The NBA has been evolving for a long time since the days of James Nymeth’s Peach Basket. Now, the game involves live entertainment during cheerleaders, music, lights and timeouts, half-time and half-time. Entertainment levels that the NBA has grown to include a look pass, a craziness gravity-defining dance, and players who can cross and break a defender’s ankle.
The & 1 craze in the NBA is over, but ball handlers are still preferred in the NBA. The best handles don’t mean the best passengers or point guards in the league, otherwise, Magic Johnson and John Stockton will always be at the top of the list. The best handles refer to players who can get out of traps, break defensive match-ups, and simply dribble from anything thrown at them.
It shows love for crossovers, broken ankles, and default ego. Who can forget Steff Curry’s spinning crossovers over Gary Neal in the 2013 playoffs, Kerry literally threw Brandon Knight into the Rising Stars Challenge or Alan Everson climbed on top of Tyrone Liu and landed on him after he dropped the baseline jumper.
10. Kenny Anderson
Anderson, although not the first team in everyone’s mind, was one of the best ball handlers to come out of New York City. Growing up on projects, Anderson was known in the surrounding area as the man who would appear on the court at midnight working on his game.
Unlike Anderson’s Bobby Hurley was the biggest highlight of the college. After a quick break on the left-wing, Anderson basically hugged Valli, but he was still able to get past, trim behind him and finish the layout. In the NBA, he feared opponents with deadly crossovers, handles that could go through any appearance pass, and any kind of defense. Truly a streetball legend in the NBA.
9. Kiri Irving
Cree Irving is one of the NBA’s youngest superstars today. After playing just eleven games at Duke, Cree was first selected overall by the Cavs in the 2011 draft, and Cree alerted the entire league when he won the 2012 Rookie of the Year award. But this is why other players in the league are afraid of Kiri.
Kiri’s crossover has been seen on the international screen after Brandon Knight’s ankle was completely broken in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge. In addition to the crossover, Cree was part of Pepsi’s Uncle Drew ad, where he worked as an old man who came to court to teach young boys how to play the game. Kiri’s crossover will be in the NBA for a long time.
8. Shammgod
Although Shamgod has played only 20 games in the NBA, he has received all-time equal recognition among all the best ball handlers he has played against. Coming out of New York, Shamgod built his own crossover and is considered to be one of the best roads of all time to get out of the city.
Although his basketball skills weren’t enough to keep him in the NBA for long, his handles left a legend in his name. NBA players still use the Shamgad crossover today and are amazed at his ability to go through any defense while keeping his dribble alive.
7. Penny Hardware
Penny is considered to be the best big point guard of all time to play the game regularly. He wasn’t a point guard as some say LeBron did, but he managed 90% of Magic’s wealth and legally managed the rock at a quick break. With three-point threats like Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott in the middle of the spin and wings, Penny was given all the houses in the world.
Penny was a rare big guard who could manage his own against a small guard like Maggie Boggs and not worry about snatching. Although his career did not end in a highlight, he was a four-time All-Star and paved the way for big defenders like Tracy McGrady to manage the rock.
6. Team hardware
Many of our younger readers will only know Tim Hardao Jr. of the New York Knicks. But the real team hardware is one of the most spectacular point keepers to favor wood. His killer crossovers were the main crossovers to inspire an entire generation to come. The Warriors ’popular run provided countless assists to Hardway Mullin and Mitch Richmond as TMC’s point guards.
One of his skills became famous in the NBA, where analysts referred to his crossover as a UTEP 2-step, while Hardway’s legacy has remained as the fastest and deadliest point keeper of his time to the heat and fighters since his time.
5. Allen Iverson
Everson’s first big play was against Michael Jordan, where he crossed the top of the key and Jordan threw a jumper as he tried to recover the shot and compete. It was even more impressive as Everson was even feet tall and Jordan stood 6 inches above him.
Iverson made his career as one of the best scorers of all time and it was only aided by his deadly crossover. Like Tim Hardway, Iverson’s crossover was lethal due to speed and agility during the making of the play. Iverson’s crossovers were long-documented and many victims have seen him suffer from broken ankles because of it.
4. Rafer Alston
Rafa played for the Celebrity & 1 tour when he was known as Skip2MyLoo. By this time, Alston’s handles had moved out of this world and he was able to bring the streetball from house to house around the world, inspiring young players to try all his moves.
When Skip came to the NBA, he left most of the streetball antiques. Alston has never been able to bring the game of streetball that made him so famous for his success in the NBA. But for those who know him as Skip to My Love, he will always be remembered as the best street baller of all time to transform into an NBA game.
3. Isaiah Thomas
Twelfth All-Star, two-time NBA champion, and 1990 final MVP, Isiah Thomas is the most famous player of all time to play this game. With bad boys and temperament, he performed these fights which would make any opponent angry against bad boys. But before the defensive-minded Pistons existed, Thomas was one of the best ball handlers in the league. He last played in 1994, so he just dropped out of the list.
His crossovers fall behind the first players and are not able to rise. In fact, the most memorable crossover for Thomas was at Danny Angie where he went over Angus and overtook him and just waited for Ainz to return to do it again. Angie’s arrogance was certainly wounded forever, although Thomas’s reputation continued to grow as a deadly point guard in the league.
2. Jamal Crawford
Crawford is the NBA’s best ball handler in today’s game. Crossovers handles, and jumpers all combined to make Crossford the best ball handler in the league. As a four-point drama career in NBA history, Crawford looks easy when he gets over defenders and then pulls in when trying to recover and compete in his shots.
Why are Crawford’s handles so incredible? Before this time, Crawford “played raw talent.” That means he played in the summer leagues and anyone who tried to defend him just ugly him and then that game would bring him to the NBA.
1. Jason Williams
With a thirty-year career under his belt, Jason Williams retired as the best ball handler ever to play the game. The nickname White Chocolate Williams perfectly combined his love of street ball with the NBA game and became one of the deadliest ball handlers ever to play the game.
As a camouflage, Williams helped King to the playoffs with his star passes and incredible dribbling. Unlike many of the players on our list, Williams ’handles were transformed into support, as they consistently received easy buckets from his teammates. With a fake pass behind him, and starting the journey with his elbow, White Chocolate is always looking for his teammates when it comes down to defenders.