The fadeaway jump shot is one of the most beautiful moves in basketball, but also one of the toughest to master. Because of its difficulty, only a certain number of players in NBA history have been able to truly perfect it. In this article, we'll break down the stars who were most effective and efficient with their fadeaway shots.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki had one of the most iconic fadeaway styles in NBA history: the one-legged fadeaway. He used this unstoppable move thousands of times throughout his career.
There has never been a fadeaway quite like Nowitzki’s. At 7 feet tall, with a high release and a soft touch, Dirk turned a traditionally guard-driven move into one of the most unstoppable shots ever created. His one-legged fadeaway, usually off the left leg with a right shoulder turn, became his signature shot that we all remember him for.
Dirk shot over 47% from mid-range in his peak seasons from 2006 to 2011, and his fadeaway was a key part of that. It was unblockable. Defenders knew it was coming, and still couldn’t stop it.
His 2011 Finals run was a masterclass in its use. Against Miami’s athletic frontcourt, Dirk calmly leaned back, lifted his right leg, and buried fadeaway after fadeaway to lead the Mavericks to their first championship in franchise history, solidifying himself as a Mavericks legend.
The statue outside of American Airlines Arena (the home of the Dallas Mavericks) is, of course, a statue of Dirk's beautiful, one-legged fadeaway.
Michael Jordan
The Michael Jordan fadeaway is another one of the most iconic moves in NBA history.
Jordan relied on his fadeaway the most as he got older, when he didn't have as much athleticism or vertical jumping ability as he did when he played in the '80s. From 1996 to 1998, Jordan shot between 47–50% from the midrange, with a massive chunk of those makes coming from fadeaways. That is some extreme efficiency, especially for an isolation shot creator.
The aspect of Jordan's fadeaway that stood out from any other player's fadeaway in NBA history was how high he jumped while fading back. This made his shot impossible to block as nobody could rival Michael's leaping ability, especially when he was fading backwards at the same time.
Because of the success and popularity of the shot, Jordan's fadeaway was emulated by many NBA players who played after him.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was the first player to fully emulate Jordan's fadeaway. He watched endless hours of MJ's film, breaking down all the mechanics of the post-up and fadeaway. Jordan even said himself, “He steals all my moves,” and he wasn’t lying.
But Kobe didn’t just copy it; he trained to perfect it in his own way by adding more layers to the move. Kobe used more pump fakes, tighter spins, and more fluent footwork than Jordan. His version of the fadeaway became more unpredictable since he often caught defenders jumping on his pump fakes or getting thrown off by his spins.
While he didn't have quite the leaping ability of Michael Jordan to shoot way above his defenders, Kobe was comfortable making contested shots with a hand in his face on a regular basis.
As the evolution of the NBA continued, Kobe's fadeaway was then emulated by more NBA players who played after him.
DeMar DeRozan
Next, we have DeMar DeRozan, who studied the film of Kobe Bryant's fadeaway like how Kobe studied Michael Jordan.
When he first came into the league, DeRozan relied more on his athletic ability to score than on methodical moves like the fadeaway. He did use the mid-range to score, but mainly off of pull-ups and off the dribble jumpers.
Around the 2015 season, DeMar started to develop a consistent fadeaway shot by studying Kobe Bryant. As you'd expect, DeRozan's fadeaway style became nearly identical to Kobe's as he perfected it.
The mid-range may be dying in the NBA, but DeRozan is one of the few players remaining who hasn't lost his old-school style and continues to thrive in the mid-range even at 35 years old.
The evolution of the fadeaway within the shooting guards is perfectly shown in the path of how Kobe emulated Jordan, and then DeMar emulated Kobe. With how the game is changing, it's unlikely that there will be a player who emulates DeMar's old-school style to continue the path of evolution, but it's possible.
Wilt Chamberlain
Now we go way back in time to one of the first centers to implement the fadeaway shot into their game. Wilt Chamberlain wasn't known for his fadeaway, but he used it often with extreme efficiency.
When people think of Wilt Chamberlain, they picture dunks, strength, and sheer dominance. But what gets lost in the conversation is that Wilt had a legit fadeaway in his bag that was ahead of his time for the 1960s.
With defenders collapsing on him every night, Wilt had to find ways to score without just bullying his way to the rim. That’s where his turnaround fadeaway came into play. Off the left block, he’d take one or two power dribbles, spin over his shoulder, and fall back into a fadeaway that defenders couldn’t touch since he was seven feet tall and had a ridiculous wingspan.
While his form wasn’t as polished as MJ's or Dirk's, the efficiency was undeniable. Wilt shot 54% from the field in his career, and his fadeaway helped him avoid the constant contact while still putting up 30, 40, or even 50 points on any given night.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon's most iconic move was his dream shake, and most of his dream shakes led into open fadeaway shots.
His elite footwork allowed him to find open space to fade back, so all he needed was the touch to score the bucket, which he had. Most of his fadeaways came from right outside the paint, unlike other elite fadeaway guards such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, who shot from farther out. This made him ultra-efficient and very difficult to stop when he got good positioning down low. Even elite big men like David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Shaq got cooked by Hakeem's dream shake and fadeaway in their prime.
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan's fadeaway jump shot wasn't as beautiful as the other players on this list, but it was one of the most fundamental and consistent shots of all time.
Duncan kept it simple: He'd take a hard dribble, pivot, and then raise his arms straight up and shoot the ball with the flick of his wrist over the defender. He always used the glass to bank the shot in, which worked at a very efficient rate.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony's fadeaway shot was the opposite of Tim Duncan's. His turnaround and fadeaway were lightning quick, and his form was perfection.
He didn’t need much space. Just a jab step, a power dribble, and then the silkiest fadeaway in NBA history. His fadeaway was all about rhythm. He’d size up defenders with a triple-threat stance, hit them with a jab or two, and then rise up into a clean, high-arcing fade.
It didn't matter much whether the defense was able to contest the shot or not; it was most likely going in regardless.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant might be the most unguardable scorer in NBA history, and one of the key reasons is his one-dribble fadeaway that’s borderline impossible to contest.
What separates Durant’s fadeaway is how effortless it looks. He doesn’t need a ton of space or a deep bag of fakes. He’ll just get to his spot, take one hard dribble, and rise into a fade that defenders can’t reach. The combination of length, balance, and touch makes it one of the most efficient weapons in his arsenal.
He's such a versatile scorer that his fadeaway isn't his go-to shot, but when he does go to it, he can put the ball in the hoop with ease.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett was a master of the mid-range and deep two-point attempts. His shooting ability often gets overlooked because of his defensive skills, but he had great footwork and length that helped him create space for his fadeaway shots. His 7'5 wingspan was also what made his fadeaway shots so effective.
In his 2003-04 MVP season, Garnett made 43% of his long twos, which was 7th best in the entire league. Approximately half of those shots came from fadeaways that came from around 20 feet from the hoop.
Garnett's efficient fadeaway proved he wasn’t just a defensive anchor; he could get buckets too.
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