For almost the entire history of basketball, the No 1 thing that would help a person succeed was height. From Wilt Chamberlain to Shaquille O’Neal, the taller a player, the better. While size still matters, thanks to the talent of the 6ft 2in guard Stephen Curry, shooting is prized as much as any other attribute. The four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP is bringing his shooting ability to the Olympics.
Ever since Curry became a sensation thanks to his three-point marksmanship – he is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers and attempts and a career 42.6% from beyond the arc despite myriad difficult shots – kids from New York City to Oakland have been taking their basketballs away from the rim and out behind the three-point line to shoot like Steph. But is it possible for anyone to emulate? If you ask Basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA Coach of the Year Michael Cooper there are ways to try.
“He shoots it the same way all the time,” Cooper says. “Yes, he’ll change the arc on it every now and then, sometimes it will be a little bit higher to get over a bigger defender, but everything before that shot leaves his hand is always the same.”
How to shoot like Steph
That’s the first key: keep the same motion every time you shoot. But how does Curry do it? First, he keeps his shooting elbow tucked closely to his body. He also keeps his right foot, under his shooting hand, slightly ahead of his back foot and his feet shoulder-width apart. This position helps accuracy, as he must align elbow, hip, shoulder and feet for balance. Next, Curry keeps the ball moving straight and upward at all times. He places his shooting hand under the ball, maintains a gap between it and his palm, allowing his fingertips to guide the shot in one fluid motion.
Sometimes, though, when off balance as he comes off a screen or is running from a defender, he will square himself, undertaking his precise motion while in the air. To do this, he jumps higher than normal and may even create some separation with his leg. “He might kick his leg out every now and then,” Cooper says, “but from the waist up, Steph Curry shoots the ball the same way.”
For Cooper, who was part of the 1980s Showtime Los Angeles Lakers and has coached in the NBA, WNBA, CBA and Big3, there is one acronym to remember on a jump shot. “I call it Beef,” he says. “Balance, eyes, elbow and follow-through.”
Cooper advises young players to keep their feet square to the basket, their eyes on the rim and their elbows in as they prepare to let the ball go. Then they should follow through with the shooting hand finishing bent down, the fingers pointing at the rim. “As you’re going through your play, you can say the word ‘Beef’ just before you’re getting ready to shoot,” he says.
The five-time NBA champion recalls tips he used to get from the Hall of Famer Jerry West, who died in June. West would give one final hard dribble before he was about to shoot so the ball would bounce up into his hands. That way, he would begin his motion with the ball already moving upwards.
“Jerry West used to tell me, ‘Coop, your dribble has to take you into your jump shot,’” Cooper says. “That’s why Jerry West had such a quick release – that last dribble, going right or left, took him into his jump shot.”
Like West, when he is preparing to shoot, Curry brings the ball up in one quick movement, from his hips to above his head, maximising the energy from his legs. This helps him shoot speedily as there is no wasted time or motion and provides the most strength possible behind the shot. Curry, like all good shooters, continues the ball moving upward above his eyes, finishing the shot with one hand and letting his left guide hand leave the ball as his eyes stay on the target.
Three key takeaways
Remember Beef: Balance, eyes, elbow and follow-through
Confidence and a short memory. In the pros, Cooper coached Carmelo Anthony, Lisa Leslie, Kobe Bryant and Candace Parker. He says there is no difference between the men’s and women’s games when it comes to shooting tips. “You look at a young lady like Caitlin Clark, all the mechanics are there now. Now, it’s just about repetition, confidence and a short memory. She has a short memory – that young lady can play.”
Repetition. Cooper says he and his Lakers teammate Magic Johnson would go out in the summer, find a gym and shoot 200-300 three-pointers every day. He would rebound for Johnson and Johnson would do the same for him. “Anything you want to do,” he says, “you’ve got to do it all the time so that it becomes a natural part of your game.”