HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

On the surface, making free throw shots seems to be one of the easiest tasks required by a professional basketball player.  It’s just the shooter looking squarely at the basket and hoisting it up for a swish.  Nobody’s guarding him, nobody’s trying to steal the ball, nobody’s trying to block it, nobody’s pleading for a pass, and turnovers are an impossibility.  Heck, a player even has ten seconds to prepare to make the shot.  Ten seconds to complete whatever ritual they believe will bring success.

 

Just think how many thousands of shots a player has launched in his lifetime from that very spot, 15 feet from the backboard; in games, in practice, growing up.  So why is this aspect of the game such a challenge for so many players?

 

The real importance of accurate shooting at the charity stripe is understood by all who play and follow the game.  It can win games, it can lose games.  It requires supreme mental focus; a player must develop the ability to block out hecklers/negative energy, stares, pressures, hopes of others, and perhaps most difficult, control the thoughts running through your head.

 

A quick look at Basketball-Reference.com tells us that Jose Calderon holds the record for the best single-season free throw percentage in history (.981 in the 2008-09 season).  Note – to qualify, a shooter must have made at least 125 free throw shots in one season.  He connected on 151 free throws that season out of 154 attempts.

 

Let’s round off the top five players, along with Calderon, that had best single-season record in free throw percentage:
2.  Calvin Murphy (.958 in 1980-81)
3.  Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (.956 in 1993-94)
4.  Ray Allen (.952 in 2008-09)
5.  Jeff Hornacek (.950 in 1999-00)

As far as career free throw accuracy (again, with a minimum 125 FT shots), these are the leaders in the books:
1.  Mark Price (.904)
2.  Steve Nash (.903)
3.  Rick Barry (.900)
4.  Peja Stojakovic (.895)
5.  Ray Allen (.894)

While we’re talking records, did you know Jerry West holds the record for the most free throws made in a single season?  He made 840 freebies in the 1965-66 season.  Wilt Chamberlain comes in second with 835 in 1961-62, and Michael Jordan is third with 833 in 1986-87.

 

Karl Malone holds the record for career free throws made at a whopping 9,787; in addition, he holds the record for attempted free throws at 13,188.  His noted pre-shot ritual obviously served him well.   Moses Malone is second in FT totals made with 8,531, and Oscar Robertson ranks third with 7,694 FT.  Shaquille O’Neal ranks third in free throw attempts at 11,232 (and counting).  Hack-a-Shaq anyone?

 

{AUTHOR_BOX}Wilt Chamberlain is ranked first-through-fifth in single-season free throw attempts (starting in the 1959-60 season and continuing through the 1963-64 season); the famously poor free throw shooter’s career percentage topped out at .511.

 

What about the most free throws made in a single game?  Michael Jordan holds that honor with 26 made on February 26, 1987.  It’s a four-way tie for second-place with 24 free throws made in a single game: Kevin Durant (1/23/09), LeBron James (3/12/06), Allen Iverson (2/12/05) and Willie Burton (12/13/94).

 

That was an enjoyable look back in time; now let’s jump to the present day.  Who are the free throw leaders in the 2010-11 season thus far?

 

First, we’ll list the players with the best present free throw shooting accuracy:

1. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors

Curry leads the NBA in free throw percentage at .926; through 28 games, he has made an average 3.1 free throws per game of 3.4 attempted.  In total, he has made 88 free throw shots of 95 attempted.

 

2. Luke Ridnour – Minnesota Timberwolves

Ridnour comes in second with a free throw percentage of .922; through 32 games, he has made an average 1.8 free throws per game of 2.0 attempted.  In total, he has made 59 free throw shots of 64 attempted.

 

3. Chauncey Billups – Denver Nuggets

Billups ranks third with a free throw percentage at .907; through 30 games, he has made an average 6.2 free throws per game of 6.8 attempted.  In total, he has made 186 free throw shots of 205 attempted.

 

4. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns

Nash places fourth in free throw percentage at .902; through 32 games, he has made an average 3.4 free throws per game of 3.8 attempted.  In total, he has made 110 free throw shots of 122 attempted.

 

5. D.J. Augustine – Charlotte Bobcats

In fifth place with a free throw percentage of .901 is Augustine; through 33 games, he has made an average 2.8 free throws per game of 3.1 attempted.  In total, he has made 91 free throw shots of 101 attempted.

 

In average free throw shots per game, the following five players currently lead the league:

1.  Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder: 7.7 FT made of 8.8 attempted (.879)
2.  Kevin Martin – Houston Rockets: 7.6 FT made of 8.5 attempted (.892)
3.  Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets: 6.9 FT made of 8.4 attempted (.818)

4.  Dwyane Wade – Miami HEAT: 6.9 FT made of 9.3 attempted (.745)

5.  LeBron James – Miami HEAT: 6.8 FT made of 8.7 attempted (.774)

 

And here are the players with the highest total number of free throws made this season:

1.  Kevin Martin – Houston Rockets: 272 FT made of 305 attempted (.892)
2.  LeBron James – Miami HEAT: 257 FT made of 332 attempted (.774)
3.  Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder: 254 FT made of 289 attempted (.879)
4.  Dwyane Wade – Miami HEAT: 248 FT made of 333 attempted (.745)
5.  Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder: 244 FT made of 281 attempted (.868)

 

In team statistics, let’s see who leads the pack in free throw percentage (the league average for teams is .759):

1.  Oklahoma City Thunder: .833
2.  New York Knicks: .795
3.  Denver Nuggets: .793
4.  Portland Trail Blazers: .791
5.  Utah Jazz: .789

 

And here are the teams who have recorded the most free throws in total this season (the league average for teams is 673):

1.  Oklahoma City Thunder: 928 made of 1,114 attempted (.833)
2.  Denver Nuggets: 870 made of 1.097 attempted (.793)
3.  Miami HEAT: 858 made of 1,112 attempted (.772)
4.  Houston Rockets: 774 made of 983 attempted (.787)
5.  Utah Jazz: 766 made of 971 attempted (.789)

 

Think there are any surprises which teams have the highest "free throws per field goal attempts", with the league average being .234?

1.  Denver Nuggets: .312
2.  Oklahoma City Thunder: .312
3.  Miami HEAT: .295
4.  Utah Jazz: .262
5.  Houston Rockets: .260

 

We’ll leave you with this piece of trivia, which many of you probably already know: Ted St. Martin set a Guinness world record for shooting the most consecutive free throws on April 28, 1996.  He made 5,221 free throws in seven hours and twenty minutes; no dribbling, just catch-and-shoot action.