You couldn't pick two more drastically different NBA superstars than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Stephen Curry.
One is a 7-foot-2 center with an unblockable sky hook who towered over his opponents in the paint at a time when center play was at its height. The other thrives on the three-point shot, draining the most amount of triples in NBA history while sifting through defenders with his quickness and handles.
The latter has embodied the preferred style of play nowadays, with kids everywhere trying to play like Stephen Curry. That's why when Kareem was asked whether kids were still asking him for help on their hook shot, he hilariously offered to give the Warriors star a good slap for changing the game:
“They've forgotten about anything that does not say ‘three points' on it. I've got to go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for changing everybody's mind about how to play the game,” Kareem said while attending an event in Oakland.
Kareem was asked if the youth asks him for skyhook tips:
“I’ve got to go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for him changing everyone’s mind about how to play the game.” 😂
(Via @CharlieWalterTV)
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 30, 2023
It's fitting that Kareem has exactly one three-pointer made for his career – the least amount possible while still being on the board. The Los Angeles Lakers icon had played a decade in the NBA before they even implemented the three-point arc into the playing court back in 1979-80. He probably wouldn't have ever predicted how important that line would become.
Nowadays, offenses are virtually inverted as teams hunt for open threes and opt for two-pointers when defenses pressure too hard around the perimeter. You'd have to wonder just how potent Kareem and his sky hook would be in today's NBA, especially if he had the spacing that today's centers do around him.
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