NBA: Top 5 Ankle Breaking Crossovers of All-Time

Changing directions and/or shuffling at a rapid pace is key in the game of Basketball.

Adept ball handlers in the league have mastered the art of switching hands and bursting through the driving lanes, leaving their defenders grasping thin air. It's one of those elite-level moves which can allow the player an open short jumper or a clear path to the basket.

Crossovers are referred to as 'Ankle-breakers' because the sudden change in direction causes the defender guarding the ballhandler to fall down. More than the ankles, it breaks the ego of the person on the receiving end of this exchange and is considered one of the most humiliating moves in modern-day basketball.

The oncoming slides contain the Top 5 crossovers all-time in my opinion. I have tried to make this compilation as wholesome as I possibly could but even 50 won't cut it when it comes to the number of quality crossovers pulled till date, let alone 5. Metaphorically, it has been like looking for five needles in a haystack worth of crossovers. I might have missed some(or many), deserving of being on the list, but in the end, it's just my opinion, you are free to share yours.

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#5 Kyrie Irving - All-Star 2013 Rising Stars Challenge

Kyrie was only 21 years old when he did this to Brandon Knight.

If it tips off with Kyrie, you can only imagine what's in store for you in the coming slides.

With roughly 5:30 left on the clock and his team losing in a blowout, Irving decided to forget the score and put on a show for the fans. He lured Detroit Pistons guard Brandon Knight into an isolation play, and flooded him with a bizarre collection of cross and behind-the-back dribbling moves before rising for a stepback jumper. Knight tried to contest the shot but the ground slipped from underneath him, leading to the arena erupting in exhilaration at Kyrie's ball-handling prowess. He hit the shot as Knight hit the floor, and this play became the talking point of the All-star weekend.

Irving's team lost ie, Charles Barkley's Team Chuck beat Shaquille O'Neal's Team Shaq 165-135, but that was a non-issue on this night. Kyrie Irving, the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge MVP, dazzled once again on the game's biggest mini-stage, finishing with a team-high of 32 points.

#4 Andre Iguodala - Vs Denver Nuggets, April 11, 2014

Andre Iguodala dropped Quincy Miller with a nasty crossover

Andre Iguodala is known to have some sick underrated handles, which he uses time and again, to overwhelm the opposition as well as his own side.

Quincy Miller was just trying to put some pressure defense on Andre at half-court when his career was destroyed in a flash. Iggy went for a weak behind-the-back dribble on which Miller quickly pounced and before he knew, he was lying on the floor with no steal added next to his name. Iguodala had pulled the ball sideways before Quincy could get his hands on it and had forced his ankles into submission, giving us one of the best crossovers ever.

Even though he eventually got fouled in the lane without scoring, but by that time the Warriors bench had gone berserk. Replays of a crossed-up Miller played on the big screen as the home crowd exclaimed at the quickness in the decision-making of the Warriors' most dependent small forward.

#3 James Harden - Vs Los Angeles Clippers, March 1, 2018

Harden stares down Wesley Johnson after crossover sends him into oblivion

Whatever tension existed between the Houston Rockets and LA Clippers, dissipated after this cruel play. It was the highlight crossover of Harden's MVP season, not because of his sick handles and/or body control, but because of what happened after he had pulled it off.

For beginners, Harden unleashed a pull-back crossover that sent Johnson crashing to the floor.

The Beard then took his sweet time before canning a three-pointer. He elongated the period of misery for the fallen Johnson while staring him down with the crowd's roar doubling every millisecond. There was nothing Johnson could do in response. He just wanted Harden to shoot and get done with it. Houston’s bench nearly stormed the court as Johnson had no other choice but to run back on offense with a smile on his face.

The visiting Houston Rockets enjoyed a measure of payback against the LA Clippers in their first matchup since the Tunnel-Gate incident, earning a 105-92 win, their 14th in a row.

#2 Allen Iverson - Vs Chicago Bulls, March 12, 1997

Later, Iverson said that he didn't realize the magnitude of the play at the time.

Allen Iverson was just a rookie from Georgetown, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers, then 16-45, hosted Jordan's 54-8 Bulls, so not many expected to see a rookie leave the GOAT crossed up on skates.

In an otherwise meaningless regular season game, Iverson got the ball on the perimeter and came face-to-face with MJ who was ready to defend. The crowd knew this was a kid facing his longtime hero, and so they stood up in anticipation. He pulled a mini-crossover just to check if Jordan bites. Jordan lost balance for a millisecond and AI hit him with another humiliating crossover, followed by a step-back jumper. The crowd roared in disbelief, for it was a rare sight to witness Jordan grasping at air.

"And all of these years later, you got little kids 5 or 6 years old, walking up to me like, 'Hey, you're the guy that crossed Jordan, right?' … And people still talk about today. I didn't think it was a big deal.", recounted Iverson.

It sure was a big deal, and is at the apex of the mountain worth of crossovers Iverson has pulled throughout his career, and trust me, there are A LOT of them.

#1 Michael Jordan - 1998 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Utah Jazz

This was Jordan's sixth and last NBA Championship

The 1998 NBA Finals marked the first time since 1989 that the same two teams met in the Finals in consecutive years.

With the Jazz leading 86-85 with 18.9 seconds to play in the Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Michael Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone in the post. He dribbles down the court and uses a crossover dribble to lose Byron Russell to nail a 20-foot jumper for an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds to play. It was MJ’s inhuman crossover that sent defender Russell rolling on skates and gave the GOAT enough space to break Utah’s hearts for the second straight season.

It was the last game Jordan played with the Chicago Bulls and gave his Bulls legacy a fitting ending. His Highness scored 45 points and hit the game-winning basket with 5.2 seconds left.

What makes this play even special was the pressure on Jordan to make the right play with the clock running out with the title on the line. And His Highness delivered at the apt moment. In a repeat of the previous year's Finals, the Bulls won the series 4-2 for their third consecutive NBA Championship and their sixth in eight seasons.

Jordan won the Finals MVP for the 3rd consecutive year and for the sixth time in his career.