A post-up is an offensive play in which a player receives the ball with their back to the basket near the paint and backs the defender down to score or pass.
The post-up is the oldest scoring method in the sport. The offensive player establishes position near the basket with their back to it, receives the entry pass, and then works: backing the defender toward the rim, spinning baseline, rising for a hook or a turnaround, or passing out when the double team arrives. Position is won before the catch, in the wrestling for the spot the announcers call the block or the low post.
For half a century the post-up was the offence. Mikan, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar with his skyhook, and Hakeem Olajuwon's footwork school all ran their eras through the post, and defences, fouls, and rule changes organized around stopping it. The spacing era shrank its share drastically, since a stationary post possession earns fewer points per play than a drive or a three.
It survives as a mismatch weapon and a playoff change of pace, and as this glossary's fadeaway's home address: the turnaround jumper out of the post is the signature escape when the back down stalls. Quiz questions about bygone offences and famous centres are post-up questions, measured in hooks, counters, and footwork.
In use"He sealed his man on the block and called for the post-up entry pass."