Ranked: The worst free-throw shooters in NBA history
Scoring free throws is arguably the easiest thing to do in basketball, but some NBA stars have a shooting percentage from the line that even an amateur wouldn't be proud of. All stats are from Stat Muse and only include players with a minimum of 1200 missed free throws.
Ben Wallace may have been the first undrafted player to reach the NBA Hall of Fame, but his free-throw shooting is the worst in NBA history. In 1,088 games, Wallace missed 1,570 free-throws.
Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan is known for his high-flying dunks and impressive defense. However, despite his elite talent over the rim, Jordan has struggled at the free-throw line, missing nearly 2,000 free-throws in his career.
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Two-time All-Star Andre Drummond is arguably the most outstanding rebounder in the NBA, securing four rebounding titles. Drummond has never shined at the free-throw line, missing nearly 2,000 free throws in less than 1,000 games.
Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest basketball players ever. He could score 50 on any night and even scored 100 points in a game. However, his free-throw ability didn't help him on any of those scoring nights, as he missed 5,805 in 1,045 games.
Like Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most dominant players in the NBA, but teams worked out that they could foul him to nullify his threat. The strategy 'Hack-a-Shaq,' named after O'Neal, involves a team lowering a star player's score by sending them to the free-throw line if they shoot poorly. He missed 5,317.
Four-time All-Star Johnny Green was among the first high-flyers in the NBA, holding the nickname 'Jumpin Johnny.' He missed 1,891 free throws in 1,057 games.
Bill Russell is a giant of the game, winning 11 championships and numerous MVP awards. Russell was known primarily for his defense rather than his offense reliability. He missed 2,466 free throws in 963 games.
Dwight Howard was a ferocious dunker and an elite shot blocker in the NBA, but if he were taken away from the painted area, he could look lost. Howard struggled to achieve shooting success in his NBA career, and that was the same at the free throw line, missing 4,094 of them.
Josh Smith entered the NBA right out of high school in 2004 and played for 13 solid years. He is the youngest player to reach 500 and 1000 career blocks, but his reliability on the offensive end wasn't as excellent. He missed 1,380 free throws in 894 games.
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NBA Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds in his NBA career, but he needed to be more consistent at the free-throw line. He missed 2,975 in 1,043 games.
NBA champion and three-time All-Star Antoine Walker never gets credit for being a good scorer. He averaged 17.5 points in 12 years. His poor free-throw shooting in the NBA, scoring only 63.3% of them in 893 games, may have contributed to this.
Olympic champion Vin Baker is a four-time All-Star who averaged 15 points in his 13-year NBA Career. The 6ft11 center missed 1,371 free throws in 791 games.
Wayne Embry played as a center across 11 years in the NBA, from 1958 until 1969. The 1968 NBA champion averaged 64% from the line, missing 1,347.
Rody Gobert has been a consistent player on both ends of the floor in the NBA and continues to play at a high level for the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, he's only averaged 64.1% from the free-throw line.
Tyson Chandler is an All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA champion. However, the 7-foot center struggled to make free throws, missing 1,321 in 1,160 games.
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