Dirk Nowtizki, master of the mighty one-legged fadeaway, is still adding weapons to his arsenal. His latest progression? Kareem Abdul-Jabar’s sky hook, as he told Mavs.com.
Dirk Nowitzki claims to be adding Kareem’s sky hook to his game
Dirk Nowitzki might just add one of the league’s iconic shots to his repertoire -- assuming he’s not pulling the media’s leg.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
After relying heavily on his patented one-legged fadeaway throughout his career, what can the 7-footer add to his game to help the Mavericks see more success following a first-round playoff exit last season? How about the signature move of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer?
“Well, you know, the skyhook is still a work in progress,” Nowitzki chuckled while also tipping his cap to Abdul-Jabbar. “I might keep that for Year 18 and still work on it. But you always try to be a little more efficient, so we’re working on the release and stuff, but I’m not really sure if that makes such a big difference.”
Imagine Dirk with the sky hook to go with his one-legger when he’s got a defender alone in the post? That wouldn’t be fair:
Dirk is just 160 points away from passing another legendary Texas frontcourt player in Hakeem Olajuwon, currently sitting at 10th all-time (12th in ABA/NBA) with 26,786 total points. If he can find the right touch for the sky hook, Nowitzki just might pass Olajuwon in five or six games while averaging over 30 points per contest.
Or he’s just having fun with the media as the NBA regular season lines up.
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