Travelin’ Man.

I jumped out of my seat when I saw this play the other day — it looked clearly like a travel to me.

A friend, who is a relative basketball novice, asked me to explain why this was a travel. LeBron clearly comes completely off the ground here — indeed, he hops a good four feet after he picks up his dribble — and lands with the ball still in his hands. There’s been a lot of back and forth on sports blogs about this non-call, and i get that jump stops are legal in the NBA, but this move is really pushing the limits.

G.D.

G.D.

Gene "G.D." Demby is the founder and editor of PostBourgie. In his day job, he blogs and reports on race and ethnicity for NPR's Code Switch team.
G.D.

Latest posts by G.D. (see all)

  • blackink

    New rule: If LeBron does it, swallow your whistle.

  • SW

    Love LeBron, but that is a damn travel = you can’t jump from one foot into a jump stop like that. If it’d been 2 feet into the lane . . . *maybe.*

  • distance88

    “Movin’ through places, space, and time.”

  • Seth in LA

    That video explaining it made it sound like you’ve got to dribble than jump so that when you’re jumping you aren’t holding the ball. Though the demonstration made that explanation a little iffy. However, what LBJ does is jump with the ball in his hands and come down with the ball in his hands. Don’t see how that’s not a whistle.

  • boris

    Sorry all, that’s not a travel.

    Check the third video: http://www.nba.com/videorulebook/category.html?cid=76

    NBA’s Commentary:
    “This is an example of a LEGAL jump stop by an offensive player, and this is NOT a traveling violation. An offensive player may end his dribble by alighting off of one foot and landing simultaneously on both feet. The offensive player on this play gathers the ball, alights from his right foot, and then lands with both feet simultaneously on the floor. Note that at this point, the player may not pivot; if he lifts either foot, the ball must be released prior to that foot returning to the floor.”

    I agree that the officiating of travelling is stupid in the NBA and NCAA. Refs seem to often call any move that “looks weird” a travel, so it becomes more about body control than the rules. And yes, superstars like Lebron get away with it more than most.

    But that still doesn’t make it a travel. He is just jumping higher than people usually jump on a hop step, so it looks unusual.

  • Fanon

    I dunno, technically this looks like a jump stop to me. Of course, it’s performed by quite possibly the most athletic individual on the planet, so it looks funky. Now, his crab walk? That’s a travel and should be called every time.

  • I don’t know if this is as egregious as the jump-stops Shaq used to do where afterward he would throw a couple pump fakes before going up for the emphatic dunk. Being a King’s fan this drove me crazy!