travel nba step back

Step-Back Jumper: The Origin Story Of The NBA’s Most Deadly Move

James Harden and Luka Doncic have perfected the art of the step-back jumper, making defenses across the league look helpless over and over again.

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James Harden and Luka Doncic have perfected the art of the step-back jumper, making defenses across the league look helpless over and over again. They’re not the ones who invented the step-back jumper. Nor are they the first to perfect an unguardable shot.

Manu Ginobili brought the Euro over from Argentina.  Kareem won six championships using the sky-hook. Hakeem was putting defenders to sleep with his iconic Dream shake.

But none of these shots are even close to as popular as the ever-evolving step-back jumper.

In 2019, the move screams Harden or Doncic, but they’re simply redefining a shot that has been used for decades.

So who really started the step-back jumper craze? Who is responsible for driving 4th grade travel basketball coaches crazy?

The truth is, the first time we saw anything like today’s “legal travel” was in the 80’s, and there are a multitude of big names who have a case for bringing the unstoppable shot to the party.

First up, Larry Bird. He entered the league in 1979 with an immediate offensive impact, using his 6’9 frame to get off his lethal jumper. The step-back was definitely in Bird’s repertoire. Just look at this move on Dominique Wilkins.

But Bird wasn’t reliant on the move. He was more fond of the fadeaway, simply leaning back and shooting over them, no explosive step required.

Bird isn’t really taking that important step that step-back specialists rely on. It’s more of a you can’t touch this, I’m going to shoot over you shot.

So while he might have used the shot, it wasn’t his specialty. Eventually the move would find its way to Michael Jordan, but it went through one more iteration in the 80s before his Airness.

Kiki Vandeweghe. The son of a former NBA player and 1952’s Miss America entered the league in 1980. Because he was only 6’8”, he was not tall enough to contend with the behemoths of the 80’s, or fast enough to consistently get around them.

His strength was his footwork, so he used it to get a more open look while shooting jumpers. Vandewegh used his front foot to propel himself backwards, creating separation between himself and the defender.

Sound familiar?

Legendary coach Pete Newell dubbed this “The Kiki Move”, but today it is better known as the step-back.

That being said, I’m in favor of reverting back to calling it the Kiki instead of the stepback.

Just imagine an announcer being forced to end his call with “and Harden hits The Kiki.” Drop a comment if you’re with me. It’s obviously not the thing of beauty that this next guy perfected, but he was one of the first, so credit to Kiki.

Michael Jordan. We can’t make a mini-doc about revolutionizing the step-back without bringing up black jesus, now can we?

While he might not have been the first to use the move, Jordan was the one who perfected it. The once gimmicky shot became an art form.

Jordan used it often on the way to 6 championships. Just tell me this isn’t a thing of beauty.

For a boy that was born in Philly just six years before Jordan was drafted, the shot was enthralling. In the upcoming years, he would do the best MJ imitation we’ll likely ever see.

Kobe Bryant. Now, before anyone starts hyperventilating at the GOAT conversation, this is solely a focus on how close someone has come to shadowing Jordan’s moves.

And Kobe was the best we’ve ever seen. As in, he literally wanted to be Michael Jordan in every way. The moves, the attitude, the look. Everything but quitting basketball to be get cream puff minor league baseball contract.

Bryant relied on the jumper throughout his career, oftentimes increasing the degree of difficulty by having 2 or 3 defenders draped all over him. At his peak, this was no problem for the Mamba. Anything less than three guys on him probably meant the ball was going up from an impossible angle after the picture-perfect move.

While Kobe did the best Jordan imitation, this next guy blazed his own path and created one of the most unstoppable shots in NBA history.

Dirk Nowitzki. The step back was designed to help players get some separation for their jumper, usually by shorter guys. So what happens when a 7-footer masters the move?

A Hall Of Fame career and a shiny championship ring happens.

Dirk modified the older move slightly. He still leaned back and launched the shot, but it was off one foot, with the other slightly bent.

It was a weird, second cousin of the original step back, but it was just as deadly as its relative, if not more.

It frustrated opponents to no end. It was untouchable. He played 21 seasons, and the only record of that shot being blocked on the Internet consists of a one and a half minute long video of three guys blocking it. Three. Ever.

Dirk’s iteration received the biggest compliment of all, when it was copied by one of the greatest to ever play…Kevin Durant.

Dirk’s one-footer will likely be remembered as fondly as the skyhook, the Dream shake, and the Karate Kid’s Crane Kick.

The next man to really rely on his step back is easily the most controversial, and the most hairy. Buckle up for The Beard.

James Harden. Yes, it’s very, very close to a travel. It is almost never called. And its has been one of the most deadly shots in the league for 5 years now.

James Harden has rejuvenated the step back, and surprisingly, made it one of the most efficient shots in the game.

Last season, Harden scored an average of 1.09 points per possession on the step-back three. To put that in perspective, the Golden State Warriors averaged 1.1 points per possession last season. Harden almost matched their efficiency shooting the most difficult shot in the game.

Harden gets a lot of flak for his “zero step” that many think should be counted as the first step en route to a travel. But if the refs aren’t calling it, Harden would be a fool not to keep using it.

Basically, we went from step-back jumper to one-footer, to zero-step-backs or something. Math, and evolution, it’s a hard combo.

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NBA ref explains why the James Harden step-back jumper isn't traveling

The James Harden Step Back doesn't always get called a travel by NBA referees. Zach Zarba, a 15-year NBA referee, is here to weigh in on whether or not the move is a travel.

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NBA referee on James Harden's step-back jumper not being a travel

Following is a transcript of the video.

Zach Zarba: My name is Zach Zarba and I'm a 15-year NBA referee. 

Some players have a controversial step-back jumper. They drive hard, then step back to create space and shoot. James Harden's is particularly controversial because he takes several steps back instead of just one hop. 

Zarba:  One of the huge misconceptions in the NBA is how much our players practice. These player practice these moves over and over and over again. And there are subtle differences in the traveling violation in the NBA vs. high school and college. So I would ask people to look at when the ball is gathered. Okay, if you look at when the ball is gathered, that pivot foot is not the first step. That is the zero step. So, after that pivot foot, when they step back into a 1, 2, that in the NBA is a legal two-step. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in May 2018.

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Referee officials JB Derosa, Josh Tiven, and Nick Buchert discuss a play during the game between the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic on December 26, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. /VCG Photo

After a summer of reinforcements and readjustments, the 30 teams in the U.S. National Basketball Association are gearing up towards the 74th season, set to kick off on October 22. However, the East and West conferences weren't the only ones busy at the drawing board.

League officials, as they do between seasons, revisited controversial plays and noteworthy calls in an effort to conform to the seemingly ever-evolving rules of basketball with "new language."

The NBA introduced newly-defined rules regarding traveling violations on Tuesday that tried putting to rest the controversy surrounding some offensive players' moves, including the signature "step-back" by Houston Rockets star shooting guard James Harden: a move that is so unique and unusual it seems like he takes an illegal three steps before shooting.

Officials are determined not to allow offensive players to take more than the allowed two steps after "gathering" the ball and have, therefore, issued new guidelines to help clear the smoke.

James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against the Shanghai Sharks during the pre-season on September 30, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. /VCG Photo

"The official NBA rule book will now have a section that formally defines the 'gather.' The text of the rule will also be revised to provide additional clarity regarding how many steps a player may take after the gather occurs," read the NBA statement.

For a player who receives a pass or gains possession of a loose ball, the "gather" is defined as the point where the player gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

Gathering also applies when a player is in control of the ball while dribbling and does any of the following:

-        Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it.

-        Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause.

-        Gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.

It is after the "gather" that the NBA says a player can take the allotted two steps . 

Scoring stars like Lebron James and Stephen Curry already have an advantage since the "hand-checking" on the perimeter was made illegal in 2004, essentially freeing up the court so players can drive to the rim without much physical resistance from a defender.

Referee Tyler Ford looks on during a game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves during the Finals of the Las Vegas Summer League on July 15, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. /VCG Photo

"If we can't allow people to hand check, we can't allow them to travel because then they're almost unguardable," vice president of referee operations Mark Wunderlich told the Associated Press.

The traveling guidelines may seem like they're meant to give moves like Harden's "back-step" a pass, but it's rather meant to "eliminate the gap between the rule as written and how it has been applied in NBA games." Or in other words, quell the controversy.

"It is legal, except for the fact that he gets a third step in every now and then when his rhythm is just off, which shows you the highlight of how difficult it is," Monty McCutchen, the NBA's head of referee development and training told the AP.

An educational video was reportedly sent to teams, while referees visited the coaches' pre-season meetings so they could do demonstrations for them.

Another video was posted by the NBA on Twitter using real examples of double-take moves that either violated or followed the traveling rule.

VP and Head of Referee Development & Training Monty McCutchen provides an overview of rules regarding Traveling for Dribbling Players, and addresses the newly-defined concept of the "gather" on October 1, 2019. /Twitter screen grab

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni praised the decision, while rival San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich criticized such moves last year saying that the step-back 3-point shot came when players "jump backwards and travel and shoot a 3."

Leaders of the referee team praised Harden for his cleverness and creativity.

"On the dribble, we always talk about dribbling you can take two legal steps to the basket, right? No one ever thought about on the gather after you dribble you can take two legal steps backwards," Wunderlich said.

Will the signature "step-back" traveling speculation now be put to rest? That depends on how fans and teams react to calls during the upcoming games. They will surely be following each step as closely as the referees.

(With input from AP)

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This James Harden ‘travel’ is actually totally legal. Here’s why

James Harden isn’t traveling on his drives to the basket. Get educated about the “gather” step.

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Share All sharing options for: This James Harden ‘travel’ is actually totally legal. Here’s why

James Harden has become one of the NBA’s most polarizing players as he’s grown into the best pure-scorer alive. While no one denies Harden ’s numbers are incredible — he’s leading the NBA in scoring at 35.2 points per game, five points ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo — how he gets them has become a topic of national debate.

Harden ’s offensive arsenal has been built on a barrage of step-back and side-step three-pointers combined with an unprecedented ability to draw fouls, but the part of his game that confounds so many people is his euro-step layup.

Harden didn’t invent the euro-step, but it sure looks like he’s perfected it. When Harden picks up his dribble and goes into the move, defenses are at his mercy to surrender two points. The move has become so effective that it’s led to many opposing fans, players, and announcers calling for it to be whistled as a travel.

It happened again during the Houston Rockets ’ 120-110 victory over the Utah Jazz Saturday night. Harden again led the way for Houston with 38 points, but it’s one play in particular that has driven conversation in the hours since. As Harden attacked the Jazz defense and used a euro-step layup to score a bucket, Utah’s announcers were pleading for a traveling call on TV.

Euro or travel? Either way James still has this in his bag pic.twitter.com/YnwNA3Hka4 — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 23, 2020

At first glance, it sure looks like Harden is taking three steps before he scores the ball, which would be against the rules and should be whistled as a travel. But if you look at the NBA rule book and watch the play again, it’s pretty clear this isn’t traveling. It’s a totally legal move.

It all comes back to the “gather” step. Here’s how the NBA rule book defines a gather:

For a player who is in control of the ball while dribbling, the gather is defined as the point where a player does any one of the following: Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it; Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause; or Otherwise gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body. Incorporating the Gather into the Traveling Rule The gather will be expressly incorporated into the traveling rule to clarify how many steps a player may take after he receives the ball while progressing or completes his dribble: A player who gathers the ball while progressing may (a) take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball or (b) if he has not yet dribbled, one step prior to releasing the ball to start his dribble. A player who gathers the ball while dribbling may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball. The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after the player gathers the ball.

That last line is the most important. NBA officials don’t start counting steps until the gather is complete. Harden and other stars like Antetokounmpo have been able to leverage that rule to their advantage when driving to the basket.

Watch the Harden play above again. Harden is gathering the ball as he makes his first step. That is legal according to the rule book and does not start the count on how many steps Harden is allowed to take:

Harden then takes two steps and lays the ball in. It does appear he drags his back foot into his final step, but as Basketball Breakdown and others have pointed out , that’s legal as well.

No, Harden isn’t traveling when he goes into his euro-step layup, even if it looks that way to casual fans. This is a legal move because of how the gather is defined in the rule book. Remember that the next time someone complains that Harden is taking three steps.

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Luka doncic already has nba refs explaining how his step-back moves are legal, share this article.

Luka Doncic is the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year, leading all rookies in scoring. He’s also seemingly been good for at least one “ wow, how did he do that? ” moment in every game this season.

It certainly happened on Tuesday night. In fact, Doncic is already getting the same star treatment reserved for the likes of James Harden .

In the Mavs’ win over Portland, Doncic found space for a clutch 3 off a mean step-back move. It looked awfully close to the patented James Harden double stepback (err travel), which NBA officials have defended as a legal move.

Mean step-back with the shot clock fading from @luka7doncic 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1zpmXqOh7F — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2018

On Wednesday, the NBA Referees Twitter account publicly explained the legality of Doncic’s stepback in a similar matter we’ve seen for Harden.

We've been getting a lot of questions asking if this is a travel. Focus on the "gather" – the offensive player gathers the ball with his left foot on the floor. He then jump stops behind the three point line and elevates into his shot. This is a legal play: https://t.co/nGJY5co8Ho — NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) December 5, 2018

Even after focusing on the gather, the explanation was still pretty questionable. He’s taking two full jumps back, but hey, it works for Harden. It seems to be working for Luka.

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Step-back 3 NBA’s new weapon, though not a shot for everyone

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James Harden turned to it to become the NBA’s most unstoppable scorer.

Luka Doncic has ridden it to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic.

The step-back 3-pointer is the perfect weapon for the modern NBA, practically a necessity in a game where the ability to find space to shoot from behind the arc is more valued than ever before.

“Things have changed and the game is so spread out,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “All over the NBA and all over the world really, everybody’s stretching the range out a few feet more. The 3-point line is being covered much better than it has in the past so guys are moving back, and guys that can create space to shoot 3s unassisted have a special skill . It’s going to be a necessary skill more as the game continues to evolve.”

But before guys who belong in the paint start hoisting them up from the perimeter, or taking balls off the rack and shooting step-backs during this weekend’s All-Star 3-point contest, there a few things to consider.

Even Stephen Curry said it’s a tough shot to make. It’s fundamentally flawed and sometimes looks like a violation.

“You mean when they jump backwards and travel and shoot a 3?” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich quipped. “I guess it has been made legal. I don’t know. It’s very difficult to guard.”

That’s because the defender has to be prepared that the player with the ball is going to drive to the basket. But instead of continuing forward, the offensive player suddenly gathers his feet and steps backward to shoot , taking advantage of the extra space he has created.

Curry is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in history, but he’s also a wizard with his dribble. So whoever is defending him can never quite be sure which way he is going.

“Obviously you respect the athletic guys that can drive and use their first step and explosiveness and all that type of stuff,” Curry said. “It’s a tough shot to make consistently, but the guys that do, it’s obviously a shot and a look that you can always kind of count on to create space and knock it down.”

There will be more than a few hoisted up during the All-Star festivities.

But nobody shoots it more — or arguably better — than Harden, whose 151 step-back 3-pointers coming into this week represented 15 percent of the 1,006 makes thus far, according to the NBA’s statistics. He dribbles patiently until he sees an opening, then either drives for a layup or foul, or steps back for the 3, sometimes from a few steps beyond the arc.

Harden, a seven-time All-Star, league MVP and scoring champion last season, has scored 30 or more points in 30 straight games, third-longest streak ever. Averaging 36.5 points, he is poised to win another scoring title in a runaway. He said he turned to the step-back 3 as a way to evolve with a game that has seen more than 2,500 step-back 3s taken already this season, after there were only 584 for all of 2014-15, according to NBAsavant.com .

“I mean, every single year you have to come back better than you were the year before, and for me I had a pretty good year last year. But you’ve got to come back better and come up with a new move or a new package to keep defenders on their heels,” Harden said. “So whether it’s a step-back or a slide step, just to create separation to be able to get my shot off.”

Harden has the green light in Houston, though that doesn’t make it a good shot — at least not for everyone else.

There are times when Harden launches one where it looks like a horrible shot.

He willingly takes longer attempts without fully squaring his shoulders up to the rim, which goes against just about everything coaches taught years ago, and critics watching him shuffle his feet have seen instances where he certainly appeared to get away with traveling .

Because of the degree of difficulty, the step-back 3 may only be for a handful of players.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni compares it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook, a shot that everyone might try, but few could master.

“Certain guys have certain talents but it’s a hard shot,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t know what the stats are, but it’s a low 20-percent kind of shot for most people and he’s at about 40.”

Actually, Harden’s 41.5 percent on step-back 3s was only a little higher than the league average of 39.5 percent, though that could be misleading because so few players attempt them — and the ones who do are often already good shooters.

D’Antoni figures someone will come along and shoot it well, and that player may have already arrived. Doncic is far ahead of anyone but Harden in attempts and makes, and the Mavericks rookie’s goodbye highlight in Europe was a one-legged, step-back 3 that helped Real Madrid put away Game 4 of the ACB Championship series.

Doncic smiled when asked about the step-back 3, saying: “A lot of guys have special moves. That’s my kind of move.”

And even Popovich, no big fan of the 3-point happy game the NBA has become, gives credit to the step-back shooters.

“They are great at it, that’s for sure,” he said. “Take nothing away from them. It’s been developed, it’s used and no one is better at it than they are. It’s virtually impossible to guard, but they perfected it.”

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in Oakland, California, contributed to this report.

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NBA: Officials missed Tyrese Maxey travel at end of regulation

Tyrese Maxey drills a 3-pointer plus the foul to trim the Knicks' lead late. (0:36)

According to the NBA's Last Two Minute Report from Game 5 of the instant classic first-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks , Tyrese Maxey 's heroics never should've happened.

That's because the league said the game's refereeing crew missed a Maxey travel on his 3-pointer with 25.4 seconds to go, on which he was fouled by Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and made the free throw, beginning Philadelphia's remarkable comeback from down 6 with 28.9 seconds remaining in regulation to eventually win 112-106 in overtime and keep the 76ers' season alive.

There were three other calls that were deemed incorrect: there should have been 0.4 seconds left in regulation, and Knicks ball, after Nicolas Batum blocked Jalen Brunson 's potential game-tying shot out of bounds (the clock instead ran out, sending the game to overtime); Brunson should've been called for an offensive foul in overtime on the play that ultimately became a flagrant foul on Joel Embiid for hitting Brunson in the head; and Josh Hart was not actually out of bounds with 41.5 seconds to go.

It is another way in which Philadelphia's Game 5 miracle mirrors New York's doing the same thing to the Sixers in Game 2, as there were multiple officiating errors in New York's favor as part of that comeback in the Last Two Minute Report from that game.

The two teams have now both come back from at least five-point deficits inside the final 30 seconds of regulation to win a game in this series -- something that had happened only three times in the past 25 years before these playoffs, and now has happened twice in the same building in the past 10 days.

Game 6 will take place Thursday night in Philadelphia, with Game 7 -- if Philadelphia wins -- being back in New York on Saturday night.