“Julius Erving has similar hands to mine and can grip the ball off the dribble”: Michael Jordan outlines how imperative it is for him to have large hands to dominate

Michael Jordan breaks down the reason as to why his large hands help him dominate his opponents and that Julius Erving had similar hands. 

Michael Jordan was undoubtedly a freak of nature when in the NBA. Sure, it may seem as though a 6’6 guard who hovered around 220lbs would be easy to find but it was the way in which he utilized his height, his 7’0 wingspan, and all 220lbs to his own advantage on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. 

One of Jordan’s greatest assets was his bounce, hence his nickname being ‘Air Jordan’. He had one of the longest hangtimes the league had ever seen, allowing him to switch hands on layups, like he did against Magic and the Lakers, while also making well thought out decisions while in the air in terms of finding open teammates.

Also read: “Michael Jordan still hasn’t forgiven Allen Iverson for crossing him over”: Shannon Sharpe talks to the Sixers legend about hitting the ‘GOAT’ with his iconic crossover

On the defensive end of the floor, we’ve seen Michael Jordan sore through the sky for a couple bombastic blocks every now and then. However, there is one more asset MJ possesses, an asset that was naturally bestowed upon him with that greatly helped. 

Michael Jordan explains how important the size of his hands is. 

Michael Jordan appeared alongside Gene Siskel in 1996 and the latter says that he wanted to ask the Bulls legend about his hands as the topic had never been touched on before. Luckily for Siskel, Jordan gave him one of the most intricate answers as to why his hands help him be as good as he is at the game. 

“I have a wide thumb, away from my finger which gives me the grip for grabbing the ball and being to move it. That’s like having a paintbrush and being able to create. Dr.J did this. If you’ve ever noticed, Dr.J’s hands, his thumb is so far away from his index finger. Which gives him a better grip and a wider span so he can pick up the ball off the dribble” 

“I can sense a good shot and a bad shot. If it comes off the thumb, index, and middle finger, I feel very good about the shot. If it comes off the ring and little finger, then my mechanics got screwed up.”

Also read: “Do you want me to s*ck Anthony Davis off?!: When Rajon Rondo gave a hilariously awkward reply after being asked to comment on the Brow before their time on the Lakers

Michael Jordan and his pump fakes are still one of the greatest highlights in the history of the NBA as he made guys relocate to a whole different side of the court by simply raising his shooting hand and then bringing it back down.