There are various athletes in the world of sports with signature moves, ones that often appear on highlight reels. But there are some moves that change the game in which they play. In this post, I'll be focusing on signature moves in the NBA and NFL.
Odell Beckham Jr.
You all probably know what Odell's signature move is; the one handed catch. But how did it change football? There are a few ways. First, the showcase of athleticism, and showing us that the limits we thought were there actually aren't. It's also kind of a life metaphor. Even with the defense pulling at his jersey, and the ball way to high to catch, he was able to reach up and grab the ball, scoring a touchdown. Life is like that sometimes, with us being pulled in every direction, and our goals and dreams seem too high to reach. But if we try and go for our goals, we most likely will be able to pull it down and score.
James Harden
"The Beard". His step back three might be the best space creating moves in NBA history. The way he's able to take large, quick steps back is crazy. He has definitely changed the game of basketball. When you see kids these days play, they're all pulling up, doing crossovers and stepbacks, and shooting lots of threes. This isn't solely on Harden, but he is one of the key contributors to the change in lower levels of the game. Another way it's changed is because of his stats. With his ability to create space and shots, and to make those shots, his offensive numbers are staggering. His 32 game streak of 30+ points this last year is second only to Wilt Chamberlain, who was 7 feet one inch. His numbers this year were the best we've seen since Michael Jordan. But he still didn't win MVP smh.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
One of the most difficult shots to guard is Kareem's skyhook. There's actually a pretty funny story about why he started using this unguardable shot. He actually developed it in college after the NCAA banned dunks for a few years, pretty much just to limit Kareem's effectiveness. But once developed, Kareem was more or less an unstoppable player. In 2017, Kareem was asked by ESPN how to block the skyhook. Kareem replied simply: "You don't".
Hakeem Olajuwon
The dream shake. Getting defenders up in the air and sliding past. It is one of the most effective ways to create space in a game, but instead of on the three point line like Harden, it's used for when you're driving in and in the paint. He was able to score tons of times, and made many defenders look foolish. Using this move, Olajuwon led the rockets to back-to-back championships in '94 and '95.
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