Anyone who’s good enough at basketball to play it for a living — never mind the select few who get to represented Team USA at the Summer Olympics — should have a particular set of skills. Or so I thought until now.
Seemingly anyone I grew up with who could really hoop was capable of spinning a basketball on their finger in perpetuity. Turns out, that’s an elusive trick for even the best players on the planet.
Look no further than Steph Curry. The Golden State Warriors legend is arguably the best ball-handler and inarguably the best shooter in NBA history. That combination allows him to create shots off the dribble at will, from any range, and makes him almost unguardable.
But Steph can’t do the spin trick!
A skill not all possess… Who on the #USABMNT can spin a ball on their finger? 🤔👀🏀 pic.twitter.com/mRwKDfJOKO
— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2024
This specialized talent must not be a frequent discussion in NBA circles, because even Anthony Davis’ ex-teammate Jrue Holiday didn’t think he could spin it, only to see AD do it without any issue. The guys who struggled most were Steph and even LeBron James. It made me feel a little less stupid when Kevin Durant, perhaps the best ball spinner of the bunch along with Jrue and Devin Booker, believed at first that everyone on the squad could do it.
I love how Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo finds out that Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton can’t spin it for more than two seconds, and then says, “Oh that’s Gen Z.” As if they’re not only two years apart in age. Well played, Bam.
Poor Joel Embiid struggles enough to stay healthy all the time. Now that he’s finally fit enough and has reached the peak of his immense ability to where he can play on Team USA, he’ll just keep catching grief for his inability to spin. Embiid didn’t even want to attempt to do it on camera.
Steph at least gave it a shot despite how nervous he admitted to being, only to slam the ball on the ground and storm off the set. He’s probably one of the hardest superstars to hate on in the modern era across any sport, and to be honest, Steph has become so much more relatable through this failed stunt. His shooting ability is straight-up extraterrestrial; his lack of know-how on spinning the rock on his finger shows signs that he is of this Earth.
A lot of Basketball Twitter is quite stunned as well by the revelation that Steph can’t spin.
STEPH CAN’T DO IT? Definitely was not expecting that. I want to see the reactions of the others when they find that out.
— Prop It Like It's Hot (@propitlikeit) July 8, 2024
I thought Steph would actually be the best at it. It’s surprising that he can’t.
— Sonny☘️ (@Sonny4173) July 8, 2024
lesson from Steph Curry:
Instead of working on spinning the ball
Put up shots
— MrMugen.eth (mugen.gg) (@mrmug3n) July 8, 2024
thought this was standard on all nba players. lol
— Billy D. (@4DTOUGH) July 8, 2024
LeBron and Steph can’t do it? Now I don’t feel so bad for not being able to do it
— 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚎𝚍𝚒 𝙾𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝙵𝚊𝚗 𝙲𝚕𝚞𝚋 (@TheCediFanClub) July 8, 2024
Wth Steph 😂😂😂
— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) July 8, 2024
I cannot BELIEVE Stephen Curry can’t spin a ball on his finger.
— Tyler Conrad (@tylerjconrad) July 8, 2024
This has to be fake how you call yourself a hooper and can't spin the ball on your finger😭
— ChoZen 🐉 (@ZenChoZen) July 8, 2024
Steph is a top 3 most skilled player in NBA history and he can’t spin a ball on his finger. Wild
— Sports Stats & Propaganda (@NBAPropaganda_) July 8, 2024
Wow Steph can golf but can't spin a ball on his finger. Finally found something I can do that he can't lol.
— ⚡Gain Bangers.VOLT (@Young_Light317) July 8, 2024
