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Who shot free throws granny style?

7 min read

Asked by: Brent Corle

During his NBA debut in 2016, Chinanu Onuaku of the Houston Rockets attempted an underhand free throw, bringing back what has been referred to as the ‘granny shot. ‘ Onuaku, a 6-foot-9 forward, said he knew people were going to make fun of him, but he was just looking to get better.

Who shot granny free throws in the NBA?

The “granny” free throws have worked for Barry for a long time. The son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry has been shooting free throws underhand since high school. It helped make him into a star in high school and college. Now it’s opening up new doors for Barry in the NBA’s Gatorade League.

Who used the granny shot in the NBA?

For NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, it’s the granny-style foul shot. Barry, however, reserved it for urgent situations. He used it as his in-game free throw motion.

Is the granny shot better for free throws?

Granny-style free is more accurate than traditional free throws. That’s the conclusion of a Yale professor, who wrote this research paper called “Optimal strategies for throwing accurately” for the journal Royal Society Open Science. Essentially, the research concludes that throwing slower leads to more accuracy.

What is the granny shot?

1. This is an underhand method of shooting a basketball. The player will hold the basketball with both of their hands in front of their body, and with their arms extended. Then the player will raise the ball, making sure to keep their arms extended, and will release the ball before it comes up level with their chest.

Who is the best free throw shooter of all time?

Karl Malone holds the record for most free throws scored in career: 9,787 free throws. Malone also holds the record for attempts, with 13,188 free throws attempted with a percentage of 74.20%.

How did Wilt Chamberlain shoot free throws?

The free throw shooter may not step over the plane of the free-throw. Line until the ball touches the basket ring backboard or the free throw ends.

Who invented the granny shot?

No one in the history of the NBA has been a louder proponent of the underhanded free throw than Rick Barry. The unorthodox technique — sometimes known as the “granny” — earned the Hall of Famer the title of one of the best free throw shooters of all time. Barry swears by its accuracy, but players hardly ever use it.

Can Shaq shoot free throws?

Shaquille O’Neal will go down in NBA history as one of the most dominant big men ever to play the game. One aspect of his game that has never been referred to as dominant is his free throw shooting. Over nineteen seasons in the NBA, Shaq shot 52.2% from the foul line.

Why did Wilt Stop shooting underhand?

There were no rational reasons for Wilt Chamberlain to stop shooting underhand free throws, as he wasn’t ignorant to the positive results of the new approach. But despite knowing better, Chamberlain switched back to his old way of shooting. And for the rest of his basketball career, remained a poor free throw shooter.

How do you shoot a granny shot?

And foremost you're gonna line up you know in the center of the basket. But when you shoot an underhanded you want both feet even shoulder width apart athletic.

Is underhand throws allowed in basketball?

In basketball, an underhand motion refers to a type of shooting motion. Also referred to as “granny style,” the motion involves the player shooting the ball from his waist with two hands. The underhanded motion is only practical when shooting free throws as there is no defense to block the shot.

Who has the best free-throw percentage in NBA history?

NBA/ABA

Rank Player FT%
1. Stephen Curry .9082
2. Steve Nash* .9043
3. Mark Price .9039
4. Peja Stojaković .8948

Why did Wilt Stop shooting underhand?

There were no rational reasons for Wilt Chamberlain to stop shooting underhand free throws, as he wasn’t ignorant to the positive results of the new approach. But despite knowing better, Chamberlain switched back to his old way of shooting. And for the rest of his basketball career, remained a poor free throw shooter.

Can you shoot underhand in basketball?

In basketball, an underhand motion refers to a type of shooting motion. Also referred to as “granny style,” the motion involves the player shooting the ball from his waist with two hands. The underhanded motion is only practical when shooting free throws as there is no defense to block the shot.

Can Shaq shoot free throws?

Shaquille O’Neal will go down in NBA history as one of the most dominant big men ever to play the game. One aspect of his game that has never been referred to as dominant is his free throw shooting. Over nineteen seasons in the NBA, Shaq shot 52.2% from the foul line.

What was Shaquille O Neal’s free throw percentage?

52.7 percent

Shaquille O’Neal averaged 52.7 percent from the free-throw line in his career.

Who has the most airballs in NBA history?

Karl Malone has sunk the most career free throws, with 9,787 made.

NAME GP FTM
Karl Malone 1476 9,787
Moses Malone 1329 8,531
Kobe Bryant 1346 8,378
LeBron James 1366 7,836

What was Steve Nash’s free-throw percentage?

90.43 percent

That’s right: Nash leaves the game as the all-time leader in free-throw percentage with an absurd tally of 90.43 percent. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Mark Price is the only other player to post a qualified career free-throw percentage above 90, at 90.39.

What was Michael Jordan free-throw percentage?

83.5 percent

Michael Jordan averaged 83.5 percent from the free-throw line in his career.

Who has never missed a free-throw?

Lakers’ Brandon Ingram Claims to Have Never Missed a Free Throw in High School. Brandon Ingram excelled at many things while wearing a Duke Blue Devils uniform, ultimately working his way into becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Did Larry Bird ever airball a free-throw?

And now larry bird gets the ball. The best free throw shooter in the nba.

What was Larry Bird’s free-throw percentage?

Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a .496 field goal percentage, an .886 free throw percentage, and a .376 percentage on three-point shots.

Who is better Larry Bird or LeBron James?

He is the superior scorer, whether you’re talking career points per game or per 36 minutes. Bird is a better rebounder both in rebounds per game and rebound rate. LeBron is the better passer both in terms of assists per game and assist rate. Bird was an incredible passer, but LeBron is better.

Who had the best free throw percentage?

NBA/ABA

Rank Player FT%
1. Stephen Curry .9082
2. Steve Nash* .9043
3. Mark Price .9039
4. Peja Stojaković .8948

What is LeBron’s free throw percentage?

5. Free-throw percentage: 78.1% James is one of the most elite all-around players to ever touch the floor. Pinpointing weaknesses isn’t an easy thing to achieve with his success, but free throws have been an area he could improve.

Who hit more game winners LeBron or Jordan?

LeBron James

LeBron James has also hit more buzzer beaters than Jordan, and more go-ahead shots with five seconds to go in the game. His field goal percentage on these shots is also higher than Jordan’s. You can see the statistics of each of their made shots below.

How many clutch free throws has LeBron missed?

Per stats from nba.com, James is a 73.4 percent free-throw shooter for his career, connecting on an even better 74.4 percent of his clutch free throws. Oh, and in the playoffs, James has made 76 percent of his clutch free throws. As you can see from those stats, Bayless is way off base here with his remarks on James.

Is LeBron past his prime?

LeBron Is Still A Beast



The idea that LeBron is past his prime is just false. He may be pushing 40 years old, but he still remains one of the steadiest players in the NBA and continues to play as if he’s in his prime.

What age did LeBron peak?

According to Dave Berri of The Wags of Wins, players peak at 25 or 26, decline steadily until roughly 30 or so, then nosedive at age 32.

What age do basketball players peak?

around 27-28

Taking a look at a larger sample, data also show that most elite NBA players peak around 27-28. The average age of an All-Star player and an MVP is 26.5 and 27.9, respectively. Another analysis examining All-NBA players shows that the average age is 27.7.