Finger roll

Demetri McCamey doing a finger roll layup

The finger roll is a specialized type of basketball layup shot where the ball is rolled off the tips of the player's fingers. The advantage of the finger roll is that the ball can travel high in the air over a defender that might otherwise block a regular jump shot or dunk, while the spin applied by the rolling over the fingers will carry the ball to the basket off the backboard. The shot was pioneered by the center Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.^[1]

The finger roll is notorious for being very difficult to master, and few players use it as their primary shot. Another disadvantage is that the shot is one-handed, and therefore harder to protect the ball while executing. One famous exception was San Antonio Spurs forward George Gervin, who turned the shot into a nearly invincible weapon when he led the National Basketball Association in scoring between 1978 and 1980.

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