29. The one-handed ball fake in Orlando
You know a player is special when he has an iconic move so jaw-droppingly smooth that it almost looks majestic. LeBron looks that way when he makes no-look whip passes. Steph Curry looks that way when he pulls up for a 30-foot jumper. Michael Jordan looked that way when he palmed the ball with one hand and faked defenders out of their sneakers.
When Jordan fooled a guy with a one-handed pump fake, it simply showed the difference in skill level between Jordan and his defender. It showed a level of dominance that no one in NBA history had ever shown.
Not only did it play tricks on opponents’ minds, but it was physically impressive. How could he swing the ball around like that with just one hand? How is that even possible? Kids have been trying that move in their driveways for years, but the ball always ends up flying out of their hands and down the street.
One of Jordan’s one-handed fakes stands out among the rest, though.
In this moment, Jordan steals the ball from T-Mac, stops on a dime in transition, one-hand fakes a shot (which naturally gets the defender off his feet) and then swiftly one-hand fakes a pass to his teammate running down the lane (which naturally makes the same poor defender leave Jordan and cover the other Bull).
MJ calmly proceeds to knock down one of the easiest jumpers of his life. All because he could palm the ball like no one else in the world.
28. The slam on Alonzo Mourning
Let’s take it back to March of 1993. Alonzo Mourning, one of the league’s brightest young stars, is in Chicago to take on MJ and Co. Mourning had a heck of a 1992-93 season where he averaged 21 points and a little over 10 boards per game. Not too bad for a rookie. But in Chicago, on March 12, it was time for Mourning to get humbled.
It wasn’t like MJ was going crazy or anything. All he did was score 52 points on 21-of-35 shooting from the field. You know, an average day in the office for His Royal Airness.
As if dropping an uber-efficient 52 on Charlotte wasn’t enough, though, Jordan felt the need to shatter the hearts of Hornets fans in one mystifying moment.
As soon as the pass is made to the high post, Jordan starts a sprinting assault on the rim from half-court. Fans could tell what was about to happen from a mile away.
Mid-sprint, Jordan takes a power dribble, gathers the ball, and leaps at Alonzo Mourning, creating one of the nastiest poster dunks in basketball history. To top it all off, Jordan stops after the dunk and lets out a violent roar.
What a moment.