30 most unguardable moves in NBA history: 6. Dirk Nowitzki, post fadeaway
Many have tried to conquer the one-legged post fadeaway, but only one truly mastered it. Few shots are as synonymous with a single player as the signature post fadeaway is with former Dallas Mavericks star power forward Dirk Nowitzki. By leveraging his weight when backing down his opponent, Dirk wore down his defensive matchup and effortlessly turned over the other shoulder to drop in that beautiful jumper.
At the height of his powers, Dirk effortlessly drained contested jumpers because of the high-arcing nature of his shot. His release point was higher than most players could feasibly contest and he forces defenders out of the way by kicking his leg on the fade.
Like most aspects of his game, athleticism had nothing to do with Dirk’s ability to get this shot off. Instead, it was a combination of balance and finesse that allowed him to get his shot off no matter the defensive assignment.
Nowitzki used his weight and hip while backing down toward the basket to catch his defender off balance. In one swooping motion, the German sensation would shift his weight to his pivot foot while beginning the shooting motion, push off of it, extend and release. With this move in tow, Dirk managed to shoot 47 percent on shots from 10 feet to the 3-point line from 2001-2012.
There’s a strong case that Dirk Nowitzki was the most offensively-gifted big man in league history because of his unmatched skillset. The one-legged post fadeaway is the epitome of Nowitzki’s coveted playing style. While he may not rank as high as some of his competitors in the all-time NBA rankings, the shot itself is as unguardable as they come. The degree of difficulty on his signature shot makes it nearly irreplicable despite generations of basketball players both professional and recreational trying to do their best Dirk impressions.