Hesi
Hesitation
Example
Yo, did you catch Malik’s highlight from last night?
Of course! That hesi in the third quarter was filthy. He froze the defender like a statue
Man had the whole gym yelling. I’m definitely stealing that move for the next rec game
You better get your timing right—hesi only works if you sell it hard
Steve Francis with the hesi to get the defender in the air
Related Slang
| Circle button | Spin move |
| Baller | A cool person |
| Breaking ankles | Causing a player to stumble |
| Put him on skates | To make a person stumble over himself |
| And one | A play where a player is fouled while making a basket |
| j | Jump shot |
| Handles | The ability to handle a basketball |
| Bucket | A made basketball shot |
| Splash | A made shot that only touches the basketball net |
| Swish | A made shot in basketball that hits only the net |
| Sick | Awesome |
How well do you know your texting slang?
Hesi (pronounced "hezzy") is a slick move used in sports, especially basketball, to fake out defenders. The idea is to briefly pause or slow down, making the defender think you're about to stop or switch directions, and then, once they hesitate, you blow right past them. Other sports you may see hesi in include football and soccer, when a player pulls off a deceptive pause to juke a defender.
In basketball, the hesi is a go-to move for ball handlers, often mid-dribble, who want to create space and keep their opponent guessing. Players like Allen Iverson, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden helped make the hesi famous, using it to break ankles and turn defenders inside out.
Origin of hesi
The origin of the "hesi" slang term traces back to streetball culture and gym talk in the early 2000s, but it's become even more common with the rise of social media highlight reels and TikTok clips. Young hoopers, trainers, and fans use the term casually now—"Did you see that nasty hesi?"—to describe a well-executed hesitation move.