23. The cradle dunks
It’s pretty special when a player has a signature in-game dunk. Russell Westbrook has the crushingly powerful, superhero-esque tomahawk. LeBron has the swooping windmill. Kobe Bryant had the baseline up-and-under. Dominique Wilkins had the double-clutch. And Air Jordan had the cradle.
The special thing about all of these signature dunks is you were probably able to picture multiple moments where all of these were pulled off. You didn’t need video proof as a reminder. These dunks stick in your memory.
There’s no one cradle dunk of MJ’s that stands out above the rest. They’re all equally legendary in their own way. So for no. 23, I didn’t want to choose one specific cradle dunk – I wanted to talk about all of them as a whole.
Jordan’s cradle dunks were special because unlike a lot of signature dunks, they didn’t have much to do with power. They were all about finesse. As he glided through the air, he would swiftly rock the ball from one side of his body to the other (oftentimes with his tongue hanging out) and would proceed to gracefully throw the ball down through the hoop.
The cradle dunks are one of the most memorable parts of the Jordan experience, and they’ll live on in the memories of hoops fans forever (and of course on YouTube).
22. The reverse layup through crazy contact
In Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals, the Bulls put on an absolute clinic, dismantling the Jazz to the tune of 96-54. Yes, you read that right. 96-54. In an NBA Finals game. Think about that for a second and come back to this.
You back? Okay, let’s continue.
The most dazzling moment in this game was when Jordan had the ball on the wing with the Bulls up 18 midway through the third quarter. He easily beat a lazy Jeff Hornacek off the dribble, hung in the air and successfully finished a crazy reverse layup while a 7’2″ Greg Ostertag (nicknamed “The Big O”) was draped all over him.
I still have no idea how he finished this layup. The strength and body control it takes to complete a reverse layup while a 7’2″ behemoth pulls you back down to Earth is truly astounding. In slow motion, this play is even more breathtaking.
After the ball goes in, as the crowd and the Bulls’ bench are going crazy, Jordan just walks it off casually, chomping on his gum. Nothing out of the ordinary for MJ.