A twist, a change of direction. It wasn’t some magic formula concocted by a sophomore in college that changed the art of dribbling for eternity. Tim Hardaway just wanted to reach the circle for a lay-up without using the shorter route – far too difficult – He then thought the best solution was to go left, then right. Or right, then left.
“My goal was to confuse the defenders” said Tim Hardaway, or simply to “cross” them
The crossover dribble was a revelation at the time for Hardaway. Currently there is a move used in each match like the jump shoot or the reverse. The crossover is now taught in all basketball academies from an early age. A player and especially the point guards must master this movement a little bit. He’s a symbol of the modern era of basketball, and many Tim “Bug” Hardaway impersonators have flourished in the NBA.
Without a doubt, Hardaway is one of a handful of pioneers who changed the game forever.
“It’s amazing,” he says, “the scouts now even have a special ‘crossover’ box in their report. It makes me laugh. I was just a college player trying something new and it just happened. Now every college player wants to prove they can do it.”
This dribble froze more humans than a Mr Freeze. Tim used this dribble throughout his 15 seasons in the league with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat leaving an indelible mark on NBA history. To the left then to the right or vice versa, everyone has their own variant of the ” killer crossover original from Hardaway. Hardaway’s specialty was between the legs, but we find the “normal” crossover, the “fake”… This movement seems simple, but it took Hardaway hours and hours of experimentation and training to develop.
He remembers seeing Pearl Washingtonone of the kings of New York’s asphalt running a reverse.
“He made a feint as if he was going to the right. It was not a crossover he did not pass the ball between the legs, but in front of him. The next day at the gym I tried to do it, but I mightn’t. So I developed my own dribble which became the crossover. I did it between the legs keeping the ball in front of me going from left to right and finally between the legs. I thought: I can do this. »
Hardaway reckons he spent a week perfecting his dribbling, then started doing it in practice at his Texas El Paso college. His teammates were impressed and so he decided to make it a weapon in his arsenal. His crossover was nicknamed ” The UTEP Two-Step »
The crossover did not yet have its special label before Tim returned to the NBA with the Warriors and the famous Run-TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond et CHarris Mullin). Quickly the TV replays lingered on this brand new dribble that was doing so much damage. It was dissected and the players tried to appropriate it.
This is where the problem lies, many players have changed the crossover to “carryover”. Players were “allowed” to carry the ball in the palm of their hand when executing their crossover.
Even the inventor regrets it:
“I never carried the ball. My hands remained above the ball. I never did like Allen Iverson or those players who slid and carried the ball to eliminate defenders. »
The league made a crackdown attempt, including targeting Iverson, but it was a failure. After a few months, the whistles stopped sounding. The problem for the NBA is that the toothpaste was already out of the tube, impossible to go back, fashion had taken so quickly. He even invaded all levels.
“When And-1 arrived, everyone tried to dribble like those street players. Players stopped working on the basics of dribbling and skill and started doing things wrong. It put aside a lot of good basketball players. In addition the referees know it, but do not whistle, what do you want to do. You know it’s a porter,” Hardaway said with a sigh. “I’m not upset or angry, but I’m not happy with how this movement is progressing. That’s not how I handled the ball. I had a unique style. I passed my defender with a nice move and he didn’t know how to stop me. »
However, he is touched by the players who approach him and he thanks them for also trying to change the game and make it evolve. But when you ask him which player is close to the perfect crossover, his “killer crossover” he declares without hesitation:
” Nobody “
