Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff talks win against Boston Celtics
The Indiana Pacers defeated the Boston Celtics 98-96 in a game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
- Pacers center Jay Huff has become known for his frequent and creative reverse dunks.
- Huff explains his signature move is both practical for certain situations and a fun way to maintain a childlike enjoyment of the game.
- Teammates and coaches have expressed amazement at Huff’s unique dunking ability, particularly a recent one against the Cavaliers.
INDIANAPOLIS — Jay Huff has decided to lean into the mystery.
In his first year with the Pacers, the 28-year-old center is getting the most extensive work of his career, which has given him more opportunity than ever to show off his baffling array of reverse dunks. In fact, it seems like Huff tries to make every dunk a reverse dunk, spinning at times when it’s entirely unnecessary to do in order to finish jams with his back to the rim.
Huff had two reverse dunks in a 20-point performance in Monday’s 98-96 win over the Celtics. One seemed necessary — he caught the ball essentially underneath the basket while facing away from it and just went straight up and dunked over his head. The other included a clearly superfluous spin. He got two defenders to bite on a shot fake at the top of the key, took a straight-line drive to the rim and spun at the last second before the finish, apparently just for fun.
So when asked about it afterward, Huff decided to have a little more fun. In the on-court interview immediately after the buzzer, sideline reporter Pat Boylen asked how he determines when he’s going to finish a dunk. Huff feigned like he was going to tell all until he didn’t.
“So the secret to me dunking in reverse — and I want everybody to listen, the secret is … what’s that? Coach is calling me. I gotta go,” Huff said before exiting the floor for the locker room.
In the postgame press conference he was asked about the reverse dunks again and had the gag a little less predetermined, but ducked the question again with the help of Mike Preston, the Pacers’ vice president of basketball communications, who deadpanned “next question.”
Huff coughed, apologized, and then said. “Next.”
Huff did give a more extensive answer at media day in late September in his first public press conference with the Pacers. He determined that dunking backwards could be both practical and entertaining so he had reason to do it and keep doing it. Plus he’s 7-1 with a remarkable vertical leap so dunking was something he could do easily at an earlier age than most.
“I remember I did it some in high school, probably started doing it more in college and in the NBA it just kind of stuck around,” Huff said in September. “There’s times when it’s practical. There’s times when I jump and I stand up to where I can’t really look at the rim and I just had to figure it out, because if you come down with the ball when you’re up in the air like that, it takes more time. But if you can figure out a way to just know where the rim is, it just makes your life a whole lot easier.”
But he also acknowledges that sometimes he just does it because he can and it’s because it’s what his 10-year-old self would’ve wanted him to do.
“The other part is it’s way more fun,” Huff said. “I grew up watching guys doing crazy dunks all the time. I always thought that was fun. Growing up, lowering the rim, playing with my friends and just trying to do a bunch of creative dunks was something I really enjoyed doing as a kid. I’ve always wanted to kind of maintain that childlikeness, I suppose, just enjoying basketball and enjoying dunking because dunking is one of my favorite things to do.”
And seeing Huff dunk has been one of the Pacers’ favorite things to do in an otherwise brutal season, as they still are in last place in the Eastern Conference at 9-31 despite a three-game winning streak. Huff’s teammates joke with him when the dunks are less necessary, but they were particularly blown away by a dunk he had last week in the Pacers’ loss to the Cavaliers, a dunk that did have a clear practical purpose.
Huff grabbed a one-handed rebound and found himself underneath the right side of the rim with his body facing the corner of the floor with Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley draped over him. Rather than turn to face the basket, Huff jumped straight up, palmed the ball in his right hand and twisted his shoulder and his wrist so his hand was facing almost 180 degrees away from his body and dunked the ball. Not only were Huff’s Pacers’ teammates stunned, so was Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who sat out he game to rest and got a clear view from the sideline. Video of Mitchell’s reaction got some traction on social media and Huff has that video saved on his phone.
“I couldn’t physically do that with my shoulder and arm,” second-year wing Johnny Furphy said. “That’s why everyone is so shocked when he does things like that, but it is so unique. I’ve tried, but I can’t. It is so, so unique.”
Forward Jarace Walker said he hasn’t tried to mimic Huff.
“Nah,” Walker said. “I like my shoulders. That’s cool.”
Furphy’s just 21 years old and Walker is just 22, so they only has so much of an idea of its historical uniqueness. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been an NBA head coach for longer than either have been alive and he’s had a presence in the NBA since he was drafted as a player in 1984. It seems pretty unique to him too.
“He has a knack,” Carlisle said. “I don’t know what else to call it. He has length. He can palm the ball, which gives him the opportunity to do some different things. I haven’t seen a guy go under the basket and do, like, this. (Mimicking the Cleveland dunk.) People are talking about it. That’s cool. As long as the ball goes in the basket there’s not going to be any complaints from me.”
Huff’s dunks are just one component of what has become a more complete game in recent weeks. He’s a more effective drive and dunker when he’s shooting the ball from 3-point range well enough to force tough closeouts. After shooting just 40.2% from the floor and 26.1% from 3-point range in December, he’s shooting 65.1% from the floor and 45.8% from 3-point range in January, averaging 11.8 points per game in the month’s six games. He’s averaging a career-high 8.4 points per game for the season.
“I’m happy for Jay,” Carlisle said. “Things have not come easily here and he’s worked very, very hard.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
