From Oscar to Jokic: Jack Sikma's long-lasting legacy lives on in surprising ways / News - Basketnews.com

Jack Sikma, a seven-time All-Star center and Hall of Fame member talks to BasketNews about his signature move and its impact on different players, the invasion of European big men in the NBA, and Victor Wembanyama's potential.

Credit: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images; FIBA; NBA Credit Omar Rawlings/Getty Images; FIBA; NBA

At some point during his cheerful and moving Naismith Hall of Fame induction speech in 2013, Oscar Schmidt asked the crowd in attendance, "Do you remember Jack Sikma?"

Of course they would. The 1979 NBA champion and seven-time All-Star had left an indelible mark on the league; not only due to his long-lasting career that spanned 14 years (1977-1991) but also because he's been one of the most influential players the NBA has ever seen.

A true 7-footer, Jack Sikma was the first great big man to develop a face-up game and a reliable jump shot. His patented reverse pivot, appropriately named "the Sikma Move," remains one of the greatest signature moves ever.

He would use it upon receiving a post-entry pass to create space for an almost uncontestable high-release jump shot or a drive that would end up in an easy basket if his defender overplayed him.

Sikma played basketball in an era when the most effective big men were confined to a spot deep in the post, their backs turned to the basket, and their arms always extended to receive the pass that would allow them to score from close range.

However, the farm boy from Illinois Wesleyan University was a more skilled and more polished player than most players his size, adept at passing and capable of stretching the floor with his soft touch.

Though a great player during his career, Sikma's legacy has had an even larger impact on the game. His prowess as a jump-shooting big man paved the way for the type of stretch fives and pick-and-pop big men that dominate the game in the 21st century.

Countless modern bigs have adapted his moves to their skill set and modeled their games after his. Dirk Nowitzki is one of those players who have used Sikma's signature move to beat the defense.

But the retired Mavericks legend isn't the only one to have been influenced by the former Seattle Supersonics star.

As a matter of fact, Sikma's fame and moves arrived in Europe while he was still playing. Bogdan Tanjevic, who coached Oscar Schmidt in the Italian side Juvecaserta, was an avid Sikma fan.

The Montenegrin tactician taught the prolific scorer the moves, which Oscar used a lot in his career, enhancing his shooting skills even more.

Basketball surely works in mysterious ways, and Jack Sikma can rest assured that his legacy lives on through players like Schmidt and Nowitzki.

"For one, I was surprised by it. I didn't realize that the connection was there. But I was thrilled," Sikma, 66, confides, talking to BasketNews from his home in Seattle.

The former NBA legend has no doubt that Oscar Schmidt brought the attention of basketball outside the States to everyone [living] in the States.

"People call it your shot pocket or your release point. Being able to have that high release, even behind your head, was big," says Sikma. "Oscar could be guarded pretty closely, but he still could get it off. He had an amazing range with it, too."

A model of consistency during his nine years in Seattle, Sikma averaged almost 18 points and 11 rebounds per game, plus over one steal and one block during his seven-year All-Star run.

Always an elite free-throw shooter and arguably one of the most effective centers to ever pay a visit to the charity stripe, Sikma's career 85% mark remains the first all-time among NBA big men.

In September 2019, six years after Oscar Schmidt, it was Jack Sikma's turn to enter the Naismith Hall of Fame. One could argue that the honor bestowed upon the 8th overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft was long overdue.

On the other hand, if someone had told Sikma in the late 70s that he would someday become a member of an elite group of athletes, the talented boy from Kankakee, Illinois, would have found it very hard to believe.

Besides, it was the time when headlines in Seattle papers read "Jack who?" and fans doubted him.

"It feels really good. I've waited for a while, but the Hall of Fame was a special honor," Sikma concedes.

"My thoughts at the time were to share that award with the numerous people that impacted my career: friends, family, mentors, coaches, etc. There were so many people that I went up against on a regular basis, and to receive that recognition was fantastic."

Sikma played college basketball at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, graduating in 1977 and majoring in accounting. From that point on, his professional career took off. During his rookie season, he averaged 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds and was named to the 1977-1978 NBA All-Rookie Team.

Even during those years when he wasn't even considered, Sikma says he was still proud of his career.

"I thought like I left no stone unturned and didn't fret too much about not being recognized by the Hall. But when it came around in 2019, when I was nominated again, I looked at the group, and I thought that I had a very good chance."

When Sikma retired from the NBA in 1991 after his third season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he became a trusted assistant coach for Rick Adelman in both Minnesota and Houston, where he tutored Yao Ming, among others.

In 2015, he joined the Toronto Raptors as a coaching consultant, where he was assigned the task of getting Jonas Valanciunas equally comfortable with the face-up game.

Credit IMAGO / UPI

Sikma firmly believes that European basketball influenced post players' transition to a perimeter-oriented focus in today’s NBA.

"I think the way both '4' and '5' men are used nowadays has been influenced by European basketball and basically by the spacing concepts all teams need to implement to be successful. It's also influenced by the integration of European players into the NBA," he argues.

There's a tendency of European national teams to naturalize (American) guards. On the other hand, the NBA is full of European forwards and big men who can be real difference-makers on many occasions.

Sikma, who called retired in 1991, thinks the game was mostly center-based before and until the 1992 Olympics.

"The biggest new influx into the league has really impacted the bigs. The popularity and the teaching of basketball have allowed many young players to come to the States to play," he maintains.

Sikma says he doubts if the percentage of American-born big men will grow in the NBA, but as the game continues to spread worldwide, the percentage of US players will also keep going down.

"The competition is broader, and now there are more people playing across the world," he points out.

One striking example comes with the case of Victor Wembanyama, of whom Sikma admits to having only seen "some clips," although he did read some articles about "how well-rounded he is, how his level of improvement continues to increase, and about his connection with Holger Geschwindner (editor's note: Dirk Nowitzki's long-time coach and mentor)."

Sikma thinks someone with Wembanyama's length and wingspan cannot be passed up.

"If you have a basketball body, you're something that fits the sport. You're going to get introduced to that early in your life, and you're going to figure out some take to it. You don't miss anybody anymore. Now, you're found early, and you're put into basketball schools, especially internationally," he stresses.

For the 18-year-old French prospect, who seems to be a lock for the No.1 pick in the next NBA Draft, there has been much discussion about teams potentially trying to tank in order to increase their chances of signing him.

Even NBA commissioner Adam Silver admitted that the league "will be paying particular attention to the issue this year."

Sikma says Wembanyama is doing the right things.

"The people close to him seem to be helping him make good decisions," claims Sikma.

One of them would be to put him in a position to enter a system where he can be impactful, just as Boulogne Metropolitans have done so far. It's more than certain that potential suitors will line up when the time comes for them to select their next franchise player.

"There are some teams at the bottom that are really young and look like Oklahoma City when they drafted Durant, Westbrook, and Harden back-to-back-to-back. You got Houston, Detroit, and a few more that have some young players. Orlando's in there too. It will be interesting to see who ends up with the opportunity," Sikma contends.

The retired legend thinks this NBA season will be very competitive and interesting and keeps an eye on the rookies that have just entered the league.

"We hear about LeBrons, Durants, Irvings, and Westbrooks, but I always enjoyed watching the game and seeing the rookies who will take a major step and start establishing themselves. Every ten years or so, there's a new generation of players who become cream of the crop All-Star-type performers," he points out.

Sikma was one of the first centers of his time, along with Dan Issel, to shoot from the perimeter.

In the last years of his career, he explored a previously uncharted territory for centers in the 1980s: the three-point shot. His 216 attempts from behind the arc in the 1988-89 season were the prelude to a new era in which big men became used to a different style of play compared to their predecessors.

Sikma, a player ahead of his time, says he understands the concept of spacing. He also emphasizes that he's not a fan of isolation game, which means "trying to beat people off the dribble all the time without some time of action."

"It still comes down to run one set or the other and finish with the pick n' roll. Nowadays, there's probably a little bit more trying to isolate the guy more off the dribble. I've always been a systems guy. I like spacing, I like reading cuts and dives," he adds.

Sikma firmly believes that big men can't be just power guys.

"They got to have a skill set, especially with the smaller and more athletic players' ability to get to the rim. I coached with Rick Adelman, who used Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, and Brad Miller on the elbows."

Credit David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

In a long, two-part interview with BasketNews in August 2021, Del Harris made clear that he's not a fan of the focus on the three-point shot because he doesn't think it comes organically most of the time.

"I'm OK with it in transition for a player who's at least a 35% or better shooter," Harris, now 85, explained.

"What I don't like is come down, set, make one pass, and the guy shoots it. You see that with [James] Harden, Luka [Doncic), Steph Curry, and even [Devin] Booker. I'm not a fan of that, let's move the ball until somebody can get a better shot," Sikma's coach at the Milwaukee Bucks said.

On the other hand, Jack thinks it all depends on the specific team and its concept, as well as on the overall talent that's available to a coach on the court.

"It's scheme and personnel-dependent," he claims. "Some coaches would prefer a bit more movement. If you're taking the early three, the likelihood of putting the other team at risk is minimal unless you're making the shot. If you miss it, it's a pretty easy possession for the other team," he contends.

Sikma stresses he's not the least bit surprised by coach Harris' response.

"He believes in his offensive sets. He was really an innovator and has a good point. Taking that early shot lets defense off the hook a little bit."

Countless modern big guys have adopted Jack Sikma's moves and modeled their games after his. Sometimes, coaches are very reluctant to see players try new moves that are out of the box and contravene the standards of what's generally considered the right way to play.

While developing and working on his signature move, Sikma recalls that he didn't face much skepticism beyond a certain point.

"I needed a post move, but I wasn't a power guy. I was a decent shooter, though. My college coach and I tried a bunch of things. It took me a while to make it second nature, and it was only through repetition," he reflects.

In his case, a successful habit became a trademark. His move worked on a consistent basis, and then -as he describes- "the light goes on, and you go to it."

That's what happened to Sikma, although coaches at the time would definitely prefer safer options for a player to score.

"In one game, I was 9/10 in the first half doing that move. From that point on, it was something I'd consistently do. Usually, I was out of the lane when I shot my inside pivot.

That wasn't considered the best shot you could get. It's a big man who catches the ball and moves a step farther away from the basket. I needed to create space and let them either come to me, or else I was going to shoot it."

Jack concedes that from a teaching standpoint, some things maybe go against what's considered the right thing to do. But as long as his move could guarantee a minimum number of visits to the charity stripe, all parts involved were content.

"I needed to make sure that I'd get a number of free-throw opportunities during the game. So, I would use it with the fake and try to get guys up and get to the line. That helped my true shooting percentage on any of those moves," he remembers.

The ultimate compliment ever paid to him was by former Sonics' GM Zollie Volchok, who said he wouldn't trade Sikma for the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe in his bedroom.

If someone was to ask Jack Sikma about the player that best 'reincarnates' him on the court in modern times or who he considers his 'natural successor', the answer would be simple.

"I'm a big [Nikola] Jokic fan," he reveals. "Who wouldn't want to be compared to him? The way Denver play is what I was used to. He's a much better scorer than I ever was. But he'll shoot the three, he can pass off the elbow, and his vision and understanding of the game are special."

As Sikma presents the Serb's unique skill set, he pauses to make another observation, accompanied by some laughs.

"But he's 30 years further along."

Sikma notes that spacing on the court isn't the same as shooting the ball from any range.

"A lot of times, just because you're spacing, it doesn't mean that you're going to catch and shoot. If someone overcommits, you've got to be able to put the ball on the floor, dribble and play the drop kick game, or understand that it's time to reverse the ball and attack on the other side.

Being able to read the game and space is as important as being able to shoot from range."

During his career, Jack Sikma tried a little bit of everything. What the Hall-of-Fame center didn't get to enjoy - or even pursue - was a career overseas; let's say, like the one his son Luke is currently having in Europe. But that part of the story will be recounted in a separate article.

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