The 17 Most Ankle-Breaking Basketball Moves Of 2012
It was a landmark year for crossovers in the NBA.
1. Jamal Crawford on Rudy Gay
It's fitting that we start with Jamal Crawford, because Jamal Crawford is one of the most lethal dribblers in the league. Poor Rudy Gay just doesn't know what to do.
2. Jamal Crawford on Ray Allen
Ray Allen doesn't fare much better — he ends up in a different zip code than Crawford by the end of this shot. At least he keeps his feet.
3. Chris Paul on Samardo Samuels
Crawford's teammate Chris Paul is always good for a few broken ankles every year.
4. Nate Robinson on Reggie Jackson
For all his flaws, Nate Robinson can do two things very well: dunk and handle. Here, he's handling, and Reggie Jackson can't do much about it.
5. Stephen Curry on Jeffery Taylor
Curry does a little of the ol' back-and-forth on the hapless Taylor, who plays for the hapless Bobcats. Just a lot of hapless going on here.
6. Lou Williams on Stephen Curry
Steph knows what it feels like to be on the other end of broken ankles, considering what Lou Williams did to him here.
7. Jameer Nelson on Jannero Pargo
Fun fact: Pargo actually falls onto a skateboard when he goes down here.
8. Rodney Stuckey on Kobe Bryant
Here, bit-player Stuckey puts the moves on one of the NBA's greatest players of all time, showing that ankle-breakage sees no class boundary.
9. Lance Stephenson on Tony Parker
Another case of an inferior player taking a superior one to the ground. Lance Stephenson spins Tony Parker around and leaves him in a heap.
10. Norris Cole on Paul George
Just a tremendous, fundamental step-back from Norris Cole.
11. Russ Westbrook on Luke Ridnour
Poor Ridnour didn't stand a chance against one of the league's most athletic dudes.
12. Kyrie Irving on Iman Shumpert
Kyrie's started inspiring plenty of "Is he the best dribbler in the league?" discussion, and this juke from his rookie year shows why. Shumpert's a plus defender, too.
13. Marco Belinelli on Mike Dunleavy, Jr.
Neither of these guys are players you tend to associate with athleticism, but here, Belinelli gets the upper hand, and Dunleavy Jr. ends up buried in the hardwood.
14. Delonte West on Randy Foye
When Delonte can manage to stay on the court, he's a dazzling and versatile offensive player. Randy Foye found that out the hard way.
15. Kevin Durant on Aleksandr Pavlovic
Don't feel bad, Aleksandr Pavlovic: Kevin Durant does this to a lot of guys.
16. Joe Johnson on Paul Pierce
We close with two ankle-breakings related by their victim: poor, aging Paul Pierce. In this case, Joe Johnson gets verrrrrrrry low and basically forces Pierce to kneel to him.
17. Jameer Nelson on Paul Pierce
And then there's this. R.I.P. Paul Pierce.