
A crossover dribble is a
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 (appro ...
maneuver in which a player
dribbling
In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score.
As ...
the ball switches the ball rapidly from one hand to the other, to make a change in direction. In a typical example the player heads up-court, dribbling the ball in (say) the left hand, then makes a wide step left with a head fake. If the
defender is deceived, the player can then switch to dribbling with the right hand and surpass the defender. The crossover can allow the player an open
jump shot or a clear path to the
basket
A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff Fiber, fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, Stolon, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials ...
. Crossover is generally performed for space creation.
The first crossover, it is claimed, happened in a street basketball game at the
Rucker Park by the street legend
Richard (Rick) "Pee Wee" Kirkland.
In the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
,
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...
was known to do the move as early as the 1960s as well as
Dwayne Washington while playing for
Syracuse during the early 1980s. Former NBA player
Archie Clark, who played for five teams from 1966–1976, has been called the father of the crossover move in the NBA; and was given the nickname "Shake-and-Bake" for his dribbling style.
Tim Hardaway is credited for popularizing the killer crossover in the NBA, as well as
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson ( ; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as both a shooting guard and point guard. As an NBA rook ...
and
Steve Francis.
References
External links
*
{{Basketball
Basketball terminology