'The only Shammgod': Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Vucevic choose Bodiroga over Chris Paul / News - Basketnews.com

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The Shammgod dribble seems to be as old as basketball.

Chris Paul

MIN:33.22PTS:15.6 (58.07%)REB:4.4As:10.71ST:1.84BL:0.3TO:2.27GM:73ProfileNBA2021/2022

In one moment, the ballhandler is moving with comforting familiarity, crossing over as usual. In another, the ball has seemingly teleported, as if controlled through supernatural ability, but instead with the utmost precision dictated from the player in control.

It’s named after God Shammgod, the legendary Brooklyn dribbler whose cultural impact on the sport reaches far beyond this single trick of the basketball. He’s long been credited with both its creation and popularization.

By now, the move has been stitched into basketball culture. Irving, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are among those who have used it in an NBA game. Countless others have tried it in games at different levels of basketball.

When it works, there might be no nastier move. Earlier this season, Paul pulled one out to escape Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis.

Europeans often credit it to Croatian Danko Cvjeticanin (currently scout for the Nets), who used it on several occasions.

Then it spread around and Dejan Bodiroga popularized it in Europe throughout the '90s. All over Europe, the move has been called the "whip", a term first used in Spain.

So, it only makes sense that after Chris Paul pulled the same move against the Dallas Mavericks, where Shammgod himself works as an assistant coach, he would also brag about it on Twitter.

However, what Paul probably didn't expect was the reaction that came from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Vucevic. Both cited Dejan Bodiroga as the player who used the Shammgod move to perfection.

"I think Bodiroga is in Belgrade," the Atlanta Hawks guard wrote.

Vucevic, on the other hand, was harsher. "The only Shammgod is Dejan Bodiroga…wannabees don’t count," the Chicago Bulls center tweeted.

Let's see if CP3 has an answer.

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