Jordan's Hands

[The Main Event]

at NBA store in NYC, on the bottom floor there were a bunch of bronze hand prints from different NBA stars.

IIRC, kobe had pretty small hands compared to a lot of the other ones.


shaq's hand was about the size of my head. that one really stood out.

I also found that Nash had ENORMOUS thumbs. Im 6'2'' so he isnt much taller than me but his hands were monstrous for his size.

[Heat3]

I think Dr J's hands were bigger. If you took one of those half size carnival basketballs and deflated it, that is how Dr J handled a full size ball. I never saw Jordan handle the ball the same way even though his hands were big enough to do more than most.

As for those commenting on Wade's hands. His hands might be large for his size, but what really stands out with him is his arms length! His arms are so long it makes Kevin Willis cry about the injustice!

[nesta]

Jordan's hand size couldn't give him a 3pt shot like Kobe. Guess it evens it out...................................................but who needs a 3pt shot when you got hands like MJ

[NO-KG-AI]

Blah blah blah same old same old blah blah blah.

Doc did it better and you know it, and I don't need you to admit. It's all there in your message, you can't have anybody do anything better than Jordan or your world will spin in the wrong direction. Too bad Doc has it over Jordan in this category.....

Doc was not a better leaper, he might have had bigger hands, and he was certainly taller and longer, but he wasn't a better leaper.

But if trying to downgrade Mike helps you sleep at night

[Bgil]

Really? Show me Doc grabbing one-handed rebounds, catching the ball out of the air off passes with one hand, making one-handed shot fakes, or making fake one-handed passes at full speed. On layup attempts yeah, Doc did a ton with the ball (still not more than Jordan, but equal I guess you could say), but he didn't use that ability to nearly as great effect as Jordan.

LOL @ Jordan "copied" Doc. He certainly did not (show me any clip of Doc doing the things mentioned above). Regardless, all of a sudden you, a Kobe fan, have a problem with mimicry? Amusing.

In some of those old NBC bumper commercials you could see Dr J catching a pass one-handed. In fact, the clip I'm thinking of ONLY show him catching the pass, no shot, no dribble just highlighting his hands. I don't think I've seen anyone do more one-handed shot fakes than Dr J. Nearly every time he went to the basket in traffic you see him pump faking (usually in the air) with one hand... it's all over every dr.j highlight on youtube.

He was also extremely fond of picking the ball up off the dribble with one hand and finishing with it. In fact, his most famous shots (the rock-the-baby over Cooper and the behind-the-backboard layup) show him doing this at full speed.

Don't remember him making any fake one handed passes or rebounding the ball one handed but all the games of him that I've seen were basically Lakers and Celtics playoff games. I wouldn't put it past him to do that since his hands were so massive. I have seen him catch a shot in mid-air with one hand. He could have blocked it into the upper deck but he just caught it... absolutely beautiful.

No need to hate though. I HIGHLY doubt you've seen enough Dr J to know exactly how much he did with the ball one handed.

Also, you acting like Jordan was the originator of that stuff is ridiculous. Hakeem was doing all that stuff in college (fake passes, fake shots, catching shots, rebounds) and he wasn't the originator either. I have some OLD globetrotters stuff that would make your headspin.

[G35]

Blah blah blah same old same old blah blah blah.

Doc did it better and you know it, and I don't need you to admit. It's all there in your message, you can't have anybody do anything better than Jordan or your world will spin in the wrong direction. Too bad Doc has it over Jordan in this category.....

Doc was not a better leaper, he might have had bigger hands, and he was certainly taller and longer, but he wasn't a better leaper.

But if trying to downgrade Mike helps you sleep at night

First off I'm not downgrading Mike, if you don't like my opinion oh well. If you can't say something without someone getting all sensitive....well I'm just moving past that.

So you think Jordan was a better leaper than Doc. So what. I don't. Show me Jordan doing it better than this. Not equal, but BETTER.



Doc gets up higher and stays in the air longer than MJ in my opinion. Imo the only one above Doc in leaping is old school VC and maybe David Thompson......

[Jordan23Forever]

In some of those old NBC bumper commercials you could see Dr J catching a pass one-handed. In fact, the clip I'm thinking of ONLY show him catching the pass, no shot, no dribble just highlighting his hands. I don't think I've seen anyone do more one-handed shot fakes than Dr J. Nearly every time he went to the basket in traffic you see him pump faking (usually in the air) with one hand... it's all over every dr.j highlight on youtube.

He was also extremely fond of picking the ball up off the dribble with one hand and finishing with it. In fact, his most famous shots (the rock-the-baby over Cooper and the behind-the-backboard layup) show him doing this at full speed.

Don't remember him making any fake one handed passes or rebounding the ball one handed but all the games of him that I've seen were basically Lakers and Celtics playoff games. I wouldn't put it past him to do that since his hands were so massive. I have seen him catch a shot in mid-air with one hand. He could have blocked it into the upper deck but he just caught it... absolutely beautiful.

No need to hate though. I HIGHLY doubt you've seen enough Dr J to know exactly how much he did with the ball one handed.

Also, you acting like Jordan was the originator of that stuff is ridiculous. Hakeem was doing all that stuff in college (fake passes, fake shots, catching shots, rebounds) and he wasn't the originator either. I have some OLD globetrotters stuff that would make your headspin.

Wow, BGil and G35 in the same topic. Never would have guessed...

Btw, when I said "one handed shot fakes" I meant jumpshots, not layups or midair ball fakes. Yeah man, Hakeem was doing "all that stuff" in college, and then somehow...never did it in the NBA. Can you show me any of Dream's NBA highlights where he does any of that stuff? The fake pass I can see, because I've seen big men fake passes back out to shooters with one hand when the double-team was coming, but not the other stuff. Not saying you're wrong, but it's definitely not something Dream was known for like it is for MJ/Dr. J.

On the bolded portion, I'm going to be like G35 and ask you for visual proof of this play. Because, you know, things didn't actually happen if we don't have photos/video of them happening.

Lastly, the famous dunk on Cooper was a cradle, not an example of Doc picking the ball up off the dribble with one hand from on top of the ball. I never said he couldn't do this, btw (in fact, I've seen him do it; I think he does it on the famous Lakers reverse), only that Jordan did as well. All I was saying was that both could do whatever they wanted with the ball based on their hand size, making the question of who had the bigger hands (which I conceded Doc probably had) largely academic. Then G35 comes in talking nonsense about Doc's leaping advantage and how he could consequently finish over "bigger/stronger defenders" (which is a claim I'd love to see him defend).

So you think Jordan was a better leaper than Doc. So what. I don't. Show me Jordan doing it better than this. Not equal, but BETTER.

Check the 1:26-1:29 mark here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYYoMXDg0cg

Pause it at exactly 1:29 at the apex of his jump. Also, the 15 second mark of this video (first dunk of the video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKlvfx9ODM8

But no, we don't have any still photos for Jordan like that Dr. J one. Not that I've seen, at least. And when I said that Jordan is a better leaper (which he is), I meant in totality. Dr. J may have been a slightly better one-footed leaper, but he was not as good off a two-foot plant (where you gather your feet off a drive) or off a hop step as Jordan was. Jordan was a more versatile leaper, which is one of the things that allowed him to create shots and hit angles that Dr. J didn't. Btw, if they get the same height on their jumps, it means that Jordan is actually jumping higher, since he's shorter. Dr. J's 'fro also helps.

[Malinhion]

Wow, i can't believe you met MJ and traced his hand. Impressive. :o

LOL...I find it funnier that the pic is hosted on the DUKE server.

[Bgil]

Btw, when I said "one handed shot fakes" I meant jumpshots, not layups or midair ball fakes. Yeah man, Hakeem was doing "all that stuff" in college, and then somehow...never did it in the NBA. Can you show me any of Dream's NBA highlights where he does any of that stuff? The fake pass I can see, because I've seen big men fake passes back out to shooters with one hand when the double-team was coming, but not the other stuff. Not saying you're wrong, but it's definitely not something Dream was known for like it is for MJ/Dr. J.

Just because YOU haven't seen it in the limited number of games you've watched doesn't mean it didn't happen. Hakeem did it, Sampson did it, Doc did it etc.
Whether or not he was more known for it or not doesn't affect my point at all. You need to stop being so defensive.

On the bolded portion, I'm going to be like G35 and ask you for visual proof of this play. Because, you know, things didn't actually happen if we don't have photos/video of them happening.

Lastly, the famous dunk on Cooper was a cradle, not an example of Doc picking the ball up off the dribble with one hand from on top of the ball. I never said he couldn't do this, btw (in fact, I've seen him do it; I think he does it on the famous Lakers reverse), only that Jordan did as well. All I was saying was that both could do whatever they wanted with the ball based on their hand size, making the question of who had the bigger hands (which I conceded Doc probably had) largely academic. Then G35 comes in talking nonsense about Doc's leaping advantage and how he could consequently finish over "bigger/stronger defenders" (which is a claim I'd love to see him defend).

I don't care what he said as I'm not supporting or arguing against his statements. Just pointing out that I have seen numerous players perform similar actions long before those Jordan highlights took place.

You asking for "visual proof" is a farce as we both know you're only looking for Youtube highlights. We also know that not everyone is worshipped (today) like Jordan is so the chance of people posting inane stuff like palming a basketball (or starting a thread about the size of a guys hands) is really only something you're going to see about Jordan. You can feel free to watch those globetrotter highlights and see exactly what I'm talking about though. You can see Wilt and other guys performing many of the tricks you describe. Otherwsie you can contact a service to get the footage yourself

[Jordan23Forever]

Quick question: Did Doc ever do one-handed jumpshot fakes like Jordan used to do regularly? Like, being on the perimeter facing up and then doing it to get the guy to bite?

I maintain that Jordan used one-handed fakes etc. to greater effect than Doc did, even if Doc could actually have physically done all the things Jordan did. In that sense it's more a creativity issue than an ability issue. I never saw Doc do anything like this at the 2:18 mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muk_4axPVU

[kno]

I maintain that Jordan used one-handed fakes etc. to greater effect than Doc did, even if Doc could actually have physically done all the things Jordan did.

Of course he did. Jordan was the best at every aspect of the game. At least thats what it says in the bible. Thats why its a sin to even think of anyone being better than Jordan at ANYTHING.

[Jordan23Forever]

Of course he did. Jordan was the best at every aspect of the game. At least thats what it says in the bible. Thats why its a sin to even think of anyone being better than Jordan at ANYTHING.

You're being silly. Way to set the example as a mod.

And Jordan did use the one-hand stuff to greater effect than Doc did. He did stuff with one hand more frequently (fake jumpers, fake passes, one-handed rebounds, on layups etc.) and in contexts that Doc didn't. Not that Dr. J couldn't do so (since his hands were as big or bigger than Jordan's), just that he didn't.

And no, the Bible didn't tell me that.

[kno]

Of course he did. Jordan was the best at every aspect of the game. At least thats what it says in the bible. Thats why its a sin to even think of anyone being better than Jordan at ANYTHING.

You're being silly. Way to set the example as a mod.

And Jordan did use the one-hand stuff to greater effect than Doc did. He did stuff with one hand more frequently (fake jumpers, fake passes, one-handed rebounds, on layups etc.) and in contexts that Doc didn't. Not that Dr. J couldn't do so (since his hands were as big or bigger than Jordan's), just that he didn't.

And no, the Bible didn't tell me that.

I hope you knew I was half joking.

just poking fun at the fact that you come into any thread and preach Jordan was better than X player at anything being discussed at the time. Youve NEVER (not that I stalk your posts, but from what ive come across) said someone was superior to Jordan at anything.

We really couldnt expect anything different from you in this thread I guess.




Balder head, Michael Jordan of Howie Mandel?

[bballcool34]

Of course he did. Jordan was the best at every aspect of the game. At least thats what it says in the bible. Thats why its a sin to even think of anyone being better than Jordan at ANYTHING.

You're being silly. Way to set the example as a mod.

And Jordan did use the one-hand stuff to greater effect than Doc did. He did stuff with one hand more frequently (fake jumpers, fake passes, one-handed rebounds, on layups etc.) and in contexts that Doc didn't. Not that Dr. J couldn't do so (since his hands were as big or bigger than Jordan's), just that he didn't.

And no, the Bible didn't tell me that.

I hope you knew I was half joking.

just poking fun at the fact that you come into any thread and preach Jordan was better than X player at anything being discussed at the time. Youve NEVER (not that I stalk your posts, but from what ive come across) said someone was superior to Jordan at anything.

We really couldnt expect anything different from you in this thread I guess.




Balder head, Michael Jordan of Howie Mandel?

It's interesting how you go after J23F, but don't go after Bgil- who basically supports Kobe in every thread as well.

Talk about hypocrisy.

[Jordan23Forever]

I hope you knew I was half joking.

just poking fun at the fact that you come into any thread and preach Jordan was better than X player at anything being discussed at the time. Youve NEVER (not that I stalk your posts, but from what ive come across) said someone was superior to Jordan at anything.

We really couldnt expect anything different from you in this thread I guess.




Balder head, Michael Jordan of Howie Mandel?

But this isn't about Jordan being better at the one-handed stuff; it's just that he used it in other contexts more frequently than Doc did. That's a creativity and evolution of the game thing, not a physical ability thing. If you told Doc to do all the one-handed MJ stuff I posted in this thread, he could definitely do it; he just didn't at the time.

And there are and have been players better than Jordan at different things, but I'm not going to admit someone is better than him at something when I honestly don't believe them to be so.

As to your question, it's undoubtedly Mandel. Jordan's blackness at least gives him the illusion of active hair follicles, and the sheen on Mandel's pate is ghastly.

[JWiLL02]

How can someone say Dr. J did as many things in the air as Jordan? Jordan had far more body control than anyone to ever play the game while in the air. Kobe is the closest I've seen to having that same body control, IMO it's what separates him physically from T-Mac, VC, etc. (In their primes of course)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWvxijHNWB4

I'm sure this has been posted a million times, but come on. He didn't "copy" Doctor J, that's absurd. Just look at his ability to finish around the rim, it's as if he would jump, read the defense, then make adjustments in air to get the shot off.

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0NoJDJ ... re=related

perfect example.

[B-Scott]

Rare MJ dunk from the Magic Johnson Mid Summer nights Magic Game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbheXdxtNrI

Ridiculous

[imonfire99]

i mean just look at my avatar, how many ppl can do that? i mean no disrespect to kobe, but he physically could not do that bc he has small hands.

[NDaATL]

Not sure if this video has been posted, but this is absolutely ridiculous by MJ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0NoJDJ ... re=related

His hands weren't the only thing that set him apart from the rest, but they DEFINITELY added to his greatness.