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Free-throw shooting was a big talking point during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Though it seems like a small part of a game that does not draw lots of attention from casual fans, free throws can and will often decide games and even NBA championships.
Reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo famously became synonymous with free-throw shooting during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, but not in the right way for him. Still, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title despite his struggles from the line and even finished the season with a unique 17-19 split from the line in game six of the NBA Finals to clinch the title.
Five players with the most misses at the free-throw line in NBA history
Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons also had a difficult time in the foul line during the 2021 NBA Playoffs and it definitely disrupted his confidence. It directly affected the 76ers' run in the postseason and is likely to send him to another team.
Free-throw shooting is definitely a huge area in a basketball game, especially in close situations at the end of an NBA game.
However, there have been several NBA players who were far from specialists at the charity stripe.
In this article, we will give you the five players who've missed the most free throws in NBA history.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#5 Walt Bellamy
Walt Bellamy played in the NBA from 1961 to 1975 and the Hall-of-Fame center had a big start to his career in the league, making the All-Star Game in each of his first four seasons.
Overall, Bellamy averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game in 1,043 regular-season games. He was also efficient, converting 51% of his field goals throughout his career.
However, like many dominant big men, Bellamy often struggled from the free-throw line. He made 63% of his free throws in his career, and missed a total of 2,975 free throws, out of 8,088 attempts.
#4 Karl Malone
In reality, Hall-of-Fame power forward and two-time NBA MVP Karl Malone only struggled from the free-throw line in the early years of his NBA career. Although there might have been a notion that he was indeed a terrible foul shooter, Malone shot 74% from the free-throw line in his regular-season career.
Still, Malone is fourth on the all-time list of most free-throw misses, mainly because of his lengthy career. He wasn't a sniper from the line, and some free throws missed in key moments will always be remembered.
Malone missed 3,401 free throws in his NBA career (1,476 games), but he is the all-time leader in free throws attempted (13,188) and free throws made (9,787) in NBA history.
#3 Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard was a dominant big man during his best days in the NBA. Regardless of what his current status in the league is, Howard is surely a future Hall-of-Famer whose accolades deserve more credit than he often gets, although he could be described as an underachiever.
Still, Howard is an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive player. He also won three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Orlando Magic and even dragged the team to the 2009 NBA Finals.
Howard won an NBA championship as a role player for the 2019-20 LA Lakers and is back in LA looking for a second ring and, finally, a championship parade in LA. Among his lowlights, free-throw shooting will always be among the biggest ones, as he made 56% of his free throws so far.
Howard has missed the third-most free throws in NBA history, with 4,044 out of 9,309 attempts. He's attempted the seventh-most free throws in league history, but ranks 32nd in makes.
#2 Shaquille O'Neal
Another big man with an illustrious NBA career, but one that could not see the free-throw line. Shaquille O'Neal has a case to be the most dominant NBA player of all time, as he simply could not be stopped during his greatest days.
O'Neal's dominance led the LA Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships between 2000 and 2002 and earned him three straight Finals MVP awards too. Shaq also added a fourth NBA title to his resume with the Miami Heat in 2006, when he was still dominant.
He ended his career with 15 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA and three All-Defensive selections, four titles, three All-Star MVPs, a regular-season MVP, two scoring titles and more.
But nobody would ever call O'Neal a great free-throw shooter. The big man probably didn't need to be a great one though, but he missed 5,317 free throws in his illustrious NBA journey.
His free-throw shooting percentage of 52.7% is the fifth-worst in NBA history among players with 1,200 misses or more.
#1 Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain, like the 'Diesel' O'Neal, was an extremely dominant center in his basketball career. Chamberlain's name is often #1 on many scoring lists, especially when you consider his record-setting 1961-62 NBA season, when he averaged 50.4 points per game throughout the season.
Of course, his 100-point game against the New York Knicks on March 2nd, 1962 will always be remembered and probably never surpassed by another player. Chamberlain retired with two NBA titles and seven scoring titles in his career.
He also has the second-best career average of points per game in NBA history, at 30 per game. However, Chamberlain was a bad free-throw shooter. Like O'Neal, he probably did not need to master that skill, but the numbers are simply bad.
The four-time MVP (including one MVP as a rookie) missed 5,805 of his 11,862 career free-throw attempts. He made only 51% of his free throws in his career (the number went down to 46% in the NBA Playoffs) and owns the fourth-worst FT percentage among players with at least 1,200 misses.
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