basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

(and derivatives like

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

), a player may attempt to score a basket by leaping straight into the air, the elbow of the shooting hand cocked, ball in hand above the head, and lancing the ball in a high arc towards the basket for a jump shot (colloquially, a jumper). Although early critics thought the leap might lead to indecision in the air, the jump shot replaced the earlier, less quickly released '' set shot'', and eventually transformed the game because it is the easiest shot to make from a distance and more difficult for a defender to block. Variations on the simple jump shot include the " turnaround jumper" (facing away from the basket, then jumping and spinning towards it, shooting the ball in mid-air); the "

fadeaway A fadeaway or fall-away in basketball is a jump shot taken while jumping backwards, away from the basket. The goal is to create space between the shooter and the defender, making the shot much harder to block. The shooter must have very good accu ...

" (jumping ''away'' from the basket to create space); and the "leaning jumper" (jumping towards the basket to move away from a trailing defender). With the " hook shot," a player is turned sideways with the shooting arm away from the basket outstretched so that with a sweep he can launch the ball over his head. Since a defender must leap to block a jumper, the shooter may use a

pump fake A pump fake is a feigned attempt to pass the ball in football or basketball. Football In football, a pump fake is a move by the quarterback to deceive the defense. It entails the movement of the arm so as to fool the defense into thinking the quar ...

to get the defender in the air at the wrong time and so have a clear shot. If the shooter leaps into the defender, a foul is called on the defensive player, whereas the shooter is awarded two or three free throws according to the value of a missed attempt, or a single free throw if he scores. Debate still continues as to who invented the jump shot. In the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

collegiate archives, John Miller Cooper, who played at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

in the 1930s, is recognized as the person to hoist the first jump shot. However,

John Christgau John Frederick Christgau (February 11, 1934 – August 21, 2018) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction. Christgau was born in Crookston, Minnesota. He later moved to California, where he attended San Francisco State University. H ...

, in ''The Origins of the Jump Shot'', makes a strong case that

Ken Sailors Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A guard (basketball), guard, he is notable for inventing the Jump shot (basketball), jump shot as an ...

did so in May 1934. Sailors went on to play for the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

and was selected as MVP of their 1943 NCAA Championship team. Sailors also played for five different teams in the old American Basketball League. Other people that Christgau credits with the jump shot are Glen "Glenn" Roberts, Myer "Whitey" Skoog, John "Mouse" Gonzales, Bud Palmer, Davage "Dave" Minor, “Jumping” Joe Fulks, Johnny Adams, and Belus Smawley. Hank Luisetti is credited with popularizing the jump shot.The Forgotten Basketball Pioneer Who Made Stephen Curry Possible
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References

External links

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BBC Sport: The jump shotHow To Shoot a Basketball Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jump Shot (Basketball) Basketball terminology Basketball strategy Jumping

Further reading

References

External links