirling. Also, tip-ins now put the other team back to zero unless they are above 11.

*****

John Wall is one of the best young guards in the league, and his dedication to fundamentals sets a perfect example for young ballers everywhere. Hard work, practice and a huck at the rim. Just like Tex Winter always preached.