Ivica Zubac was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of the second round in the 2016 NBA Draft. It was a flyer pick on a solid center who many have high hopes for. The Croatian big man is definitely a project but at only 19 years old, the Lakers have some time to develop him.
But one thing Zubac already apparently has under lock is a move made famous by a Lakers legend. Remember Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook? Well, Zubac says he has that move on lock.
Following comes from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
“You need to have a feel for that shot. It’s not an easy shot,” Zubac said. “If you don’t have a feel, even if you work out a year on that shot, you’re not going to master it. I think I have that feel, and I’m going to keep working on it.”
Zubac believes he can bring the skyhook back to the Lakers.
“That’s going to be my move,” Zubac said.
The 19-year-old naturalized Croatian, drafted by the Lakers with the 32nd pick in June, practiced the move while overseas, but he wasn’t encouraged by coaches to try the shot in games.
“When I was joking around, I was always shooting the skyhook,” Zubac said. “I knew I could hit it, but in Europe, you don’t have freedom to do things like that. When I started working with [special assistant to the general manager] Bill Bertka, we were watching film of Kareem, and he asked me if I can shoot the skyhook, and I said, ‘Yeah, why not?’
“He was thinking that I was joking, [but] when we got on the court, I showed him. From there, we started working on the skyhook every day.”
Zubac making this claim is a very bold move on his behalf but hey, if he can hit it, why not? Shoot your shot, Zubac. Literally.
