The Funniest Sports Fakes and Jukes

No one wants to look silly, but in sports, it happens all the time.

With players these days being faster, shiftier and a hell of a lot more agile than they were back in the day, it's not uncommon for athletes to wind up falling on the ground thanks to being shook by an opponent.

And because we've all seen some incredible fake-outs and jukes over the years, I figured it'd only be right to relive these embarrassing moments with this piece, so enjoy them all again—unless you're one of the guys being fooled.

Kobe Bryant Gives a Free Lesson

One thing that we all know about Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is that he's never one to back down from a challenge—you know, like returning to the floor just six months after tearing his Achilles, or something.

Bryant also isn't one to keep his opinions to himself, either.

That's why he was happy to talk some serious trash while giving a lesson to a poor rookie in a scrimmage recently, shaking Jordan Clarkson and reminding him not to hurt himself while trying to guard the Mamba.

Welcome to the league, son.

Billy Hamilton Dances Around the Tag

While fans might think that jukes don't happen too often in the sport of baseball, Cincinnati Reds speedster Billy Hamilton reminded us all that they most certainly do.

He proved that when he avoided a tag earlier this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, dipping out of the way and reaching first base on a pretty poor bunt attempt as he was at the plate.

Maybe this was Hamilton's plan the whole time, though, to just do something to make fans shake their heads in amazement—because that's what most of us are doing after watching that!

St. Louis Rams Create a Diversion

I'm sure every sports fan has seen this incredible play that the St. Louis Rams were able to pull off against the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks a few weeks ago by now—but it was too good to leave off of this list.

With the Seahawks booting a punt down toward the 10-yard line, every single special teams player forgot one simple rule—know where the ball is.

For avoiding to do that, the Rams duped Seattle tacklers into going to one side of the field, with the ball actually ending up on the opposite side and the Rams' Stedman Bailey taking it back for a touchdown.

It's not easy to trick people in football, but the Rams did it to perfection with this call.

Eric Bledsoe Shakes a Fool off the Court

Yikes.

There isn't any other word to describe how humiliating Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe made L.A. Clippers backup Jared Cunningham look during a recent preseason game.

With just one simple step-back, Bledsoe sent the off-balance Cunningham flying toward the baseline, who was lucky to stay on his feet but couldn't avoid the "oohs" from the fans in attendance.

The only thing that didn't make this highlight perfect? Well, Bledsoe bricked the shot, but I give him a pass since he was probably amazed at what he just did to his poor opponent.

The Fumblerooski

There aren't many teams that have the guts to call it these days, but, in my book, the fumblerooski is still one of the best trick plays in sports history.

So what makes this the greatest fake?

Besides it being so rare, the first time that anyone ever saw it—in the 1984 Orange Bowl between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Miami Hurricanes—people had their minds blown to such a degree that some still might not understand how it actually worked.

There aren't too many plays that call for the offensive lineman to be the lead ball-carrier, but Nebraska had one dialed up—and it worked to freakin' perfection.

Tim Beckham Avoids the Tag

Much like the Billy Hamilton video I showed earlier where the Cincinnati Reds outfielder avoided a tag, super phenom Tim Beckham of the Tampa Bay Rays did the same—except he would actually score a run off his fake-out!

That's right, just when you thought that Beckham would be a dead duck after the ball beat him to the catcher's mitt at home plate, he stopped in his tracks, danced around a little bit and found himself touching the dish before being tagged.

Beckham reminds us all that some of the best jukes don't only happen in football; baseball players can do them, too.

The Good Ol' Fake Timeout

Ah, yes, the old master of illusions that nearly always leads to an open layup.

This play is one that we've seen a number of times in the NBA, with the Milwaukee Bucks most recently doing it in a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves this year.

It's also a reminder for players to stick to that one crucial rule: play until the whistle blows, because one never knows what might happen when you take just a second off.

I mean, what if this were to happen in a close playoff game?

LeSean McCoy Hurts the Carolina Panthers

There's a reason that so many pundits and fans see a little bit of Barry Sanders in current Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy—because the dude is slippery.

He has proved that several times throughout his career, with one of the most recent times coming in a 2013 preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers. McCoy stopped on a dime and changed directions—all at full speed—to seriously hurt the ego of Carolina's Drayton Florence.

It's OK, Drayton, Shady was just having some fun with you.

Kyrie Irving Crosses Up Brandon Knight

As a Cleveland sports fan, it's skills like these that make me—and every other fellow Cavs fan—salivate at what might become when Kyrie Irving is on the same court with LeBron James.

That's because the kid has some serious moves, which he put on display during the NBA's Rising Stars Challenge a couple years ago.

And for those who might think that all the talk of Irving taking another leap forward and putting himself in the elite tier of point guards is just talk, just ask Brandon Knight what he thinks of Irving as a ball-handler—because he got taught a lesson here.

Dan Marino's Fake Spike

The fake spike is actually genius when you think about it.

The clock's running down, the defense is accustomed to (and assuming) the quarterback stopping the clock with a spiked ball and a wasting a down.

Well, it might be time to rethink that strategy.

Many of us first saw it in 1994 from former Miami Dolphins great Dan Marino. We were reminded of how effective it can be earlier this season when Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers busted it out against Marino's old team.

Like Marino, Rodgers is a successful quarterback, so maybe we'll be seeing it happen even more often.

Marek Malik Goes Through the Legs

He might not have been known for his goal-scoring ability during his 13-year NHL career, but former defenseman Marek Malik still might have the distinction of having performed the greatest shootout goal in league history.

It was also one of the smoothest and gnarliest dekes that a goaltender has ever witnessed.

In an epic 15-round shootout between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, Malik figured he would send the Rangers crowd home in a frenzy, pulling a trick move that many would reserve for practice or an exhibition game.

Not Malik, though, which is why it has to be remembered as one of the best.

Allen Iverson Makes MJ Look Silly

It wasn't a trick shot or a fake play; rather, it was just a good old-fashioned juke that proved that the hands are quicker than the eyes.

With the greatest player to ever lace 'em up defending him, then Philadelphia Sixers rookie Allen Iverson had no fear in taking on Michael Jordan, showing him a crossover that left Jordan trying to avoid tripping over his own feet.

Jordan once said in a commercial, "You reach, I teach," and that might have been the advice he should've listened to prior to trying to play Iverson straight up—because it's one of the rare times MJ got schooled.