NBA: 30 most unguardable moves in league history

30 most unguardable moves in NBA history: 24. Tony Parker, spin move

It’s extremely difficult to curate a list of unguardable moves and not recognize Tony Parker’s floater, but his spin move reigns supreme. The fact of the matter is that plenty of players learned how to use a floater and many come close to Parker’s proficiency with that shot, but no one has come close to mastering his spin move.

The foundational attributes of Parker’s game were his quickness, deceptiveness, acrobatics, and full-throttle competitive spirit. He also had an uncanny ability to stop and go, forcing his defender off-balance on many occasions and capitalizing on mismatches. It took him time to earn trust from the Spurs’ coaching staff, namely Gregg Popovich himself, but Parker became a staple of the San Antonio Spurs franchise and earned the right to go for incredible spin-cycles in high-pressure scenarios.

Whether it be off a screen, on the fastbreak, or simply when driving to the rim, Parker did a magnificent job of maintaining his balance on the spin move. He’d get the defender on his hip and use his pivot foot to rotate to the rim. Most of the time, he’d go up for a layup at awkward angles and contour his body to finish. He finished at the rim using an array of tools including his reverse, floater, or a gentle lay-in.

Parker’s combination of grace and ferocity is a pairing that few players in league history can boast. The Frenchman’s spin cycle caused headaches for generations of opponents who never truly figured out how to combat it. Parker wasn’t without his flaws as a player, but he certainly knew how to accentuate his positive basketball traits and for that, he deserves to be recognized.