Pinoy step is a basketball move in which an offensive player picks up their dribble, quickly simulates taking a shot the while going towards the basket then proceeds to make an actual shot with the last remaining legal step. It is intended to allow the ball handler to get past a defender and take a more advantageous shot.[1][2]
Background
editSome media attribute the move to basketball players in the Philippines. Fans attribute the combination of gather step and pump fake as the Filipino version of Euro step before going airborne. It can be especially effective when a shorter ball handler takes on a taller defender. As a result, the phrase "Pinoy step" was given with the first word being the colloquial demonym for Filipinos. Anecdotal reports give credit to Kiefer Ravena and Ricci Rivero for popularizing it.[3][4] In a 2023 SB Nation article, Lucas Kaplan wrote Ravena is "credited as one of the pioneers of the move, and it's been in his bag since high school," adding "the Pinoy is unmistakably the product of amateur and professional ballers in the Philippines over the past decade."[5][6]
NBA players Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton and Zach LaVine frequently use the ball fake on the move with success.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Raul Maningat (4 January 2023). "Pinoy Step in the NBA?". One Sports PH. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023.
- ^ Stephen Beslic (5 April 2023). "Zach LaVine explains habit of using the 'Pinoy Step' move". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023.
- ^ John Micheal Agustin (14 October 2023). "Who started the infamous 'Pinoy Step'". Spiel Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023.
- ^ Marin Grabic (4 December 2023). "How Mikal Bridges' new signature move is helping him score more in the paint". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023.
- ^ Lucas Kaplan (11 December 2023). "The history of 'Pinoy step,' Mikal Bridges' new favorite move". NetsDaily.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023.
- ^ Raul Maningat (18 December 2023). "Kiefer Ravena gets linked to story about NBA star Mikal Bridges' 'new favorite move'". Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Will Gottlieb (4 April 2023). "Zach LaVine tells the origin story of his signature ball fake". CHGO.