If you tried this move in a high-school game 10 years ago, you would have been called for traveling.
In today’s NBA, as the rules are interpreted, James Harden’s step back is not a travel.
At an event on Friday, a young fan tried to call Harden out on the travel and he defended himself. Via Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
James Harden asked by a kid about his step back move and whether it’s a travel—says he’s working on a new move this season that might look like a travel, but it’s not. pic.twitter.com/1HV6gCH6BR
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) July 19, 2019
Harden’s stepback is not a travel (when he executes it properly). Even if it looks like it is.
Here is the play in question.
Did Harden travel? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/lvDULxmETi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 10, 2018
The official response — meaning from officials:
This is a legal play. Although James puts the ball behind his back, he only takes two steps after the gather of the ball and therefore it is NOT a travel. https://t.co/i1hU3b4zuQ
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) October 10, 2018
I know when you played Junior High basketball in 2002 that was a travel, but the NBA hasn’t called it that way in years.
The NBA rule here (Rule 10, Section XIII) simplified is a “gather and two steps.” Meaning one step while Harden is gathering the ball, plus two more. Nobody pushes the boundary of the gather step like Harden, he has mastered the grey area. But when he executes it properly — and he doesn’t every time — it’s not a travel.
No matter what that young boy’s father tells him.
