Don’t Try This at Home: Weirdest Shooting Forms

Unorthodox. Unconventional. Unnatural. Weird. Freaky. Crazy. Absurd. These are just some of the words that describe some of the players’ ummmm…unique? shooting form… Nevertheless, no one can complain especially when you watch them swish the net…

Weird Now:

Shawn Marion- A term that frequently describes Shawn Marion’s game is freaky. He has a freaky quick first step, freaky high hops, and throws down some freaky dunks. His jumper? also freaky. His elbow sticks out, his release point is too lo, he doesn’t exactly follow-through and the shot’s arc is ridiculously high. The whole thing is odd… but it works..

Marcus Camby- Camby must’ve learned to shoot at Jamaal Wilkes Shooting Camp: he brings it way back behind his noggin just like Silk did. It looks ungainly like a soccer player throwing the ball from out-of-bounds but like the other members of the weird shooting crew, he somehow knocks ’em in. Consistently, Camby has been among the league leaders in FG percentage the past few seasons and seems to have more confidence in his slingshot every year.

Tayshaun Prince- Where to begin? Let’s start with his guide hand. He’s got long fingers, so it’s expected that he might hold the ball strangely, but that doesn’t explain the cocked wrist. His left arm sticks out like a right triangle and the motion of his shot is more like that of a javelin thrower. But you know what? Tay is a good shooter. In fact, he should shoot often after averaging .473 from the field and .353 from three in his career.

Kevin Martin- Kevin Martin’s shot has two stages: Stage 1: He starts his shooting motion by leaning towards his left, and bringing the ball up from his right hip like a Wild West gunslinger. As he rises to shoot, he brings the ball across his body from right to left. Stage 2: More conventional with a feathery follow-through. Martin has had some shooting spree that made him one of the league’s uprising stars…

Weird Then:

Michael Adams- Simply put, Michael Adams had one of the craziest shots the NBA has seen. A typical Adams shot went like this: dribble at breakneck speed to the three-point line, stop on a dime, bounce up and fling the ball in the air with a herky-jerky, one-handed, shot-put throw…Splash! Despite his crazy shot, he managed to average a career 14.7 ppg over 11 seasons and has led the NBA with three-point field goals made in 87-88, 90-91 seasons.

Vinnie Johnson- with a muscular build and a shooting form that would make any coach cringe, 6-3 Vinnie Johnson wasn’t a conventional player. With the ball cocked behind his head, elbow splayed outward and his feet kicking wildly, it certainly was NOT pretty to look at but Johnson’s midrange game has found it well enough for 12.6 ppg in 13 seasons. The Microwave could get hot in a hurry as he once scored 19 straight points per game. His finest moment was in the 1990 Finals when he closed out Game 5 with a 16-foot jumper.

Bill Cartwright- The last word one would choose to describe Bill Cartwright’s shot would be smooth. With a herky-jerky, stiff-armed motion, the 7’1 Cartwright would swing the ball using only his wrist. Bizarre! But it worked… One of the weirdest and funniest forms ever!

Jamaal Wilkes- See Marcus Camby, though he is the pioneer of that sling shot…