fadeaway

Noun

fadeaway (plural fadeaways)

1. An instance of fading away, of diminishing in proximity or intensity.
   • In his final years he [John Ogdon] gave an interview to an American journalist who noticed that "his handshake is a boneless fadeaway["].2014 May 11, Ivan Hewett, “Piano Man: a Life of John Ogdon by Charles Beauclerk, review: A new biography of the great British pianist whose own genius destroyed him [print version: A colossus...
2. A jump shot made while jumping backwards, away from the basket, with the goal to create space between the shooter and the defender, making it much harder to block.
   • He taunted the Knicks instead with hanging jumpers, impossible fadeaways and layups in traffic.2009 February 3, Howard Beck, “Bryant Puts on a Show, Setting Garden Records”, in New York Times
   • [Markieff] Morris isn’t quite the post-up threat that [Enes] Kanter is, and he can play both the 4 spot and 5 spot instead of just center, like Kanter. He is capable of playing a similar way, backing defenders down in the post. He prefers getting his buckets there with a bevy of fade-aways and...2019 February 25, Brett Dawson, Fred Katz, “How power forward Markieff Morris might fit in with the Thunder”, in The Athletic
3. (slang) The ending of a personal relationship by stopping any contact with the other party and not providing an explanation.
   • Why some people choose to do the infamous "fadeaway" instead of a clean break?