Free throws are contested shots taken after another player commits a foul against you. You usually get one free throw for every three fouls committed against you. Here is what you need to know about free throws during an NBA game.
Why is it Called a Free Throw?
A free throw shooter receives a foul when he has touched the ball and an offensive player, who is not already at the free-throw line, touches the ball, passes the ball, or shoots within the three foot box area. Then the offensive player must shoot either 1 or 3 free throws depending on the severity of the foul. If the offensive player misses all 3 free throws, he/she is out of game.
When a team shoots a free throw, they are usually trying to get the ball in the middle of the free-throw lane so that the other team can’t get the ball. This is typically done to prevent a team from getting an uncontested layup, or to prevent a rebound if a missed shot is taken.
The foul line is the imaginary line drawn from the back of the basket to the front. Because the NBA has different rules pertaining to how the ball is called dead and how the court is considered to be in bounds, the foul line can only be considered as a line after a player has taken a shot. It is also called the three point line because it is the distance from the back of the basket to the three point line.
What Types of Free Throws are There?
Free throws are awarded depending on where the foul happened. If a player is fouled within the three-point line, the referee gives them two free throws. If a player is fouled outside the three-point line, the referee will award them three free throws.
A player can also shoot free throws if their team is in the foul bonus. If a team exceeds the number of fouls they can make in a specific frame (usually 4 minutes), they will have a bonus added to their time frame.
Which Player is the Best at Free Throw Shooting?
The NBA player with the best career free throw percentage is Steph Curry, with a 90.69% average. Steve Nash is second in the ranking, with 90.49%. Mark Price is third, and his career average is 90.39%.
Do All-Star Players Make Great Free Throw Shooters?
A study was made to see which NBA player is the best at shooting the free throw. The players who shot the highest percentage belonged to Kobe Bryant, who shot 60.7%, and LeBron James, who shot 60.1%.
But the players with the lowest percentages shot the most free throws, and that is why we can say that Shaquille O’Neal was one of the worst free-throw shooters in the NBA.
It all comes down to the size of the basket and the amount of space players have to operate in. An essential factor is the size of the goal. If the goal is too big, the players will have to get too tall because they won’t really be able to dunk on it. The opposite can happen with too small a goal.
How Much Time Do you Have to Take a Free Throw Shot?
Free throw times can be confusing, especially when a player thinks they’re being timed correctly but doesn’t start the clock. That means they can get fouled by a double team and lose the scoring opportunity or score the free throw themselves, but get no-calls.
The 50-40-90 Club
Free Throw Shooters with a greater than 90% accuracy may be part of the 50-40-90 Club. These shooters have a field goal percentage of 50%, a three-point field goal percentage of 40%, and a 90% basketball free throw percentage. Some of the best NBA/WNBA shooters make this 50-40-90 Club, such as the Phoenix Suns’ Grant Hill and the New York Knicks’ Allan Houston.
The three-point line has become part of the game since 1979. While the NBA is usually credited for its introduction in the 1970s, the first NBA games to have the three-point arc were played in 1972, where Billy Cunningham and Hal Greer set the first three-point shot in NBA history.
List of Players in the 50-40-90 Club
The 50-40-90 Club is an exclusive club in basketball. Here are the fifty greatest players of all time if you include the NBA, WNBA, and ABA. The list is ordered by peak performance, followed by the top 20 players. Eligibility is only from 1950 through the present.
Conclusion – What is a Free Throw in Basketball
In summary, a free throw in basketball is a shot from the free-throw line after a defensive foul. These shots occur without any interference from other players. The range of free-throw varies between one and three shots.
One of the most memorable parts of basketball is having the home crowd rooting on their favorite team, but there’s a price to pay.
Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals and Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals were the highest-scoring triple OT games in NBA history. The three games were won by the team with the higher offensive rating. This is because the teams with the highest offensive ratings are usually the ones with the most points, which means they can score more than their opponents.
