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When you watch watch a professional basketball game (or even college or high school games), a lot of times you will see a player holding a basketball gripped with just one hand when trying to juke somebody, fake a pass, or slam a devastating dunk on the opponent’s net. This is called palming a basketball.
But a basketball is so big, how do they do that?
Contents
How to Palm a Basketball
Requirements to Palm a Basketball
Hand Size to Palm a Basketball
Different Ball Types and How They Affect Palming a Basketball
Hand Stretches to Help Palm a Basketball
Exercises to Help Palm a Basketball
Practicing How to Palm a Basketball
Conclusion
How to Palm a Basketball
If you’ve tried to palm a basketball before and not been able to, you may think “I wish my hand was big enough to palm the ball. ” There are some limitations that you may have to deal with, but with practice and training, it is possible for a lot of people to be able to palm a basketball on the court.
Requirements to Palm a Basketball
There are three main factors that weigh into whether you can palm a basketball or not.
Hand Size – Is your hand large enough to palm a ball?
Type of Ball – A rubber basketball has more grip, but a leather ball is used in more advanced games.
Hand Strength – Even if you have extremely large hands, you need enough strength to be able to grip the ball with one hand.
Hand Size to Palm a Basketball
It is true that palming a basketball will be challenging for a lot of people, and unfortunately impossible for some. Hand size plays a very important role in trying to do this.
The general minimum hand size where you can comfortably palm a ball is a 7.5” hand length and 8 1/4” hand span.
To measure your hand length, get a ruler or measuring tape and measure from the base of your palm to the tip of your middle finger.
The measure your hand span, use the same type of measuring device, spread your palm and fingers out and measure the distance between the thumb and pinky.
People with smaller hands may be able to palm a basketball, but the level of strength and technique would have to be much higher than normal.
Different Ball Types and How They Affect Palming a Basketball
Different types of basketballs will have different levels of grip. A new, clean, rubber basketball will usually have the highest amount of grip, and a genuine leather basketball (like they use in the NBA) will more slick and smoother.
When starting to figure out how to palm a basketball, it’s a good idea to start with a small rubber ball. Even though you might think it would be better to start out on a full-sized leather ball as the pros use, your training has to start the beginner level.
Hand Stretches to Help Palm a Basketball
Stretching your hands and fingers will both increase the surface area that you are trying to palm the ball with, and also help strengthen the muscles and ligaments needed for the palming action.
Basic Finger Stretch
Place your hand palm down on a flat surface like a desk or table. Stretch out your fingers as far as they can go from thumb to pinky. Hold for 30 seconds then release. Repeat 10 times.
Finger Lift
On the same flat surface with your palm down, gently lift your thumb then lower it. Repeat with the rest of the fingers by themselves. Follow up by lifting all fingers and thumbs at once, then lowering. Repeat 10 times.
Finger Bend
Extend one arm in front of you with the palm side down. With your other hand, bend back individual fingers one at a time. Hold each stretch for about 10 seconds.
After stretching the fingers individually, stretch them in the same manner with all fingers at the same time. Hold for 30 seconds.
Exercises to Help Palm a Basketball
Unless you have incredibly huge hands, a lot of what goes into palming a ball will come from the grip strength of your hands. There are three different kinds of grip strength.
The Support Grip – Used for holding onto things like a piece of luggage, or hanging from a bar.
The Crush Grip – This is the grip between your fingers and your palm. This grip is used for shaking hands, crumpling up paper, and just crushing things.
The Pinch Grip – The grip between your thumb and fingers. This is the main grip to be concerned with for palming a basketball.
In order to strengthen the pinch grip or any grip, start with small weights and work your way up. As with any exercise, proceed with caution, don’t start too big too fast, and don’t overextend yourself – we use fingers every day.
Plate Pinches
Place two small weight plates together with the smooth sides facing out. Hold them next to your body for about 15 seconds at a time. Once you can do this on a regular basis with no pain, increase the weight size.
For larger weights, start with only using one for each hand. Lean the weight plates against your legs with the smooth side facing out. Pick them up and hold them for the same period of time.
Other options to extend the plate pinch exercise:
Start walking after picking the plates up – the change of balance when walking will work your fingers more.
Instead of using all of your fingers, use only the thumb and pinky.
Plate Curls
Grab a weight plate, hold it, palm side up, with your fingers on the bottom and thumb on the top. Proceed to do bicep curls this way.
To extend this exercise, hold the plate straight out from your body with the thumb on the bottom and fingers on top. Lower and raise the plate in front or to the side of you up to shoulder height.
Fingertip Pushups
Lying face down on the floor, put your arms and hands in a push-up position, but with your fingers holding you up instead of your entire hand. It may be easier to start with modified push-ups, using the knees as your base instead of your toes.
To modify even further, start out with doing pushups against a wall. Stand up facing the wall, then lean against the wall with your hands/fingers. Bend your elbows slowly until your chin is almost touching the wall, then return to the starting position.
Thumb Extension
Place your hand, palm down, on a table or other flat surface. Wrap a rubber band around your hand and thumb just below the finger joints. Extend your thumb out from the rest of the hand as far as you are able. Hold for 30 seconds and release. Repeat 10 times.
Practicing How to Palm a Basketball
Even with all the stretching and exercise advice, you will still need how the ball is supposed to feel in your hand when palming a basketball. It is recommended that you start with a smaller ball and move your way up.
Start with a smaller rubber basketball in a women’s size, or if your hands are very small, youth size. Feel your hand on the ball. The palm should be completely pressed up against the ball surface with the fingers stretched out as far as possible and squeezing from the sides.
Practice palming the ball with your arm straight in front of you at first. With your thumb facing down and fingers on top, the gravity pushing against your thumb will help keep the ball from slipping out of your fingers.
Once you can perform the straight-out exercise for 30 seconds at a time, start palming the ball with your arm straight down. Now that gravity isn’t being restricted it will be a little harder. Try this for about 20 seconds at a time.
Finally, add some movement to your practice. Dribble the basketball for a bit and then stop it by palming. Practice juking people by pretending to pass but palming the ball and bringing it back to you. Work on dunking on shorter rims if you can find them, then move up to the full-sized baskets.
When you can do all of these exercises with a smaller rubber ball, it is time to increase the difficulty. If you have the option, a leather ball of the same size as the one you originally practiced with is a good step. Otherwise, move up to a full-sized rubber ball.
Conclusion
Practice the above exercises, and when you feel ready, pick up a leather ball and give it a shot. The slick surface of a leather ball will feel strange since you’re used to the grippiness of rubber, but with enough practice and the above requirements, you will be able to palm a basketball like a pro.
How To Become Better At Palming A Basketball
Michael Jordan is famous for his big hands (even by NBA standards) and he often used his palming ability to his advantage on the court.
It’s also an essential skill in order to be able to consistently dunk a full-sized basketball.
When I set my goal to be able to dunk a basketball back in 2016, there were two major obstacles.
The main obstacle was being able to jump high enough to get the ball above the rim, and the second was ensuring I could keep a ball under control in order to successfully dunk it without sending it flying off course.
I spent 8-weeks working on my vertical leap. After that, the only thing holding me back from being a good dunker was my ability to consistently palm a basketball.
Big jumps aside, solid palming is essential during the slam dunk
Luckily, I found that training to palm a basketball wasn’t as hard as I expected, despite my smallish sized hands.
I’m first going to discuss two important factors that influence your palming ability, hand size and palming technique, and then cover some methods which will improve your ability to palm a basketball.
Requirement 1: Hand Size
It should be obvious that hand size plays a big role in your ability to palm the ball.
You can have fantastic power and technique but the closer together your fingertips are, a smaller amount of the total pressure will apply an inwards force on the basketball.
Imagine your hand is one inch long – it doesn’t matter how much grip or power you exert, the ball won’t stick. It’s simple physics.
So, is there a ‘bare minimum’ hand size?
Well, technically there isn’t a single measurement that determines whether or not you are capable of palming a basketball.
It’s not just about hand length (measured from the wrist to the top of the middle finger), but also hand span (the distance between your thumb and pinky when you spread your hand out). You could have a relatively short hand length, but have really wide hands, for example.
In addition, finger/grip strength is also part of the equation. You can make up for having smaller hands with greater grip strength.
Your hand size will determine how easy or hard it is to palm a basketball
However, realistically speaking, to be able to comfortably palm a basketball after training technique and strength, here are some ballpark minimum figures.
Hand Length: 7.5″ (this is slightly over the average male hand length of 7.4″)
Hand Span: 8″
With these measurements palming a ball might be a little tricky at first, but if you train your technique and grip strength you’ll ultimately be able to palm the ball fairly comfortably.
People with smaller hands might be able to palm the Basketball, but technique would need to be even better.
For reference, in the NBA draft combine, the smallest hand length you’ll see is typically around 7.75″-8″, although there have been years featuring players with a 7.5″ hand length.
How To Measure Your Hand Length and Span
You will need a standard ruler to find out your own hand measurements.
To measure hand length, measure from the base of your hand (where the wrist begins) to the top of your middle finger.
Fig. 1: Measuring Hand Length
To measure hand span, spread your thump and pinky as far apart as you can across a ruler, as shown below:
Fig 2. Measuring hand span
Requirement 2: Strength and Technique
There is definitely more to palming a basketball than pure hand size. In fact, your palming skill is extremely important and will be an equally important factor as your hand size.
Most players didn’t just pick up ta basketball from day 1 and have the ability to palm it securely – unless they’re Michael Jordan.
Basketball players will often subconsciously be practicing palming the ball when they have the ball in their hands.
Once you are able to palm the ball fairly well, it’s just a matter of spending more and more time palming the ball to maintain your ability and further strengthen the muscles involved in palming.
To get to that point, you need to work on your grip strength.
When it comes to grip strength, you need to keep in mind that there are three different types:
Crush Grip: Grip between fingers and palm that gives you the ability to ‘scrunch’ something – think shaking hands, crushing a beer can.
Pinch Grip: The grip between fingers and thumb. This is what matters most.
Support Grip: The grip needed to keep hold onto something – e.g. holding onto a bar during deadlift/pull-ups
For many people, hand grippers spring to mind when they want to improve their hand grip. These things strengthen your hand flexor muscles you use to crush things, but when it comes to palming a basketball, there are more efficient ways of training.
Hand Grippers aren’t very helpful because they don’t reflect the grip used for palming a basketball
The crush grip and support grip are not as important for the purpose of palming a basketball. What needs to be your main focus for training is your pinch grip.
Strengthening Your Pinch Grip
Now that we’ve established that you need to strengthen your pinch grip in order to comfortably palm a basketball, let’s go through some exercises you can do to do that.
Fingertip Pushups
These are pretty self-explanatory. Perform a standard pushup but instead of having your palm flat on the ground, lift your palm up so your body is supported by your fingertips.
This is a more challenging variation of the pushup, so if necessary leave your knees on the ground to begin with in order to make the exercise easier.
Fig. 4: Fingertip Pushups
Horizontal Basketball Palming
Since gravity is your enemy, you can start out palming your basketball by palming it horizontally – i.e. parallel to the floor. Since the bottom half of your hand will also be producing an upward force on the ball, it will be easier to palm.
Start palming the ball horizontally to make things easier for yourself
You should feel a burn running down your forearm after doing the exercise for long enough. Don’t overtrain in order to minimize the risk of high muscle tension induced spasm.
Each day, record the maximum number of seconds you can palm the basketball in this manner. You should see continual improvement.
As you improve, gradually start angling the ball towards the floor so that you are less and less reliant on the help you get from the upward forces acting on the ball.
Palming Smaller Balls
When you are trying to strengthen your grip using a basketball, you need to be palming for at least 5 seconds at a time, otherwise your fingers won’t have much opportunity to develop.
If you are unable to do the above exercise for a meaningful amount of time, then instead start off with a smaller leather/rubber ball to practice with.
For this purpose, I’d suggest either getting a womens basketball or a handball (handball is a popular sport in Europe, and the ball is significantly smaller than a Basketball).
Try and become comfortable palming either of these smaller balls for 20+ seconds before moving on to a men’s basketball.
Finger Stretchers
Unlike hand grippers, finger stretchers are a great way of training finger muscles in isolation. They can be purchased for cheap online and will strengthen the same muscle groups involved in the pinch grip.
Finger Stretchers are a good aid for learning to palm a basketball
Training with a Climbing Wall
If you want to see people with insane grip strength, look no further than climbers.
Because a climbing wall or natural climbing rocks have random contouring, climbers end up stressing different muscle groups during the course of a climb. As a result, you end up training all 3 kinds of hand grip without even realizing it.
I’ve done some climbing sessions before, and noticed immediate improvement to my basketball palming ability shortly after. The burning sensation going down your forearms and fingers after a session is unlike any other.
‘True’ Palming vs Pseudo-Palming
You might have read top players like Kobe Bryant or Anthony Davis can’t palm the ball.
Or how about the story that 6’10 Kevin Durant had to tell photographers he wasn’t able to palm the ball when posing for photos?
Yet Kobe, Anthony and Kevin are some of the most efficient dunkers on court. Kevin and Anthony are big guys even by NBA standards.
The point is even these guys have trouble effortlessly palming the ball in the truest sense, and will typically just cradle the ball during a dunk.
When training to palm the ball, your goal therefore isn’t to be able hold a basketball like a tennis ball. Very few people, even in the NBA, actually have that level of control over the ball.
Instead, improve your one-handed control over the ball and get it to a level that allows you to perform the moves you want. In my case, having enough control to dunk the ball was sufficient.
Men Before vs Men Now
Ever notice how your dad’s and his friend’s hands typically look bigger and manlier than yours? It’s not just an age thing – the younger generation are in fact getting weaker.
According to a study by the Journal of Hand Therapy, today’s men have a significantly weaker crush and pinch grip than men 30 years ago.
Lifestyle changes have meant that men’s grip strength has decreased over the years
That’s because men’s lifestyles have changed, with a more relaxed, less active lifestyle.
Be it helping with the shopping, going to the gym and doing deadlifts/kettlebell swinging or just playing basketball on a regular basis, you need to get off the computer and get physical.
Grip strength is a strong indicator of strength in general, and if you are finding it difficult to keep a grip on a basketball, your time might be better spent becoming stronger overall than focusing purely on palming in a band-aid manner.
Does The Basketball Make Much Of A Difference?
Yes! Some basketballs are naturally grippier than others. For example, the Wilson Evolution indoor basketball that is popular in college basketball is known to be very grippy. By contrast, the genuine leather official NBA game ball is slightly smoother and harder to palm.
Hopefully this article will help you become better equipped to start working on your ability to reliably hold a basketball. Let me know in the comment section below if you have any other questions!
The most amazing creation in modern sports - Lantern - Blogs
Everything you need to know about the perfect basketball body.
Height
Note: When Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted, he was 6 feet 8.5 inches, about 2.04 meters. All three years in the NBA, the Greek continued to grow and now has reached about 7 feet (2.13 meters).
Antetokounbo's father played football professionally in Nigeria and tried to pass on his experience to his children. Ladders, exercises for leg coordination and the like accompanied them all their childhood, until at some point Thanasis said that he was fed up with all this and he would play basketball. Giannis had no opinion of his own, but he just wanted to spend more time with his older brother, so he supported him.
Antetokounbo's father is 198cm tall and his wife is 183cm tall. But having a 7-footer in their family seems like a no-brainer given all the circumstances that brought Giannis to the NBA.
The Antetokounbo family lived in Athens illegally and were constantly afraid of deportation. There was no money. They moved from one place to another, often settled in tiny rooms where there was no heating, where they smelled bad. From adolescence, the brothers tried to somehow help - they bought small souvenirs, watches, hats, glasses in the market and then tried to sell them to tourists on the streets. Often they did not eat for several days. Sometimes the brothers were fed by kind people in local cafes.
At the age of 13, Giannis was fished out by the coach of Athens Fylatlitikos, Spyros Velliniatis. All his attempts to captivate Antetokumbo in basketball ended in failure due to the difficult situation in the family: the teenager came to training, but then disappeared for a long time to continue doing simple business. He only stayed permanently after Velliniatis made sure his parents got legal jobs and he was given a stipend of 500 euros.
And continued to grow.
In 2012, Antetokounmpo was no longer a secret. From the age of 17, he played in the second league of the Greek championship - against mature men who combine their main work with basketball - and presented his unusual body to the public.
Zaragoza was the first to get interested. The Spaniards signed a contract with the young man for 400 thousand, but due to an oversight, they included a clause there that allowed Antetokounmpo to withdraw from the contract in the event of an offer from the NBA.
Such a development seemed unlikely: in the league, an incomprehensible guy who played at the amateur level was stubbornly ignored until the very day of the draft. And after a very long time they twisted the finger at the temple, believing that general manager John Hammond, as usual, did something absurd: more important than any data, it seemed that the guy only started to really play basketball only at the age of 13 and knew little.
It wasn't until a few years later that an explanation emerged: according to some managers in the league, Antetokounmpo's agents had a preliminary agreement with the bosses of Atlanta, and therefore the Greek's incredible physical data was deliberately hushed up. But Hammond broke all plans: the desperate and always teetering on the verge of resignation leader personally came to Athens and looked at the amazing body with his own eyes. The Greek was very wanted by the Hawks and Celtics (Danny Ainge was also in Athens and was even stonewalled by opposing fans who mistook him for the manager of Philatlyticos), but then the Bucks boss saw enough to believe that in the case of Antetokumbō, the physical component and the sense of the game are more convincing than any skills.
The court that me and my brothers grew up playing on!!! @thanasis_ante43 @kostas__ante13 @alex_ante34 #WhereItAllBegan #Antetokounbros
Posted by Giannis Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34)
Where it all began! @alex_ante34 @kostas__ante13 @thanasis_ante43 #Antetokounbros
Posted by Giannis Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34)
Arm span
Reference: Arm span is one of the main characteristics for a basketball player, often more significant than height or jump. Arm span is important not only on the rebound, but also represents the main advantage of the defending player who is trying to close the space for passing or passing. Antetokumbō's arm span is 221 centimeters, 8 more than his height.
In December 2013, during his first season with Milwaukee, before a game, Antetokounmpo took a taxi to the city center and went to Western Union to send money to his parents in Greece. In the end, he sent everything he had and was left alone on the street, without a jacket. He decided to get to the arena by running, and his impulse was stopped only by Bucks fans passing by.
- Are you a Milwaukee rookie by any chance?
- Yeah.
- Can I give you a lift?
Please.
Once in the league, Antetokounmpo shocked everyone with an inadequate understanding of where he was. Saved money on food - brought home food from the players' canteen. Saved on shoes - sneakers and shoes were given to him by Bucks veterans. Save on furnishings - buy used furniture. Saved obscenely - people from the non-basketball world who crossed paths with him later told with a laugh how the millionaire insisted that they split the bill at the restaurant equally.
Overcoming the psychology of poverty was not at all as fast as on the site.
“The most important game of my career is the third match of my first season. We played Toronto. In the first half, I didn't score from under the basket, one of my teammates yelled at me. Then OJ Mayo came up to me and said, "Yannis, don't worry about it, just hit it over the top next time." So when the second half started, I got the ball on a three-pointer, hit the floor, went to the basket and scored. Everything turned out simple. I passed someone, everyone parted - I was left alone. I was surprised: “Wow, I can do this!”.
And it hasn't ended yet.
By signing a $100 million deal, Antetokounmpo did something that no other NBA player would have thought of. He called the Milwaukee owner and thanked him for the money, which is "so important to me and my family."
Legs
Reference: According to the measurements of the Bucks headquarters, the length of the Achilles tendon in Antetokounmpo is 33 centimeters (that's twice as long as the average man). Scientists believe that it is the size of the Achilles that affects the acceleration and sharpness of the step, which is perfectly manifested in the example of a Greek passing through a platform with two blows to the floor.
Antetokumbō's legs have another unusual property: it takes him almost no time to regroup for a second jump. The Greek never ceases to amaze everyone with his incredible serial jumping ability.
It wasn't just Giannis' feet that were behind Milwaukee's sluggish experiment of building the tallest point guard in basketball history. But the legs are exactly what creates such a feeling of continuous aesthetic shock from the performance of Antetokumbō. Opponent coaches constantly complain about him, pointing out that the Greek is constantly jogging - after watching the video, they themselves are convinced that this is only a visual effect associated with a unique combination of fantastically long limbs and ease of movement.
Kidd's assistant Sean Sweeney works with Antetokounbo. The Greek installed his portrait in his office, and despite all the protests of the specialist and his persistent attempts to get rid of the annoying photo, it constantly returns: "so that you never forget about me," Yiannis adds. This is unlikely to happen. Eurosteps, more reminiscent of triple jumps at the Olympics, amazing pick-and-rolls in which the seven-footer acts as a ball carrier, passages breaking all stereotypes through the entire area, incomprehensible coordination when performing standard tricks of a small player - all these tricks have been run in for many years at the Milwaukee training ground, sometimes late in the evening. And Sweeney finds for his ward not only the standard examples for inspiration, but also excessive frills like movements in a post from Kiki Vandeweye and Sean Kemp's derogatory passages.
Football dexterity is currently the main attacking tool for Antetokounmpo, who has not yet learned how to throw properly. The traditional tactic against non-throwers does not work against him: you can move away from him and give him the opportunity to shoot, but this only allows him to develop speed, and then it is almost impossible to stop him. Antetokounmpo has a very fast first step, lightning-fast if he stays after pick-and-rolls against centers, and a unique ability to get to the rim from the arc in two steps.
"Lateral" speed
Reference: In basketball there is a difference between defending the "big" and defending on the perimeter: seven-footers defend due to height, arm length, stability and competently occupied position, perimeter players - due to speed lateral movement and hand speed. The speed of lateral movement is influenced by the thigh muscles, which are less developed in “big” players due to the fact that they move very differently than perimeter defenders. Antetokumbō is an atypical "big" because, being a seven-footer, he defends not only with his height and arm length, but also easily sits in a defensive stance and moves around the perimeter much faster than people of his size.
Antetokounmpo spent his fourth season in the league and is already one of the top defensive players, averaging 1. 6 steals and 1.9 blocks this year and at some point was in contention to become only the fourth player in history with 2 points on these indicators.
But everything is ahead.
Advanced statistics show how well Antetokounmpo has learned to use his abilities.
He ranks third in heads-up defense (for players against whom at least 10 tries are thrown). Against him, on average, they attack with 40% of hits from the field, which is 5.6% on average less than the average values.
When the shot is taken within 3 meters of the basket, Giannis is one of the best defenders in the league, changing his shooting percentage by almost 14. On average, players score 55.8% - in situations where Antetokounmpo is the closest defender to them, these figures are reduced to 42%.
The interception-to-block ratio, Hakim Olajuwon's trademark, speaks of the Greek's versatility in his own half. Antetokounbo is equally good in situations where you need to use your size. And do not hesitate to turn on the speed. Manages to get back on the defensive. Manages to run to the perimeter. And it does not allow even the best specialists in the one-on-one game to turn around.
All new generation NBA unicorns are touted for their phenomenal agility and propensity to play both sides, but it must be admitted that Giannis is the first to actually show how such physical conditioning can be applied in terms of destructive action .
Muscles and mass gain
Reference: Over the past two years, Antetokounbo has clearly changed in appearance: according to the figures that are known, his dry weight has grown from 10 kilograms to 8. At the same time, more importantly, it happened quite naturally: the Greek did not lose speed, did not feel any discomfort. At the same time, another unusual feature emerged: in terms of stabilizing muscles, Giannis also resembles not tall players, to which he nominally belongs, but small players. That is why he is capable of complex acrobatic jumps and runs with the ball across the court.
During the first season, Antetokounmpo had a difficult conversation with his agent, Alex Saratsis. He told him that, in the opinion of the assistant coaches, he was not working enough.
Antetokounmpo burst into tears.
“You can tell me that I play badly. You can tell me that I'm not doing something right. But you can't tell me that I don't try. I don't admit it."
Before the NBA, the Greek did not really face professional basketball.
In America, he had to change everything: learn to play defense, build muscle, change footwork, work on dribbling and shooting.
At some point, he got a special notebook in which he recorded all the advice and ideas received from coaches and partners. And after four years in the NBA, he continues to replenish the notebook with smart thoughts.
Antetokounbo's performance is now one of Milwaukee's signature legends.
After unsuccessful matches, the Greek does not go to the shower, but immediately goes to the Milwaukee training base in uniform, where he blows off steam and plays alone until night.
Erysipelas
Help: “At some point, I realized that in order to take the next step, I need to be a little cheeky,” Antetokounmpo explains. “I can be a little cheeky.”
When Antetokounmpo was banned from shooting 3-pointers, he became angry.
When a disgruntled Jason Kidd sent him to the bench, the Greek got on the Internet to find out who this bald man is and what he allows himself.
He learned all the bad things from Kobe – Antetokumbo surfs the Internet, finds at least something negative about himself and sends it as a screensaver to his phone.
This season brought out his trademark - what Gus Johnson calls "the face after someone farts nearby." This is how Antetokumbō tries to become cocky.
Taken together, these traits explain why "right now" is the best time to enjoy playing a young Bucks leader.
In every step, Antetokumbō still shines through with childishness - it resembles a puppy of a huge breed, which turned out to be next to more mature, but smaller dogs, and pounces on them, full of joy of life, a sense of its own strength and restless energy.
Along with all this outburst of basketball joviality, his shortcomings appear, which this puppyish spontaneity only amusingly emphasizes.
It is obvious that the development of the Greek is not over yet, but the very process of his maturation is more interesting than guesses about what else he can become. He is still developing physically and is only getting used to his abilities. Every year he improves in defense and improves his understanding of the game. He still hasn't learned how to throw properly. But all this did not prevent him from becoming a star this season. Antetokounbo, with his insanely huge steps and criminal eurostep, easily pierces the defensive orders. He is completely unstoppable in fast attacks. He suppresses inferior players with a mustache. He understands his limits enough not to persist in misses, but to use his incredible hands as Inspector Gadget's tools to get the ball to his teammates. He is the tallest point guard in basketball history. And he's as versatile as can be - Antetokounmpo defends in all five positions and can play any role up front.
The Greek did two things this season that went completely unnoticed by the follies of Harden and Westbrook. First, he became the first player since Scottie Pippen and the young LeBron to lead his team in five major stats. Secondly, he turned out to be only the ninth person in history who averaged more than 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and showed a shooting percentage from the field above 50. And he did this, being much younger than all eight of his predecessors, including Jordan, and Barkley and Oscar Robertson.
The moral of this season is simple: nothing is more confusing than statistics. But in this case, the numbers only reinforce the scale of the impression - not yet mature, somewhere inept and continuing to flounder stupidly, ridiculous and graceful at the same time, Antetokounmpo has already stuffed the best players in the league, pulled out his same limited and awkward team in the playoffs and showed the whole world an impudent physiognomy practiced in front of a mirror.
Palms
Reference: Antetokumbō's palm size (from thumb to small) is 30 and a half centimeters. That's more than Kawhi Leonard and Wilt Chamberlain. And this allows him to easily pinch a basketball in his hand.
Antetokounmpo's body makes him the most intriguing player in basketball history. Until now, few people imagine what the owner of the most perfect basketball body is truly capable of, when his progress will be completed and who he will turn into in the end.
Now it seems that all this is in his hands.
Not in the sense of working on oneself, but in the most literal way: the only potential limitation of the Greek is connected with his inability to throw. Big hands are not always so good: as Shaquille O'Neal told us for many years, it was huge hands that prevented him from learning how to hit the ring. If, as Antetokounmpo himself promises, a breakthrough occurs in this area as well, then the authoritarian nature of the East should only strengthen: one tyrant that has been dominating for so many years will be replaced by another.
Photo: Gettyimages.ru/Stacy Revere, Vaughn Ridley
Perfect basketball body. Giannis Antetokounmpo - Grant Hill Blog - Blogs
18-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo hit the League's team scouting radar at the start of the 2012-13 season. However, no one could then predict how successful this young man could be in the NBA. It's hard to be in front of overseas scouts, playing in the second Greek division for the Filalitikos team. But if his prospects in the NBA were vague, then his natural gifts were obvious to everyone. The scouts were unanimous in their opinion that Giannis has a body that seems to be made for basketball. In the 2013 draft, the Bucks decided that the crazy combination of power forward size and elite point guard mobility was too tempting to pass this guy, and selected Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick. Their premonitions did not deceive them. Thanks to his unique biomechanical and physiological qualities, Giannis is one of only three players in the last decade who have managed to average 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2. 5 assists and 1 block per game in a season in which he was not even 22 years old. .
In order to understand how Antetokounmpo manages to use his unique natural abilities, we decided to first measure the entire dimensions of the Greek 211 cm forward, and then turned to a specialist to help us understand what advantages in terms of playing basketball Giannis gives his physique. The specialist was Dr. Marcus Elliott, founder of the P3 Applied Sports Science training center, which specializes in detailed research and assessment of the state of top athletes. Welcome to the perfect body for the NBA.
Arm span. Basketball is a game of corners in which the main task of the defending player is to reduce the possible angles for the player with the ball to get under the basket and to pass the ball to teammates. Antetokumbō's arm span is truly gigantic and amounts to 221 centimeters, which is 10 centimeters higher than even his by no means small stature. Of course, this range of hands is a great help for Giannis in defense. “If you have long enough arms, then you can reach far points in space without even lifting your legs or shifting your center of gravity,” notes Dr. Elliott. Confirmation of his words is the fact that Antetokounmpo is one of the top ten small forwards in the League in terms of the percentage of rebounds won (Rebound Rate). Leader in this category? Quincy Acey, whose arm span exceeds his own height by 23 centimeters.
Lateral movements . “The ability to move sideways is an important quality for a defenseman in the NBA. To move in the lateral plane, the athlete must have strong hips, says Elliott. “The hips must be able to withstand high loads and allow the athlete to be both mobile and at the same time stable on their feet.” Center and heavy forwards have more difficult lateral movements than other players. The reason is that taller players can't lower their center of gravity as low as backcourt players and thus generate the necessary lateral force to move quickly. But Antetokumbō is not your typical "big" at all. He demonstrates the excellent capabilities of the muscles and joints of the hip region of his body: excellent stretching, as well as high speed of the adductors and hip extensor muscles, all this in combination means that Giannis is able to make lateral movements (for example, when guarding an opponent who dribbles) much faster than other tall athletes.
Rost. "When we drafted Giannis, he was 204cm," recalls Bucks general manager John Hammond. But in the middle of the season, the team's fitness coach dropped in to his office to share the news about the newcomer. "He told me that Giannis continues to grow." By the end of the season, Antetokounmpo's height was 211 centimeters. The amazing thing is that for this gift of 7 centimeters from the gods of basketball, Giannis did not have to sacrifice anything. The 211cm Antetokumbō remained as agile and stable on its feet as its smaller version. Coaches can continue to use him successfully as a small forward without too much trouble, making him the tallest player in the League to play in that position.
Muscle mass. Over the past 18 months, Antetokounmpo has done a great job building muscle mass. At the time of the draft, he weighed 88 kg, now his "fighting weight" is 101 kg. The important thing is that he did not just “swing”. “Having big muscles is one thing; but having muscles that are in optimal condition is another thing,” says Dr. Troy Flanagan, who is in charge of the physiological condition of Bucks players. The increase in muscle mass has allowed Giannis to develop muscle forces even faster, giving him the agility and explosive acceleration required of NBA players.
Skeleton. Sports doctors note that players with the growth of Antetokounmpo are characterized by some instability, but in this area the Greek giant resembles more "compact" players. Other tall players have a good sense of balance in the sagittal plane (the vertical plane that divides the body into left and right), and much worse in the frontal and horizontal planes. Giannis does not have these problems. Result? The ability to dribble the ball at speed across the court, soar up for rebounds, and jump from the flanks, hammering alley-ups. Literally all basketball elements that require high coordination of movements are available to him.
Palms. The size of the palm of an average adult male, measured from the top of the thumb to the top of the little finger, is about 19 centimeters. Antetokounmpo's palm is 30.5 cm. (For comparison, Kawhi Leonard's palm is 28 cm, and LeBron James's is 23.5 cm.). The width of Giannis's palm provides him with a high grip of the surface of his hand with the surface of a basketball, the circumference of which is 75 cm, and allows him not only to hold it tightly, but practically hide it in his hand. Such a palm not only provides better control over the ball, but also gains a few more centimeters by moving the hand with the ball away from the guardian and not being afraid to drop it with a careless movement.
Explosive jump. Sports doctors have long studied the ability of athletes to use the energy gained from landing for the next jump. It takes a normal athlete some time to build up the energy gained from landing and transfer it to the muscles acting in the opposite direction for a new jump. "Giannis doesn't need those breaks," says Elliott. “His muscular system can easily and quickly cope with the transfer of such a large amount of energy. He lands at high speed, and has little to no resistance to it…on the contrary, he uses it to his advantage.” The rapid transfer of energy, a hallmark of Antetokumbō's athleticism, allows him to bounce across the court as if on springs.
Achilles. The Bucks measured Antetokounmbo's Achilles tendon from heel to lower calf and found it to be 34cm (almost twice the size of the average adult male). “In my entire practice, I have never seen an Achilles like Giannis,” says Dr. Flanagan. Now sports doctors agree that a long Achilles helps to more effectively accumulate and release the energy of elastic deformation from movements.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Once you can do this on a regular basis with no pain, increase the weight size.
It may be easier to start with modified push-ups, using the knees as your base instead of your toes.
Feel your hand on the ball. The palm should be completely pressed up against the ball surface with the fingers stretched out as far as possible and squeezing from the sides. 
If you have the option, a leather ball of the same size as the one you originally practiced with is a good step. Otherwise, move up to a full-sized rubber ball. 
These things strengthen your hand flexor muscles you use to crush things, but when it comes to palming a basketball, there are more efficient ways of training.
As a result, you end up training all 3 kinds of hand grip without even realizing it.
Ladders, exercises for leg coordination and the like accompanied them all their childhood, until at some point Thanasis said that he was fed up with all this and he would play basketball. Giannis had no opinion of his own, but he just wanted to spend more time with his older brother, so he supported him. 
Antetokumbō's arm span is 221 centimeters, 8 more than his height. 
Scientists believe that it is the size of the Achilles that affects the acceleration and sharpness of the step, which is perfectly manifested in the example of a Greek passing through a platform with two blows to the floor. 
The Greek installed his portrait in his office, and despite all the protests of the specialist and his persistent attempts to get rid of the annoying photo, it constantly returns: "so that you never forget about me," Yiannis adds. This is unlikely to happen. Eurosteps, more reminiscent of triple jumps at the Olympics, amazing pick-and-rolls in which the seven-footer acts as a ball carrier, passages breaking all stereotypes through the entire area, incomprehensible coordination when performing standard tricks of a small player - all these tricks have been run in for many years at the Milwaukee training ground, sometimes late in the evening. And Sweeney finds for his ward not only the standard examples for inspiration, but also excessive frills like movements in a post from Kiki Vandeweye and Sean Kemp's derogatory passages. 
Antetokounmpo has a very fast first step, lightning-fast if he stays after pick-and-rolls against centers, and a unique ability to get to the rim from the arc in two steps. 
6 steals and 1.9 blocks this year and at some point was in contention to become only the fourth player in history with 2 points on these indicators. 
Manages to get back on the defensive. Manages to run to the perimeter. And it does not allow even the best specialists in the one-on-one game to turn around. 
5 assists and 1 block per game in a season in which he was not even 22 years old. . 
“If you have long enough arms, then you can reach far points in space without even lifting your legs or shifting your center of gravity,” notes Dr. Elliott. Confirmation of his words is the fact that Antetokounmpo is one of the top ten small forwards in the League in terms of the percentage of rebounds won (Rebound Rate). Leader in this category? Quincy Acey, whose arm span exceeds his own height by 23 centimeters. 
But Antetokumbō is not your typical "big" at all. He demonstrates the excellent capabilities of the muscles and joints of the hip region of his body: excellent stretching, as well as high speed of the adductors and hip extensor muscles, all this in combination means that Giannis is able to make lateral movements (for example, when guarding an opponent who dribbles) much faster than other tall athletes. 
Giannis does not have these problems. Result? The ability to dribble the ball at speed across the court, soar up for rebounds, and jump from the flanks, hammering alley-ups. Literally all basketball elements that require high coordination of movements are available to him. 
