[All-Access] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows off the footwork and goes off the backboard to himself as he passes it in midair to Branden Carlson for the 3-pointer.
The NBA is just way more fun when you stop thinking about it as poorly officiated basketball and start thinking of it as relatively well officiated expressive dancing. I changed my pivot foot 3 times writing this.
My issue with all those “highlights”is that the NBA is allowed to do whatever they want with their rules.
Remove all those pesky rules like travels, double dribbles, carries, that impair attackers. But then stop calling that shit basketball, and officiate the 3-4 remaining rules correctly.
My theory is that the Silver likes some traveling, because it allows players to do moves like the one in this post more often. And those moves are entertaining. But he doesn’t want to outright allow traveling because everyone would just be carrying the ball around. So instead we have the unofficial rule that traveling is banned, unless it’s smooth enough or looks cool enough.
Tbf travelling has been a thing way before that. I am honestly fine by this. But what annoys me the most is the random times they actually do call it in situations where it isnt as obvious as some others that don’t get called for example. I remember a finals game a few years ago where someone was called for travelling 4 possessions in a row where he dragged his pivot foot a tiny bit. That annoyed me so much and I wasn’t even a fan of that team
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I changed my pivot foot 3 times writing this.
Starts punching
Not when you are watching a full game and do not understand what the rules are anymore. The game turns into a glorified All Star game.
Bro what lmao
Insane traveling lol
NBA just doesn’t call that sliding pivot foot thing anymore, it’s not a Shai thing specifically but it’s so annoying lol
It’s nearly impossible for the defense to do anything when the offense can just freestyle and the refs go along with it.
Refs:
“It’s like jazz, it’s more about the calls you don’t make”
I wrote a year ago about the insanity of “step-through” and you lot downvoted me and told me “It’s legal in every basketball league” and similar crap
Rule is badly written and incomplete, rule does not state what a player can do with the non-pivot leg. Doing a Step-through is literal abuse of badly written rule, a loop-hole that is getting more and more abused by the players
It was all fun and games when Step-through was performed by WNBA and twice per season in the NBA, now that everybody does it, and you basically cant guard that shit, now you lot see the problem, smh
If you guarded a player and made him stop, lose his ability to dribble, player is in a halt. Allowing him to make extra 1 and 1⁄2 steps beats the entire purpose of a “halt” and makes it impossible to guard
Sliding foot is the least of a problem. The ability of a stopped player to move 3+ meters after said stop, is the real issue here.
That’s the NBA unfortunately. They made it near impossible to defend. When a defender makes a perfectly legal defensive play but is impacted by the contact into making more contact, they always call a blocking foul.
Stuff like that does my head in. They expect defenders to be more than human and to break the laws of physics while defending.
Not to mention shouldering defenders square in the chest (and sometimes even getting a defensive foul!) and screens so illegal they’d be flagged in the NFL. It’s clearly an offensive tilted league right now.
The less violations we call, the easier our lives would be!
it’s not even a slide. he lifted it clearly
You’re allowed to lift your pivot foot once you’ve picked up your dribble as long as it doesn’t come back down
He lifts his pivot and sets it back down about a foot closer to the basket
well yeah but lifting it isn’t the problem, it’s dragging it twice before lifting.
Yup, you can do that in youth basketball. there’s a lot of confidently incorrect fake ball knowers in this thread
my question is, are you allowed to continuously spin/slide on your pivot foot heel-to-toe while changing point of contact?
Remember folks, illegal is merely just being caught
Yea I had to watch again and dude seriously took like 15 mini steps and slid his foot about 2 yards 💀
Bro shimmied around like crazy. Cool play. But damn
Im not going to pretend to know what a travel is anymore. But I await the indepth analysis by someone as to why this is a travel.
Until then; my jaw shall remain on the floor.
Edit: I have been thoroughly explained why this is, by the rules, a travel. Pivot foot moved about half a foot towards the basket on the spin move.
Jaw still on floor, but less slobbery.
You very explicitly can’t roll your pivot foot around toe to heel to toe like he did
Ah, roll threw me off a sec. I think you mean switch? Yea, he totally does that on closer look.
No he means roll. The moment you rock your pivot foot from ball to heel you have shifted the single point of contact with the ground necessary for pivot foot to meet its definition.
That’s a travel.
Otherwise a player could literally spin their way all the way to the basket from the 3 point line using their “pivot” foot.
A pivot foot must utilize a single point of contact. The NBA typically lets that designation slide if it’s used in a manner that is the purpose for why that single point pivot is a rule in the first place. IE spinning in place.
In this instance however SGA abuses that leeway to advance his position well beyond anything a single point of contact pivot foot would.
They absolutely should have whistled this a travel.
But this is the NBA we’re talking about. And this is SGA we’re talking about. So he can pretty much do whatever he wants and unless the opposing players or coach jumps down the refs throat it’s going to be allowed.
The NBA has proven that you can literally drag your pivot foot around (or worse) as a star player and they aren’t going to call it because it typically leads to a highlight.
Pretty simple, his pivot foot slid like two feet.
The issue here with the travelling is:
When he spins with the ball (dribble) picked up, his pivot foot (one he is spinning on) lifts/slides/moves. By rule, you can’t do this. It must stay planted.
I was a point guard in high school, I’m 34 years old. When I played, dribbling was my weapon because I’m only 5”10. This would have been a cheat code to get space from the defender.
It’s against the rules, even today, but refs aren’t calling it and it’s ruining the sports integrity.
It’s a bad travel, he keeps lifting and moving his pivot foot. These don’t get called though as a lot of players have learnt to do it
After the step back his left foot is his pivot foot, he spins around his right foot, moves his left foot, and takes ANOTHER step with his right foot. He took 6 steps after picking up the ball
Wouldn’t any rotation on a pivot foot then be a travel? At least the amount you say. I can see him switch heel to foot once on the spin as his balance shifts which i can see as a travel. But the step with his right foot is legal that one i know because ive always found it ridiculous.
Proper rotations is fine if you don’t drag and remain the same spot. His left pivot had moved to a different location (ie closer to the basket).
Check his pivot foot (the one with the sleeve) where it is when he gathers and where it is when he shoots. This isn’t just rotation, it’s movement.
His left was the pivot. Notice that it was way outside the free throw arc. When he spun around his left foot was now close to if not touching the arc.
Yea he went toe-heal-toe as an anchor, which to me reads as a travel!
Still, wonder how often this happens in an NBA game to ever get called in anything but a hyper analyzed moment like this.
Defining very relaxed rules around step-backs to make them look cool has unfortunately made this hard to ref/spot and the refs don’t know what a travel is
No such thing as a travel in the NBA
Stamp his passport
#THAS NOT A TRAVEL THAS A KOBE
In a week I’m going to see an Instagram reel from a YouTube hooper claiming that this isn’t a travel and you don’t know ball if you disagree
Clearly y’all forgot that Shai is a sovereign citizen and has the right to travel under the Articles of Confederation
“Step out of the car!”
“This is not a car, this is a vessel.”
I’m like a year into sovereign citizen police interaction video sobriety and this comment is triggering. I may fall into the rabbit hole again.
I’m pretty sure it says on the Canadian passport port (and UK)
“Allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and afford him/her every assistance and protection” when traveling. So the NBA is simply in compliance with the wishes of the British Royal Family.
Isn’t that a travel?
In the NBA? Lol no
Literally somehow they started allowing players to take another step after theyve established a pivot foot in recent years. Unironically, what happened to the game I loved?
Bro the travel/carry shit is some of the most mind boggling sports changes I can think of. It’s like if the NFL just decided to stop enforcing holding and just never openly admit it.
It’s so bad.
Imagine defending someone with this much leeway of movement in your locale. It’s infuriating
Exactly, people would stop playing if I did this shit
it’s been going on for a couple of decades (if you extend it to palming violations), it just gotten more egregious in the past half a decade
The step has always been allowed. You can find clips of people doing that back in like the 70’s. It’s the dragging and shuffling of the pivot that gets me
It still is. I’ve seen Kyrie get called for one not even remotely as blatant. I think it was against OKC in the 2023 playoffs too.
I honestly don’t know what a travel or carry is anymore.
It 1000% SHOULD be a travel though.
The entire left pivot foot from toes to heel have moved completely
Pivot foot completely relocated, yes
it’s like 3 separate travels
Yes. Most highlights are like this in today’s nba. Nothing great about it when they can violate the game rule but not get called.
Move like this requires elite footwork bad then. Now, anyone 6 year old can do the same.
Obviously a talented player but both dudes travelled so bad lmfao
Title being “shows off the footwork” is diabolical in the context of this clip lol
Official NBA also used “footwork” to describe that horrendous Grayson Allen travel from a couple weeks ago. Apparently it’s a cope word
Like when people use “bag” for blatant carries
“This clip posted by Adam silver”
I swear SGA compliments are always followed by a massive ‘but’. And it’s always true. Fucking NBA is legitimately the toughest sport for me to watch right now, what a shame
I dont understand what traveling is anymore.
Rule of cool. It’s not a foul/travel if it looks sick.
100%. Ref was like, It’s Shai so let’s see where this goes.
I wish this rule applied to dunks too smh
100% his “pivot foot” goes about a foot and half without “picking it up” on the spin move.
The other thing I don’t like about this play is he does a two-step stepback and then stops on a pivot foot like this. I don’t think the league calls this a travel anymore but it feels wrong to me.
Like the stepback can be justified as two steps after the gather just like on a layup, but on a layup, you’re not allowed to stop and lift a foot and pivot around. Shouldn’t be allowed on the stepback either.
Yeah, I’m normally in the camp of “the pivot foot can move some, it’s impossible to keep it perfectly in the same spot” but he slides that foot by like 20 inches and gains an advantage because that extra foot and a half of angle gets him past his defender to go get that ball off the backboard.
Most people don’t. I encourage everybody to understand the rule as it is defined in the NBA/FIVA because it will make the game more enjoyable to watch.
This, though… this is absolutely a travel. Look at the pivot foot.
This play is, no debate at all
its this but we will allow it
The man moved his entire pivot foot three separate times in that one possession. He literally traveled three times in one move and the referees were silent. 🔇
If he’da just fallen to the floor on first contact he coulda skipped the shenanigans and just gone to the line.
MJ averages 40 in 2025.
This is an obvious travel… I’m an OKC guy, but the this is pretty bad. I’ve seen worse go uncalled, but these refs had to be looking everywhere other than Shai’s feet. If we can all pretend he didn’t travel then it is pretty sexy though 😅
Great looking move, but idk if much about the league will be taken seriously in some years time if the league itself won’t. Adam Silvers league is an entertainment business above all, basketball included
The league hasn’t been taken seriously for the past few years now
It’s the nba they don’t call travels at all, please don’t try to make this about okc getting fair treatment
then it is pretty sexy though
I mean, that’s why they don’t call travels. They want these kind of plays for highlights
They were busy trying to figure out how they could call a foul on the defender.
We’re hated so much that an official NBA reddit had to post this dope ass move instead of Massive Pervert
Dope ass travel yes
Unsophisticated reffing yes
Shout-out u/nba
And post it like 5 minutes after it happened lmao
Lmao I only ever see highlights of our games about 2 quarters after the fact
I only see lowlights after losses
This league is fucked
Between the travels and excessive carrying it’s truly unwatchable.
The shooting foul calls too. My god. I’ve watched way too many games that are total FT-fests this year. Either allow for some minimal, inadvertent contact or give guys like 4-5 fouls so we really make sure they don’t touch people. Too many games just bogged down into gross ref ball like they’re trying to micromanage a game to inflate scores.
“I won’t call this travel, but will call this offense initiated contact as a shooting foul. Oh wait, that wasn’t a superstar, I won’t call that.”
It’s such a boring league and sport at this point. I’m also too old so perhaps it’s just not for me. These stars are insufferable.
I’m 44, which for many I’m sure seems plain elderly. But this is my one sport, the one I played and the one I follow and love. My sport is getting really frustrating to watch. It’s been getting worse, sure. But this is the first year where it literally just makes me angry to watch games. I guess it’s for gambling and corporate ticket packages now. I didn’t get league pass for the first time in a long time. I just don’t want to watch this shit. It honestly makes me sad.
I’m 43, I feel ya!
But viewership is up bro!
/s
Crazy that the official nba account is posting this blatant travel lmaoo
Half the highlights that are posted to the NBA Facebook page is some sort of ridiculous dribbling violation it’s crazy they don’t even care that on those videos half the fans are calling out the violations
It’s exactly what the league wants to push after all
NBA ruined street ball too. All these fuckers cha cha slide to the bucket and think they’re good
Travel wtf look where his pivot foot starts and where it ends after that spin
And the official nba account posting it on top, lmao.
You’d expect they’d refrain from glazing when it’s an obvious travel.
Not only posting it, but acting as if it is good footwork. Diabolical.
Yeah looks like he lifts the pivot foot off the spin smh
embarrassing that the league account is posting this. this league is cooked
Fix the officiating in this league ffs
Most of the fans know and understand basketball, and appreciate talent that can showcase itself within the rules of basketball. This is fucking stupid.
I don’t understand why they’re doing this. It sucks
Imagine if Kobe could have done this lmao
No need to imagine.
Literally thought of the Kobe & Pau play lol this is that just uglier
Kobe Bryant travel
I always wonder how much pressure the shooter feels to make the shot when they get a pass like this or when someone like Jokic throws some crazy no look.
Id airball the shit out of it. Could be no defender in sight, I get a pass like that and my nerves gonna make me shoot that shit into the third row
I respect your honesty dude.
I think the “clutch gene” might actually be real. You look at people that have that level of clutch (MJ and Ray Allen from the past… Hali, myself, Lillard in modern times) and you realize that there’s something THERE. It’s inherent and honestly, it boggles the mind.
I remember playing pickup one time and i threw an absolute dime of a no-look, defense splitting bounce pass to a cutter from the wing. The guy dunked it so hard, he actually farted, and everybody heard him too. Some people just deal with that pressure differently, truly the clutchest gene.
That guy’s name btw? Aliboomayuh.
Yea, ngl my legs weren’t producing the UPS they generally generate so I had to go back to ol’ reliable and blast off in other ways.
I know I stunk up the joint on that one but it was a sacrifice I had to make. Greatness comes at a price.
travel
What are we even doing lmao. Did the rules on what a travel is change?
If he spun on the ball of his foot, it would’ve been clean but he straight up picks it up and puts it back down again
But it looked cool so who cares
Back in my day that’d be a travel 🧓🏿
It’s a travel on any basketball court in the world outside of the nba
Love Shai but he moved that pivot foot to a ridiculous degree lol
Insane presence of mind to throw it off the glass to himself and dish it out to Carlson
Dude what? It’s a travel
Shit if the refs and league don’t care about their product then why should I? Might as well just carry it like a football player at this point
Just ridiculous
Lol; every commenter so far has Thunder flair because nobody else cares. 😂
They’re doing some insane glazing too
Shout out to big Branden Carlson getting his first career start and hitting the shot
holy travel
NAHHHH
Is this not a travel?
On one hand, it is impressive how balletic he is. On the other, what even is a travel? He’s playing hopscotch with his pivot
This is quite similar to the Kobe self-pass off the backboard to Gasol in the corner.
Bro slide that foot lol what a joke league
dribbles optional! thanks adam silver
Hunter gatherer traveler
Shows off footwork ——> travel
012 and pivot foot used at the same time. I don’t understand basketball anymore.
Traveling and the pivot foot truly are just a myth at this point.
Bro travelled from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City lol
One of the travels of all time.
Suddenly, OKC fans can’t see blatant travels. Whodathunk?
At this point, just do away with dribbling the ball and let the players run around with it like Euro handball.
This league is turning into such a joke, so hard to be a fan when they make the rules up as they go.
“footwork”
Multiple travels in one move. Impressive.
#BORINGTEAM #UNWATCHABLE
I mean just nuts
He definitely traveled lol
The moment I went from OKC discontent to OKC hater. 😂
Just a ridiculous travel lmao
Clear and obvious travel, with silver and the nba shoving this trash down everyone’s throat, will be rigged again for okc
JFL at anyone still watching this slop product
Visit OKC and within 10 mins you will realize how dumb it is to think the league wants to rig it for OKC.
Travels, fouls…everything is easy when the rulebook doesn’t apply
Travel
I watched it and my first thought was that it’s a travel
Yeah that’s a travel.
Sick travel bro.
Holy shit, Shai definitely travels, but then Carlsen also does too amiright? lol
More of a guideline than an actual rule.—Adam Silver probably
This is ridiculous
When you can’t defend someone because of the refs this is what happens. SGA is trash.
I read this initially as he throws it off the backboard as a pass to someone for a three pointer.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows off his passport and goes off the next country” ✈️
I would literally feel dirty attempting to get away with traveling to that degree.
He could start his own fucking chapter of AA with that 12 step program
This is so aggregious i wanna glaze him for such a good play but cringe at the atrocious footwork allowance. What is the defender even supposed to do😭
This is one of the most egregious pivot foot travels I’ve seen lol
This would only be entertaining to watch if it at least looked semi close to being legal
plays like this are 20 times easier when people are too scared to breathe on you
5 steps lol
Maybe I’m too old but I just find this bullshit.
I cant see OKC losing 2 games in a series during any round of the playoffs. I think they win the title: 16 wins and 4 or less losses.
Nutcracker on hardwood court.
All of the OKC fans on here defending this shit is hilarious to watch.
Fuck the rules since it looks cool, I guess.
Trash, fix your officiating NBA. Obvious travel.
The reason Shai isn’t recognized for the amazing talent he is is because of shit like this. Yeah, it’s cool, but it’s a travel that wouldn’t have been legal for 98.5% of the league’s existence. And the only reason he can move about like that in the first place is because refs have made him literally untouchable. It makes it impossible to discern how good he actually is, which is a real shame.
He literally travelled not only once but twice. Even in streetball people wouldn’t take it this far.
5 steps, fuck the nba, unwatchable
“Shows off footwork” is some gold medal mental gymnastics for travels
Dang, what a pass
Foreign diplomats flexing his immunity on US laws.
What the hell is going on this year?
Switched pivot!
Except he shuffled his pivot foot before the spin. NBA gives these offensive players all the advantages nowadays
u/nba trying to save Shai’s reputation by showing a traveling footwork. Generational and meta
NBA basketball sucks because rules are enforced if they feel like it.
Most disgusting whistle in NBA history. Never gets called for offensive fouls or travels apparently, and defenders can’t touch him. I’m surprised there wasn’t a defensive foul called in this clip
Pivot foot dragged before step through