The Euro Step
Published: August 12, 2026
Duration: 20:34
The Euro step lived in a legal purgatory for decades. Lithuanian legend Šarūnas Marčiulionis brought the move to the Golden State Warriors in 1989, and Manu Ginóbili used it to carve up the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 Finals, but the rulebook remained stubbornly archaic.
Prior to 2009, the NBA rulebook technically allowed only one step. Officials simply used their "discretion" to ignore the second step to keep the game's flow exciting, favoring highlight-reel finishes over pedantic whistle-blowing. In 2009, the NBA became the first league in the world to explicitly codify the two-step limit. However, the specific "Gather Step...
Prior to 2009, the NBA rulebook technically allowed only one step. Officials simply used their "discretion" to ignore the second step to keep the game's flow exciting, favoring highlight-reel finishes over pedantic whistle-blowing. In 2009, the NBA became the first league in the world to explicitly codify the two-step limit. However, the specific "Gather Step...