#1: Kobe Bryant, Lakers
#1: Kobe Bryant, Lakers
An NBA championship with the Knicks in 1973 and the distinction of being one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History isn't what immediately comes to mind about Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. More likely, it's the memory of his array of dizzying spin moves, dribbling between his legs and, of course, that gorgeous turnaround jump shot.
That classic shot actually was born out of embarrassment. After being held scoreless by the stifling defense of the Pistons' Eddie Miles during a game early in his career, Monroe studied tapes of Oscar Robertson backing his way into the paint. He copied the move and used it to set up a quick turnaround and fadeaway jumper when he got inside the foul line. The next time Monroe's Bullets faced the Pistons, The Pearl dropped in 44 points, thumped his chest and told Miles, "Well, now my average against you is 22."
Today's masters of the shot include everyone from Karl Malone and Glenn Robinson to Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess.
Monroe says, "Kobe Bryant is backing guys in and doing the turnaround better than anyone. You need strength to master that shot because you have to be able to tense your body and keep the defender from getting around you when you're dribbling into position. Kobe has that strength. When Kobe does the move, he gets guys on a yo-yo, so it's easy to fake them out and draw the foul.
"Kobe also has a solid midrange jumper, one of the shots that's missing in today's game because everybody wants to camp out at the 3-point line. And he has what you need most if you're executing the turnaround: guile. No wonder he's had so much success with it. In the case of Kobe, though, he has so many skills that he never hones in on one particular shot to be his lifesaver. His turnaround is so good that he should make that his main weapon and say to himself, 'If all else fails, I know I can always hit that one.'"
