The perfect crossover dribble is a thing of beauty. Unlike a facial dunk, where one player physically imposes his will on another through brute force and athleticism, the ankle-breaking crossover is a victory of craftiness, duplicity, and reflexes. On those rare occasions when the defender crumples to the floor in an awkward pile of quivering limbs, there may not have even been any contact between him and the player he was fruitlessly trying to check—it's like homie was felled by an idea.
With the college season just gearing up and the NBA on lockdown, we thought it was a great time to revisit The 50 Greatest Ankle-Breakers in Basketball History. They're ranked according to an advanced algorithm that accounts for factors such as timeliness, influence, and sheer entertainment value. Most are from the NBA, since finding decent quality video clips from pro ball is a whole lot easier, and we've tried to represent legends like Tim Hardaway, Allen Iverson, and God Shammgod down to the new generation of ankle-breakers: Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, and John Wall. It's time to get crossed up, fam...
By Ben Detrick
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