In The 1930s, Every Basketball Player Shot Like J.R. Smith
Today, the Illinois High School Association uploaded this here YouTube video of footage from the Illinois state basketball tournaments. Kinda cool. Now the wrinkle: the footage is from the Great Depression.
The original footage was shot by H.V. Porter between 1932 and 1936. As you can tell from things like the lack of three-point line or black people, basketball was a completely different game back in the day. What's most fun here is the shot selection. It's atrocious! These bros had the greenest lights in the history of the sport, probably, and were not afraid of chucking anywhere inside half-court. Look at the dude's set shot at 4:10 from 40 feet out! Look at that form! That shit really went in!
The whole thing's great, and worth a watch. I know the old-timers talk about the tragic lack of fundamentals in today's game, but I'm pretty sure you and I and almost everyone we know would smoke each and every one of these bros in a game to 11.
h/t Chris Ballard


- College Football Week 2 Best Bets: Illinois vs. Duke, Cy-Hawk, Michigan vs. Oklahoma, and More
- MLB Best Bets September 5th: Expert Baseball Betting Picks, Predictions
- Friday Night Football NFL Week 1 Betting Preview: Chiefs vs. Chargers Prediction
- 2025 NFL Betting Guide: Best Futures Picks Before Week 1 Kickoff
- Thursday Night Football NFL Week 1 Betting Preview: Eagles vs. Cowboys Prediction
- College Football Friday Best Bets: James Madison vs. Louisville, NIU vs. Maryland Picks
- MLB Best Bets September 3rd: Dodgers vs. Pirates, Phillies vs. Brewers Betting Predictions
