Euro step

The Euro step or Eurostep, is a term for a basketball move in which an offensive player picks up his dribble, takes a step in one direction, and then quickly takes a second step in another direction. It is intended to allow the offensive player to evade a defender and attack the basket.

Background

According to New York Times writer Jonathan Abrams,^[1]

The move is a crafty way to distribute the two steps allocated to a player after he stops dribbling, and it goes right to the edge of being a traveling violation.

Anecdotal reports indicate that officials not familiar with the move may call it a violation.^[2] Today, the Euro step is often used when a player drives to the hoop, and it can be especially effective when a shorter guard takes on a taller forward or center.

Traveling and the Euro Step

There is controversy surrounding the move and whether or not it is a travel. This stems from conflating improper execution of the move with the move itself. Here is an example of James Harden traveling by taking an extra step either before or after doing a Euro Step, depending on how you want to look at it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJ1JRVpbZk

Had Harden jumped off his left foot, that would have been a legal Euro Step. Alternatively, had Harden taken one more dribble and picked the ball up with his left foot on the ground instead of his right, that would have been a legal Euro Step.

A properly executed Euro Step is not a traveling violation at any level of basketball. The following video shows many examples of good Euro Steps. Although it appears Manu Ginobili takes an extra step and travels at the 2:17 mark, all the other examples are legal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y0ZxlEHsas

History

Developed in European basketball, the move is generally accepted to have been brought to the NBA by Lithuanian Šarūnas Marčiulionis, though there is footage of Elgin Baylor performing a similar move in an early-1960s game, possibly before Marčiulionis was born, as well as Julius Erving in a 1974 ABA playoff game, and Archie Clark in a 1972 ABA vs. NBA All-Star Game,^[3] and was popularized in North America by Manu Ginóbili, an Argentine who arrived in the NBA from the Italian league. It has since been adopted by many American-born players, among them James Harden, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, as well as Slovenian point guard Goran Dragić and French center Rudy Gobert. Noted college coach John Calipari is also known for teaching the move; among his former players who frequently use the move in the NBA are Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall.^[1]

References