Reverse Lay-Up

Reverse lay-up is a shot made by a player near the basket in which a player starts at one side of the rim, then shoots the ball underhand at the other side of the rim. The player may perform this shot by reaching over the other side of the rim from underneath or jumping from one side of the rim to the other and shooting the ball when the player’s back is facing the hoop. It is often referred to as a “reverse”. A dunk using the same maneuver is called a “reverse dunk”.

The idea behind a reverse lay-up is that a player can use the rim to protect the ball from shot blockers. This is a considerably athletic maneuver since a player either needs great wingspan or a long hang time to perform the shot. Players who aren’t as athletically gifted or blessed with long limbs can compensate by playing the ball off the backboard with the proper english. Reverse lay-ups are commonly accomplished when a player is attacking baseline, but the more acrobatic players can pull off this shot from any angle.

Examples of how Reverse Layup is used in commentary: Jordan drives baseline and performs a smooth reverse layup to avoid the blockers for two points.