“The Skyhook is out of style, out of the game!”: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is Upset Nobody Uses his “Unstoppable” Shot Anymore

Arun Sharma | 06/10/2022
"The Skyhook is out of style, out of the game!": Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks about why no body uses his "Unstoppable" shot anymore

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has given back so much to the community – but people are not using his greatest contribution, the Skyhook!

Social justice champion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has done a lot for the community. He’s done a lot for the league as well, but one of his most famous tricks seems to have vanished. The Skyhook, also known as the “Unstoppable” shot by fans, is an old-school shot.

The shot can only be seen in clips, and videos or be used in NBA 2K by Kareem himself. Anyone who plays the game can attest to how difficult it is to stop that shot. But nobody seems to be interested, and according to Kareem himself, it is going out of style.

The way the game is being played, there is no place for a shot like that. Nobody wants to play midrange or near the post. Even if they do, it is a highly contested dunk or a fancy layup. The name of the game is to efficiently get buckets; if you want to show off all the time, play for the Harlem Globe Trotters.

The move is a cheat code that nobody wants to use—but they should be.

Also Read: “I’m Jealous LeBron James Will Pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!”: Shaquille O’Neal Voices His Desire to Be No.1 on the All-Time Scoring List

The Sky Hook should be used more often in today’s game – it would make the game easier to play

With the game almost certainly out of the midrange, it leaves a lot of pockets for players that can be exploited. With Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard making it a fashion to shoot from anywhere, the 3-point shot has become more fashionable than the long two.

Mid-range specialists are few and far in today’s game, with only Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and DeMar DeRozan using those spaces effectively. An additional shot like the skyhook could probably change the balance of the game and make it more interesting.

Not every play has to be a maze of passes culminating in an open field anymore. Plays could be switched up to keep the opposition guessing.

Also Read: Wilt Chamberlain blocked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s iconic “skyhook” 5 times in Game 3 of the 1972 ECF

With Luka Doncic experimenting with the shot, will he be the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

In the recently concluded World Cup qualifier games, Luka Doncic showcased what could be a modern-day Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He had a fantastic offseason and will be ready to go this season. The Mavericks superstar took his team to the conference finals and will look to go two steps further.

If he does score like this in the NBA, it is almost guaranteed that no one will be able to stop him. Despite moving at a snail’s pace compared to Ja Morant, Doncic has been more unstoppable. Give him the “unstoppable” shot, and it’s over for the league.

Also Read: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar compared the decision of Magic Johnson returning at 36 y/o to biblical figure ‘Methuselah’

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
Kareem Abul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers Milwaukee Bucks Sky Hook

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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