Most NBA players have a go-to shot whether it the bank-shot a la Tim Duncan or the "sky hook" made famous by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. For San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker it has been the "teardrop" shot.
Since arriving in the NBA at the ripe old age of 19, TP has been going to the shot whenever he gets into the lane.
He drives, lofts it high, has the ball sail over the big men in the paint with a high arc for the basket. For years, he has tormented shot-blockers with the teardrop that many fans associate his with the move.
Currently, Parker and Stephen Curry are fighting it out in the West semifinals and both have effective teardrop shots, however, Parker will like to let you know, he is the originator of the move.
The San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, generally viewed as the league’s current teardrop master, insisted that he came up with the shot as a child. “I got copyrights on that,” he said. “I did that because I was small and it was the only way I could get a shot off on the bigs. I grew a little bit later.”
Parker not only uses his lightning speed to weave through paint-traffic, but adding the teardrop to his arsenal has made him one of the best point guards at scoring in the paint. In the 2005-06 season, he led the league in paint scoring during most of the year thanks to the teardrop shot.
This season was also no different. Check out his shot chart during the regular season where you can see most of his damage came in the paint where he largely uses the teardrop.
Parker has made great use of the floater since his NBA career began. He has punished big men for coming out to close on him and overall, just made him a deadlier player in a league where zone defenses are more prevalent.
TP's signature shot will long be remembered in Spurs' history alongside perhaps the true originator of floating shots over big men in the NBA — George "Iceman" Gervin's finger-roll.