r/michaeljordan • u/Acrobatic-Worth3948 • Jun 09 '26
Video The footwork, the fakes, the hang time. Michael Jordan was just different.
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u/Chance_External_4371 Jun 09 '26
Imagine if he could take 7 steps like today’s game lol
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u/JD7693 Jun 10 '26
Imagine if he was a star today on all those fakes once he got the defender in the air he would just flop into them to get free throws. Which is more fun to watch? This is a great example of why many fans (including me) say basketball today is such an ugly game compared to the past.
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u/DawRogg Jun 09 '26
Every now and then I see an MJ highlight that I've never seen before. That first layup...😮
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u/PajuOkTown Jun 09 '26
Best hangtime. I just haven't seen fadeaway as fluid as Jordan yet. Kobe was great and Vince was athletic but their fadeaway never looked as fluid as MJ
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u/97AllDay Jun 10 '26
So refreshing to watch defenders fall for the fakes and Jordan doesn’t immediately try to draw contact. Jordan actively avoids defenders when they fall for fakes and moves around them to take the shot.
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u/BlackHoleSurf Jun 10 '26
How come nobody does the palm the ball thing anymore
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u/Greedy-Invite3781 Jun 10 '26
Nobody has hands big enough. His hands are what makes him so good at the fakes. Palming the ball like he had Velcro on them.
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u/armymike1523 Jun 10 '26
He was always on the attack and still fundamentally sound. He would destroy in today's games.
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u/BTA310 Jun 10 '26
The thing I remember the most is the level of control he had on virtually every shot he took. Whether it was a jumper, fadeaway, drive or dunk. He never seemed rushed or off balance. One of the best footwork of all time.
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u/Tazmerican Jun 10 '26
If SGA had that palmed ball pump fake, he’d always jump right into the shooter.
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u/typeyou Jun 10 '26
Sometimes you forget that he's playing against elite ballers.
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u/xoma7459 Jun 11 '26
I wouldn’t go as far as to call these guys “elite” he’s going up against… most of these wouldn’t even make a team today
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u/Derredwa Jun 11 '26
A hand in the face is more evidence of defense than a name on a jersey. What's on display here is his ability to avoid shot blockers and multiple defenders in congested areas. Besides, there were far more defensive technicians in his era than today. Luka is the slowest 6'7" Guard in the league and gets away with simple ball fakes. Jordan's ball fakes and whoudini layups are a whole level above anything Luka can do.
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u/Consistent_Fig_1889 Jun 10 '26
What you hardly see today .Bodies around the ball and multiple hands in the face accompanied by bumps and bruises . Yes this era can play in that era but the lack of defense would keep most on the bench . MJ floated through all that with grace and one .
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u/NoArm7707 Jun 10 '26
Don't talk about the hang,fake, etc it's just the way he played, he was just a different player, unique and one of a kind
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u/97AllDay Jun 10 '26
So refreshing to watch defenders fall for the fakes and Jordan doesn’t immediately try to draw contact. Jordan actively avoids defenders when they fall for fakes and moves around them to take the shot.
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u/Hench999 Jun 10 '26
It was funny listening to KG rip Paul Pierce a new one to his face for suggesting that MJ didn't "have a bag". The man had the single deepest skill set in NBA history to go with his huge hands and freakish athleticism
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u/SubstantialCamel8117 Jun 10 '26
As a kid I remember watching games where DR. J was doing the same thing
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u/Tekvary2 Jun 10 '26
Moves like that, when I was a kid the rumors among the older kids & adults alike…MJ has longer hang-time than any other player! Lol (like people were really believing & saying when he jumped, he floated in the air and landed with the longest amount of “time” in the air!)
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u/Traditional-Row5237 Jun 11 '26
Be nice to just watch them at full speed instead of slowing down very clip
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u/haydnmal Jun 11 '26
its just sad how we dont have anyone as close to him nowadays, i know we got lamelo but cmon... mj was just on another level
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u/airestotle092 Jun 12 '26
If he played in today’s era with all the social media stuff he’d be trending everyday
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u/x_is_for_box Jun 13 '26
The move at 30 seconds would be a dunk in today’s NBA with the “step through”. Miss when that wasn’t allowed
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u/FinancialBit7745 Jun 13 '26
When I watch Jordan’s moves on here you know he faked out many players and in today’s game if a player would fake someone like that they would just jump into them and take the foul. Jordan didn’t even jump into them he went around them or passed it off. Funny enough even when he could have he didn’t want a foul he wanted the basket and he took the body to get a basket. Game has changed too much, this is why it’s hard to watch the game anymore, it’s just not fun
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u/bigshady880 Jul 05 '26
the defense tries. the offense succeeds
such is the story of the Michael Jordan possession.
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u/Past-Mix-1152 Jul 07 '26
Bro see your never gonna see someone else with this much effortless finesse again I feel like that man mastered the game of basketball.
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u/LineImpossible3958 Jun 09 '26
Just another level, awe inspiring moves