Almost every Michael Jordan highlights collection replays his iconic dunk-to-layup play against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals. The move was so sensational that it had been ingrained in the memories of NBA fans from different eras.
Judging by how it looked, especially in slow-motion, it appears as if Jordan had been practicing that switch-hand layup in mid-air. However, according to His Airness himself, he never worked on those types of shots in practice.
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“I wouldn’t say [it was] choreographed; I’d say it was instinctively reactive,” Jordan told GQ of his highlight play. “If you look at the shot in the finals against the Lakers where I switch hands, everybody thought that was an unbelievable move. It’s a move I’d never done before. I instinctively reacted to what I thought I was going to see—Sam Perkins coming up to block the shot.”Â
How could Jordan react in mid-air?
If Jordan was telling the truth, it means that his natural ability enabled him to think and react at the same time while in mid-air. Needless to say, someone can’t pull off that type of play with such unbelievable precision, flair and timing.
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Even though it didn’t require any further explanation, as many had already witnessed Jordan perform miracles on the court, the man in question insisted. According to MJ, if there was anything he practiced for a long time, it wasn’t the shot itself, but the mental preparedness to react and make a move as quickly and accurately as possible once the defender posed a potential threat to stop his shot.
“That was because of the talent I had, but also because I trained myself to instinctively react,” the six-time champion further explained. “You can do things like that because you’re prepared physically as well as mentally.”
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Jordan also never practiced his dunks
As it turns out, Jordan wasn’t downplaying the legacy of his iconic move. According to his former longtime personal trainer, Tim Grover, he never really practiced those shots. In fact, Grover revealed that Jordan also never rehearsed his iconic and flashy in-game dunks.
In a separate discussion, Grover provided fans with a deeper understanding of how Jordan was able to execute a wide array of highlight plays throughout his entire NBA career. Grover echoed MJ’s explanation and emphasized that Jordan’s strong foundation in fundamentals allowed him to seamlessly create, react to, and calculate his movements and shots.
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“He never practiced those [flashy dunks],” Grover told Inc. of Jordan in 2021. “He practiced the fundamentals, because he knew if he mastered the fundamentals, the other moves would come.”
Nobody could do it like Jordan
Over the years, many have tried to pattern some portions of their game after Jordan. That’s because they knew that they could never be like Mike.
In history, only the late Lakers great Kobe Bryant was considered the closest thing to Jordan. However, some argue that even Bryant himself wasn’t able to entirely emulate Jordan’s style of play and approach to the game.
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All told, perhaps it’s safe to say that no other player could really think, react, move, compete, deliver and execute a switch-hand layup exactly like Jordan.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.