One of the most exciting offensive plays to watch in basketball is an alley-oop.
When you thought the ball would miss the shot and go out of bounds, a teammate from the offense catches it mid-air and swiftly dunks it through the hoop. Many times, the surprising delight adds to the thrill that viewers enjoy.
But you might wonder, what is an alley-oop in basketball? And why is it called such? We’ll talk about these and more in a bit!
In basketball, an alley-oop is an offensive play wherein a player throws the ball mid-air near the basket or bounces off the backboard to pass it to a teammate who will then perform a quick shot, often a dunk. The passer will then be credited with an assist.
What is an Alley Oop in Basketball?
At the outset, we’ve already mentioned an overview of what is an alley-oop in basketball. It is an exciting kind of offensive play to watch that occurs between two teammates.
One assist in creating an alley-oop by throwing the ball mid-air near the basket or by allowing it to bounce off the backboard. This creates a sort of blind pass, but in a fancier way.
The partner in the alley-oop, on the other hand, is the receiver of the pass. He quickly stuffs the ball through the basket.
Usually, the receiver attempts a dunk. But doing a layup is another way to complete the alley-oop.
Why is it Called Alley Oop?
Now that we’ve described what an alley-oop in basketball is, you might be wondering why it’s called such.
The term alley-oop was coined after “allez hop”. It’s a French phrase that could mean “let’s go”.
French circus acrobats yell the phrase just before they leap. But the term alley-oop wasn’t immediately adopted and popularized in basketball. It was first known as the name of a syndicated comic strip by cartoonist V.T. Hamlin.
In sports, on the other hand, alley-oop was initially used in football to describe a kind of high arcing pass. Later and up to this day, the term alley-oop became more popular in basketball lingo.
And taking into account its etymology, the term fits its context in basketball. This play requires especially the receiver to have a high and impeccable vertical jump to receive the pass and immediately get the ball through the hoop.
Two Types of Alley Oops (Dunk and Layup)
An alley-oop is a play performed by two players from the offense. While the receiver usually grabs the ball after it bounces off the backboard and attempts a slam dunk, you can also do a layup in an alley-oop.
A layup is a one-handed shot executed from near the hoop for newbies’ reference. An offensive player usually attempts a layup after the ball rebounds off the backboard. And so, that’s indeed fitting for an alley-oop.
But did you know that you can also perform an alley-oop without a partner? An example is when you intentionally bounce the ball so hard that it bounces above a defender. You go around the defender, leap, grab the ball and attempt a dunk.
Another example is when you bounce the ball off the backboard, catch it mid-air, and do a dunk.
The main difference between the two types of alley-oops is how the shot is performed. It would help if you had an incredibly high vertical jump to do a dunk. The layup does need a high vertical jump but doesn’t need to be as high as that of a dunk.
top 5 Must Know Tips to Do an Alley-Oop Successfully
It may seem intimidating at first, but the NBA guys aren’t the only ones who can perform an alley-oop. You can too! Check out these handy tips.
1. Practice doing alley-oops with your teammates
It will help if you pick a partner one at a time. Decide who will do the pass and who will receive it. Remember that an alley-oop is usually successful when two players from the offense display incredible teamwork and communication.
2. Be able to make a strong chest pass
The thrower should pass with great precision and timing in an alley-oop. The play also involves a strong chest pass that can reach the highest point of a teammate’s vertical leap.
3. Enhance your vertical leap
That’s a non-negotiable tip, especially if you’re the ball receiver. If you’re attempting a dunk, you need an excellent vertical jump for a layup. So go ahead and do some workouts that will help improve your vertical leap.
4. Create verbal or non-verbal signals with your teammates to signify an alley-oop.
It doesn’t hurt to do some Morse code. You wouldn’t want to be so apparent to the defense when you’re about to perform an alley-oop. You can choose a word, a hand signal, or anything that will communicate your intent with your teammate that you’re going to do an alley-oop with him.
5. Master a specific area on the court from where you can execute an alley-oop
At first, you can choose a specific area on the court where you can perform an alley-oop before attempting to do it from several more areas.
Which Players Have the Most Alley-Oops in the NBA?
To give you some more motivation, you might need specific NBA names to look up and observe how exactly they perform an alley-oop.
Over the years, here are the top-performing alley-oop players in the league, either as receivers or lob assists.
| Player | Alley Oop Role | Stats |
| Dwight Howard | Recipient | Recipient of 984 alley-oops |
| James Harden | Lob assists | 475 |
| Trae Young | Lob assists | 235 |
| Russell Westbrook | Lob assists | 233 |
Conclusion
There you have it, folks. We’ve talked about an alley-oop in basketball and how you can successfully perform one. It’s one of the exciting plays to watch. Go ahead and nail it!
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