Basketball Jump Shot

Basketball like many sports and activities is art in motion. Don’t believe me? Check out the fun @ArtButMakeItSports social media which compares sports photos to famous art like the photo below comparing a hockey slap shot (Reginek, 1) to a famous painting. (Kandinsky, 1.1)

Basketball carries with it a certain aesthetic that can be best summarized in the jump shot. Basketball has taken over the spot as the second most popular sport in the United States, second only to football, and is played by around 900,000 boys and girls each year. Even if people do not like basketball, they are still likely familiar with the NBA/WNBA through social media or cultural events which likely included watching professional basketball on TV with parents or friends. Despite its popularity, basketball may be considered unattainable as the average height of the professional basketball player is 6’6 for men and 6 feet for women which allows for more dynamic dunks, blocks, and overall athletic play. Despite this, the jump shot is still the iconic symbol of the sport and rivals the ‘coolness factor’ of the tennis serve trophy pose, the home run swing, or the hockey slapshot. Whether you are in youth sports learning the basics, a refined player, or just a fan of the sport, you likely have developed an aesthetic taste of the shot.

But what is it?  Simply, it’s just shooting the ball.  And how do you do it?  Well, it depends. There is a generic kinematic checklist with some variation of centering the ball with the pointer and middle finger, bending your legs, making a right angle with your dominant arm, extending your arm and flicking your wrist. But if you watch the sport, you know basically every player shoots differently. So how do you choose? Well, if you were a kid born between 1985 and 1995, you likely ignored your coaches and instead mirrored your form off the professionals.  You likely studied the iconic form of Michael Jordan (Butler, 2) or yelled “Kobe” (Butler, 3) as you shot a fadeaway jump shot of your crumpled homework into the trash can.

If you were born after 1995, the jump shot model award likely shifted to Stephen Curry. He launched faster and from further distance away. Even better, Curry is a skinny 6’2.  After Curry’s first championship, basketball immediately became more relatable for undersized underdog players, as long as you had the jump shot. If you engaged with youth sports after 2013, you know this shot changed basketball for 10+ years and it just looks so cool. (Shaw, 4)

Seasoned watchers see a player’s jump shot and know it’s a miss from the poor aesthetic. Alternatively, watch the face of the same fan who sees a “yuck” looking jump shot bang through the rim and you would have thought some wasabi was snuck in their food. Take for example, the infamously ugly shooting form of Shawn Marion. (Widner, 5) 

This negative association can affect how fans individually feel about proven athletes.  Take for example Denver’s own Nikola Jokic; he is a three time Most Valuable Player, NBA champion, and NBA finals champion, the likes of which have not been seen in 50 years, however, for many fans he will not crack their top 5 favorite players, no thanks to his slightly unconventional lanky jump shot. (Forencich, 6)

(1). Dave Reginek, Team Photographer. 2024.  

https://x.com/ArtButSports/status/1871165530444542418/photo/1

(1.1)   Vasily Kandinsky. 1925. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/480895

(2). Nathaniel S. Butler via Getty Images. 1998. 

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/michael-jordan-of-the-chicago-bulls-shoots-a-jump-shot-news-photo/75293719?adppopup=true

(3). Nathaniel S. Butler via Getty Images. 2001.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/kobe-bryant-of-the-los-angeles-lakers-shoots-a-fade-away-news-photo/71090275?adppopup=true

(4). Ezra Shaw via Getty Images. 2019. 

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/stephen-curry-of-the-golden-state-warriors-attempts-a-jump-news-photo/1155804551?adppopup=true

(5). Rocky Widner via Getty Images. 2012.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/shawn-marion-of-the-dallas-mavericks-shoots-a-jumper-news-photo/141300252?adppopup=true

(6). Sam Forencich via Getty Image. 2019. 

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/nikola-jokic-of-the-denver-nuggets-shoots-mid-range-jumper-news-photo/1141575355?adppopup=true