NBA Myths We All Thought Were True 

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Jimmy is so confident in his content that he's promoting treatment against hair loss for when LBJ tunes in. Well played.

I think the key to "hang time" is making it look like you're not moving in the air. Most players these days are always contorting their body and trying to do something flashy. If you watch some of the longest dunks recorded their knees are tucked in they are holding their arm out with the ball and just waiting to reach the rim, as if they're floating. Nothing fancy, but it looks like they're up there forever.

Strange view of hang time. I always thought hangtime meant people stayed in the air longer because they could jump higher , not because they could actually hang, hover or levitate.

On jump shots, Jordan’s ability to shoot on the way down also gave the illusion he was “hanging” longer than most people.

I’m 6 foot 3 and got asked all my life why I didn’t play basketball since I’m “so tall” - I then would point out how tiny Steve Nash looked on the court and would tell people I’m the same height as him…but I moved like I was shaq.

"When a player reaches a level of greatness, he becomes the man, the myth , the legend. You just gotta know which is which" Jimmy what a BAR

The other thing that lower's three point shooting percentage in the Bird era, is that in that time 3 pointers were primary made as bail out shots under heaps of pressure. Rarely did they use to find an advantage.

For the off-season clips part… it’s completely true. At my local gym in New Hampshire there was a ref who played nba for a year or two. Only made it to Gleague. Luke Bonner. Brother of Matt Bonner. Dude was automatic from 3pt. Made like 20 something straight. With out trying. And this is a guy who never actually made it. Pros are on another level

Bro i swear to god this guy is the best basketball content creator rn. The amount of effort he puts into each video is just immeasurable

Jxmy's 13 minutes videos feels like 3 minutes because of how good it is. I could do an hour long episode each time!

“contrary to popular belief, athletes can’t hang in mid air.” Yoooo, I literally thought they just floated!!

Imma keep it real I never once in my life even considered the theory a man could be suspended in the air through forces that are unknown.. so to me to hear that people actually thought that is intriguing to me

"You can't beat the laws of physics" Mj: " And I took that personally"

I’ve always pictured “hang time” just how long the athlete is in the air when jumping. Either way MJ clearly exemplifies it

Bird was known as a great three-point shooter NOT because he made a high-percentage or that he made a LOT of them but because he made them when the team needed them most --- at the end of games, with no time on the clock, to tie a game, etc. etc.... You have yet to prove anyone better at THAT then Bird.

Spud Web's performance at the 1986 Dunk Contest looked like it practically defied physics.

I agree with your argument for Bird not being an all-time three point scorer but I would still love to see Larry’s three point scoring adjusted to today’s nba

I never thought hang time meant Jordan could actually "hang" in the air. That's ridiculous.

Jordan also did a Pump with the ball, you can see it- pushing his arm and the ball up, more momentum up for the height of the dunk cause he was gonna need it to clear his descent. But that's the point of the dunk being so great, he's intuitively moves his body at the exact right times and ways to get the job done, and it looks effortless

MJ did one simple thing to create an awesome illusion of flying or hanging in the air: in the first part of his move towards the basket after the jump he curled his legs up and bended his arms as if he was smaller and more ball-like, in the second part of the jump he basically stretched out his arms kept his head straight and stretched his legs. All of this made an impression he was levitating in the air and being there longer than actually was the fact. It looks super graceful and amazing but the physics of it are completely unchanged.

I'm so confused. For 40 years, I always thought hang time was universally understood to mean time spent off the ground. Had I misunderstood it this whole time? Does it, as this video claims, mean to sustain the peak elevation of the jump over time? It's hard to believe everyone believed Jordan broke the laws of physics.

As a numbers guy, I can't ever get enough of your vids. The charts and everything you do to explain yourself just blow my mind. Thanks for what you do

Hearing those NBA numbers on Heigh gives me a even deeper amazement and love for Muggsy Bogues!!

Bird was a winner,his 3's winners games, forged his legend.

“When a player reaches greatness, he becomes the man, the myth, and the legend, you just gotta know which is which.”

It’s about time someone shows Klay the respect he deserves. The things I’ve seen him do in regards of shooting can only be compared to steph and dame, respectfully

Bruh imagine you miss a payment on keeps and they send a barber to your house and shave your head💀

3 point line when Bird played was 25ft. It was shortened to 23ft 9in in 1994.

I thought we all knew “hang time” was an illusion (because, you know … physics 🤷), but the illusion is drastic between people. Jordan could do a lot with his body and the ball in the air.

Newton : “ there is no concept of hang time, it’s just an illusion “ Michael: “ I took that personally “

“This is what an average guy would look like in the league” :shows Nate Robinson obliterating the rim

Not having Grant was a huge part of that series vs Magic, you even mentioned it yourself. But if MJ doesn't retire, likely Grant stays with the Bulls which is a whole different story...

Much respect to MJ and The Bulls always. Houston fan for 35 years however, so I really appreciate this! Thanks JXMY!

Everytime I see JXMY uploading, I always expect to see an MJ fact that I have never heard of.

"Hang time" has never meant "time spent paused in mid-air;" it has always been well-understood to mean simply how long a person jumping stays in the the air - from the moment his toe leaves earth to moment in lands.

Another EXCELLENT video, congratulations Jimmy! Cheers from Greece, thanks for the information.

I think some people took the turn "Hangtime" a little to literal. When I think of MJ "Hangtime" I (like I think most do) are thinking about the time he is in the air. At no point did I ever think MJ was actually "hanging" or coming to a complete stop in the air lol.

Jimmy your storytelling is what is captivating. I mean, compiling the clips is a whole lotta work, but the storytelling behind it is a gift.

Thank you for this great video! One thing you said that caught my attention was Lonzo Ball's improvement on shooting over the off season. I would *LOVE* to see some data on improved shooting between years (or even over careers?). I bet there are some really interesting and patterns to see and fun stats to generate.

If you’ve never sat up close during an NBA or even NCAA game, you can’t truly grasp how big these dudes really are. The TV doesn’t do them justice. And it’s not just height, I remember seeing Stephon Marbury back in the day...his calf muscles straight up looked like right triangles😂😂

Clicked faster than flight clicks off a video when the warriors lose

I thought it was kinda common knowledge that gravity doesn’t stop when athletes go up to dunk… I always thought hangtime was just how long it takes from the beginning to when they land

What a fantastic video. I love contrarian stances. I enjoyed this work. Thank you.

I’m with you on the Ben Simmons, social media concept. I swear this is a true story - I once hit 11 straight half court shots after a practice. Guess what college I played at? I didn’t. I red shirted and then got too sick to play any sport

Hang time is a myth!? No way! Next you’ll tell me that when you break someone’s ankles, they are not actually broken.

Literally watched the entire video. It didn’t feel like it was 13mins. Your content is impeccable

nice work again jxmy !

I had always thought of hang time as time spent in the air; not the concept that anyone was actually breaking the laws of physics. That’s what everyone I’ve talked to about the subject seemed to think about it as well.

Larry bird had multiple 50/40/90 seasons. He just didn't shoot threes as much, but in his prime if he did I'm sure he would be a top 5 shooter. At least top 10. He showed that in his 3 straight 3 point contest wins. There was also more physical defense back then.

Your performance never lets us down Jimmy. Love the content!

In Larry Bird's defense, the guy would literally shoot 3s with his left hand to screw with your head. Plus if you take his best years he'd move to the right on that graph.

The cover of the vid made me laugh you don’t know how hard

Thank you for bringing statistics and logic to the nba fandom, it is desperately needed.

Nobody actually thought hang Time meant that some athletes could literally stay in the air longer than others. What you described is what hang time has always been, their ability to make the most out of the time they spend in the air. Obviously you can't make yourself stay in the air any longer

Only because your content is so good, and your delivered this so respectfully and eloquently, we'll let you slide on the borderline blasphemy! Lol ALSO I love the "bulls made the right moves in the off season" with the quick clip of the worm! WELL DONE!

at 7:23 man you win had me rollin LMAO!!!!!!!

That “Man,Myth,Legend” gave me chills.

“It’s all it is - my legs kick so it looks like I’m hanging but actually I’m not. Going straight up and straight down. So I fool you… perception.” - Michael Jordan, NBA Jam Session VHS 1993

The league didn't adopt the 3-pointer until 1979 Larry Bird's rookie season. Just imagine if Larry Bird was shooting threes his entire life.

I like your videos... it really creates a very perspective on things.

12:04 Kenny “The Jet” Smith. What an absolute legend.

quick question - How long do you think the kings will be a franchise for?

Can a person actually be suspended in mid-air? No, but the initial height of MJ’s vertical leap is what gave him the competitive edge over all his opponents.💪🏾🧠

They always have to try to debunk our magic for their own insecurities

It boggles my mind how jimmy consistently puts out banger videos. HOW DOES HE DO IT?

I love how he doesn’t even have to necessarily have one particular story to tell and the content still so damn good you can’t stop watching

This channel is the wikipedia of basketball history.

I always thought that the reason mj seemed to hang in the air is because he was so in control of his balance that he could shoot on his way down so well.

Did people legitimately believe "hangtime" was literally or physically possible? I'm disappointed

Great video btw, If that statistic at 8:24 is true then they would actually be 1 in 10,000 not 1 in 1000

Another great video and very well done. I just want to remind the audience that Bird growing up never had a 3 point line in high school or college and the line was new in the NBA in Bird's rookie season. Bird's first coach, as well as many other coaches at the time discouraged the 3 point shot. Bird even admitted that he did not practice the 3 point shot until just before the 3 point shoot out at the all star game. I would have loved to see Bird in todays era!!

8:00 Practice? We sittin' here talkin' about practice man.

I always associated Hang time with vertical leap plus forward velocity! Never thought people were floating in mid air as that would defy the laws of physics!

Another point about hangtime. If you hold the ball at a constant height as he did it masks the parabala of the jump compared to holding the ball at a stretch, which is what he does in these clips, holding it at waist-shoulder level for most of the jump and then pushing for it right at the last second. So the ball seems to rise, plateau and then rise rather than rise, briefly peak and then descend.

Good video. This video make me think you didn’t learn about physics until later in life. That’s okay now you know and are educating everyone else. Thank you sir now I’m smarter today than yesterday.

Yall trippin we all know brian scalabrine was the first person to dunk from the free throw line

We judge players relative to their peers. Bird still qualifies based on how much better he was than others in that era from range. Buddy Hield, Curry and the myriad of players on that list that are 40 years younger than him can't really be compared.

Love the analysis about the Bulls winning 8 straight. That Magic series is exactly why they signed Dennis Rodman in that offseason.

Great video. 👍 One anomalous player who was great was Muggsy Bogues. At 5' 3", he is the shortest NBA player to ever play. I used to love watching him defend the taller players.

The average NBA height is just wild to me. I say that because I had court seats once and thought it was funny how short Steve Nash looked on the court compared to everyone else. I then looked at the program and was shocked to find out the Nash was listed at 6'3". He's my height and looks tiny compared to everyone else around him.

Also, Northwestern Uni physics department did a study on this as well. Turns out that, unlike most players, Mike was just as devastating after his peak jump as he was during his rise and peak. Thus giving the naked eye the illusion that he was still in rare air.

It's simple, MJ had the ability to do more moves or hold his shot until the last possible millisecond before letting go of the ball which ultimately looks like he's hanging up there longer.

This video was gas, ima rewatch it

It’s a matter of relativity. I haven’t looked at the numbers but i can guess that compared to everyone around him when he played, Larry Bird had an incredible 3pt pct.

That crossover by Nate at 9:50 is just down right disrespectful.

Back in Detroit around 1969 I was in a friend's backyard with another partner of mine. The three of us were shooting on his rim (there weren't many playground hoops at that time just goals we nailed onto garages or telephone poles with wooden backboards). Soon we noticed three guys coming down the alley. They stopped and asked if they could shoot with us. We said "yeah." We decide to play 3 on 3 and we chose sides. Those guys were at least 12 to 14 years older than us because I remember after we were through playing one of them said he was 28 years old. To make it fair we decided that two of the guys would be on one team together and 4 of us - me, my two buddies and the third older guy, on the other. One team was shirts and the other skins, I don't remember which. Anyway, the 28 year old (skins) goes up for a jump shot and his friend on our team goes up to block his shot. His hand was practically on the ball to block it. I just knew he was going to snuff that pill right back in his face. Well let me tell you, the jump shooter just kept rising and rising. When the blocker looked like he had gone as high as he could go the shooter rose higher! If you wanna' Talk about Hang Time, that was it! And if he Wasn't hanging in the air he was rising in super slow motion just like in the video. Finally he stretched up over his hand and made the shot. He looked to be about 5'9 but by the time he got done stretchin' he was darn near 6 ft tall! Now I'm standing there with my mouth wide open with me and my friend staring at each other in disbelief at what Jxmy says is *_impossible;_* but heck I saw it with my own eyes! Whenever I think about it I have to wonder, is it My Lying Memory fooling me in 2022 or was it My Lying Eyes deceiving me in 1969! Nah. I remember what I remember and saw what I saw and I'm stickin' with it LOL! To this day I have never seen anything *_exactly_* like that again; be it in the NBA, college, high school or even on the playground. I also never saw those 3 guys again either. I do remember though that the 28 years old saying something like 'I drink beer and do everything else but I still can play pretty good.' He wasn't lying! Whenever I see a player stretching over a defender every single time I think about that moment in my young life. Some things you just don't forget.

Great content as always!

I would imagine on the incline during a jump the spine is slightly compressed forcing weight upward and the body begins to stretch out as they are approaching to decline portion and the head stays still due to the stretching of the arm controlling the dunk!

The transition between the myths is flawless. Bravo Jimmy, amazing video as usual.

Can I just say, this dude puts some of the highest quality content on RU-vid, consistently ? Not even just about basketball. Just content period. Never disappoints

Anything must agree with the law of gravity, and their center of mass will follow a parabolic path disregarding air drag. So by raising the ball while in flight will make the ball appear to “hang” because the height of the ball increases proportionally to the ratio of the ball mass compared to the overall persons mass

Physics says your center of gravity must always follow a parabola but you can make your head follow a straight line for a while, which seems like you’re flying. Ballerinas use a similar trick to hang in the air.

Jimmy, bro, you don't realize what worth you're adding to the basketball community. Now at 30 years old., your videos would've had us obsessed back in '05-'10!! Living in Europe, learning about the NBA was such a fckn pain, but you bring the worthy stories, with the stats to back it up. You're fulfilling such an important role man!! Endless respect

You have to remember that the 3 point shot was brand new when bird entered the league. He didn't grow up shooting threes like today's players. So he had to learn on his own how to shoot threes.

mj every time he's second: and i took that personally

lol these are all some things I don't know anyone who has ever thought, but it was a fun video. My favorite part was the height bit, it put in perspective how unlikely that dream is

Hang time has always been from the time you jump to the time you connect with the rim. No one seriously thought a person was suspended in air. Jordan just made his moves simple and clean. And most categorized "free throw dunks" recorded, the player would jump from a few feet in front of the free throw line. Jordan was one of the few, now many, that lept from the actual free throw line giving him superior hand time. Check out Earl the Goat, he had superior hops for his time too.

I think the Larry stat isn't fair. I think you should have had that graph but for the 1980-2000. Then you could judge his ability

Thank you for bringing up the 1995 season. I have been saying that since the 90s. No Horace, no ring. No Rodman, no ring. As for hangtime, yeah, I knew that: anyone who got through high school physics should know that one.