Art of the Free Throw

The Shot:
Video

The Free Throw:
When you see Jerry Stackhouse step to the charity stripe for the first time, you are not exactly sure if he is preparing to shoot free throws or getting ready to take a Richard Simmons aerobics class. He bends his knees so deeply during his shot that his rump nearly touches his heels and he resembles a baseball catcher preparing for a fastball.

The Ritual:
As unorthodox as his shot looks, it has worked for him since high school. “During high school, I would be at the line and I could hear my mom yelling for me to bend my knees. After I started really bending my knees and shooting that way all the time my percentage went up, so I just kept doing it. I shot that way all through high school and college. My first year in the NBA I went away from it because I looked around and no one else was doing it so I stopped. But my percentage went down, so I went back to it.”

During his first 10 years in the NBA, he has made 4,032 free throws out of 4,946 free throws attempted. So, taking his mother’s advice to the extreme has earned Jerry a NBA career .815 free throw percentage.

Thanks Mom.

The Others:
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