Manu Ginóbili vs. Tim Hardaway: Battle of the Signature Moves

Which soon-to-be Hall of Famer had the better legendary move on the court?

The Killer Crossover and the Europstep are two of the best signature moves of all-time. Tim Hardaway perfected the crossover during his time with RUN TMC Warriors. While Manu Ginóbili dominated teams for years with the eurostep in San Antonio. With the two former All-Stars being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, the Crossover staff debates which player had the better move on the court and which current player has the best signature move in the game right now.

Eurostep or killer crossover: Who had the better signature move?

John Gonzalez: This is a tough draw for Manu. Love Manu (and especially love how long he held onto what was left of his hair). But while the eurostep is amazing and has been adopted by players all over the world, I’m not sure Manu is the first person I think of when someone mentions that particular move. There have been better practitioners of that art. Hardaway, on the other hand, didn’t just have a good crossover or a great crossover he had a killer crossover. This one goes to Hardaway and I’m not sure it’s particularly close.

Jarrel Harris: The killer crossover wins by a landslide. While the eurostep is a revolutionary move in its own right, the crossover is perhaps one of the most influential signature moves ever. Hardaway inspired a whole generation of ball-handlers like Allen Iverson, Jamal Crawford and Kyrie Irving. There are movies named after the move! All love to Manu but Hardaway wins this battle.

Chris Herring: This one could go either way, but I’ll go with Hardaway’s crossover; perhaps because it—and then Iverson’s—was the thing I remember trying to emulate the most as a youngster. During that stretch where And1 took over during the late 1990s, every breathtaking move seemingly began or involved a crossover.

Robin Lundberg: That's a tough one as both moves have become ubiquitous in the bags of NBA players. However, I'll go with the Eurostep because as saucy as Tim's crossover was, there was always some version of that. What Manu helped revolutionize was a move that was foreign to most fans and that has now become commonplace no matter the continent, and when done right always looks cool to boot.

What’s the best signature move in the game right now?

Gonzalez: We’ll keep it in the eurostep family and go with Giannis. It’s one thing when James Harden unfurls a hyper slow motion euro step in an attempt to draw a foul on his way to the basket. It’s another when Giannis—who is built like an armored bank truck that figured out how to stand up and dribble—comes barreling down the lane with his foot fully on the gas and he hits the euro on someone and then finishes with an angry slam. It shouldn’t be possible, but I’m glad it is.

Harris: I will cheat a bit and say Stephen Curry’s three-point shot. O.K. … is it really a signature move since everyone does it? No, but he revolutionized the game like we have never seen before with it. If we want to get really specific, I will say his no-look, three-point shot is the most entertaining move in the NBA today.

Herring: Good question. I honestly don’t think there is one at the moment. Several guys—Harden, Luka, LeBron—benefit from good stepbacks. Wiggins has used the Penny Hardaway stepback with a spin. Kyrie got his bag of tricks, but seemingly not one singular thing. Chris Paul uses the Shammgod, and occasionally nutmegs people. But I don’t know if there’s a “best” at the moment.

Robin Lundberg: I'll go with LeBron's rockabye lookdown pullup three. Now while there must be a better and more concise name for it, it has allowed James' game to age given he no longer has to rely on being a freight train to get his shot off. And though he isn't the league's top marksman, he seemingly is able to get the space to get that shot off comfortably and consistently.

What’s your favorite signature move of all time?

Gonzalez: This is an obvious one for me. Allen Iverson’s crossover. All of them, but especially the one that put everyone on notice.

Harris: Michael Jordan’s fadeaway is the most aesthetically pleasing signature move ever, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and only made one three-pointer his entire career. The secret to his success? He used the skyhook, which is the most unstoppable basketball move ever created.

Herring: I’ve always had an affinity for Michael Jordan’s one-handed ball fakes, which he could use because of his ability to palm the basketball so easily. Sometimes, he didn’t even look to shoot it after completely faking his defender out of the frame. But he always froze guys with it; just one of the ways he was able to make the game stand still around him.

Lundberg: So many to choose from...the Skyhook, Dirk off one leg, the Dreamshake etc. but I'll take Michael Jordan's fadeaway. It led to so many iconic moments and helped pioneer a shot that countless others have used, albeit perhaps none with the frequency of success shown by MJ. Jay-Z probably used the right word when invoking that move on his song Hola Hovito, perfect.