Best NBA Free Throw Shooters in history
Who holds the NBA career free throws record? Here are the NBA free throws leaderboard and the
In modern basketball, free throws are a technical move that can make the difference between victory and defeat. In more balanced games, for example, fouls are committed to stop the clock and send opponents to the line with the hope that they miss the shot.
Throughout the history of the NBA, many legendary players have excelled in this technical move. But today we discover who are the best free throw shooters in NBA history and currently in the league.
And if at the end of the article you want to learn more about this technical move, here is the ranking of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA.
NBA Free Throws Record
The NBA player who has scored the most free throws in his career is Karl Malone, with 9.787 free throws made. Malone also holds the record for attempts, with 13.188 free throws attempted and a success rate of 74.20%.
In his 19-year career, Malone led the league in free throws made a remarkable 8 times and in free throws attempted 7 times. He retired in 2004 with a career average of 25.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 6.6 free throws made, and 8.9 free throws attempted.
Among other records related to free throws, we note:
- Free throws scored in one season: 840, Jerry West in the 1965/66
- Free throws scored in an NBA game: 28, Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley
- Free throws score in an NBA Playoff game: 24, Dirk Nowitzki in 2011
- Free throws attempted in a match, but none scored: 11, Shaquille O’Neal in 2000
- Best career free throw percentage: 90.91 %, Stephen Curry
- Best percentage of free throws scored in a season: 98.1%, Josè Calderon in 2008/09
Below is the ranking of the best free throw shooters in NBA history (last update: March 14th, 2023).
NBA Free Throw Leaders
| # | Player | Free Throws score | Free Throws Attempted | % |
| 1 | Karl Malone | 9.787 | 13.188 | 74,2% |
| 2 | Moses Malone | 8.531 | 11.090 | 76,9% |
| 3 | LeBron James | 8454 | 11490 | 73,5% |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | 8.378 | 10.011 | 83,7% |
| 5 | James Harden | 7.788 | 9.045 | 86,1% |
| 6 | Oscar Robertson | 7.694 | 9.185 | 83,8% |
| 7 | Michael Jordan | 7.327 | 8.772 | 83,5% |
| 8 | Dirk Nowitzki | 7.240 | 8.239 | 87,9% |
| 9 | Jerry West | 7.160 | 8.801 | 81,4% |
| 10 | Kevin Durant | 7.048 | 7.977 | 88,3% |
| 11 | Paul Pierce | 6.918 | 8.578 | 80,6% |
| 12 | Adrian Dantley | 6.832 | 8.351 | 81,8% |
| 13 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 6.712 | 9.304 | 72,1% |
| | Dolph Schayes | 6.712 | 7.904 | 84,9% |
| 15 | Allen Iverson | 6.375 | 8.168 | 78,0% |
| 16 | Charles Barkley | 6.349 | 8.643 | 73,5% |
| 17 | Carmelo Anthony | 6.320 | 7.724 | 81,4% |
| 18 | DeMar DeRozan | 6.244 | 7.426 | 84,1% |
| 19 | Reggie Miller | 6.237 | 7.026 | 88,8% |
| 20 | Bob Pettit | 6.182 | 8.119 | 76,1% |
| 21 | Wilt Chamberlain | 6.057 | 11.862 | 51,1% |
| 22 | David Robinson | 6.035 | 8.201 | 73,6% |
| 23 | Dominique Wilkins | 6.031 | 7.438 | 81,1% |
| 24 | Shaquille O’Neal | 5.935 | 11.252 | 52,7% |
| 25 | Tim Duncan | 5.896 | 8.468 | 69,6% |
| 26 | Russell Westrbook | 5.875 | 7.581 | 77,5% |
| 27 | Elgin Baylor | 5.763 | 7.391 | 78,0% |
| 28 | Dwyane Wade | 5.708 | 7.463 | 76,5% |
| 29 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 5.423 | 7.621 | 71,2% |
| 30 | Lenny Wilkens | 5.394 | 6.973 | 77,4% |
| 31 | Patrick Ewing | 5.392 | 7.289 | 74,0% |
| 32 | John Havlicek | 5.369 | 6.589 | 81,5% |
| 33 | Dwight Howard | 5.361 | 9.455 | 56,7% |
| 34 | Elvin Hayes | 5.356 | 7.999 | 67,0% |
| 35 | Walt Bellamy | 5.113 | 8.088 | 63,2% |
| 36 | Chet Walker | 5.079 | 6.384 | 79,6% |
| 37 | Tom Chambers | 5.066 | 6.274 | 80,7% |
| 38 | Paul Arizin | 5.010 | 6.189 | 81,0% |
| 39 | Damian Lillard | 5.004 | 5.573 | 89,8% |
| 40 | Magic Johnson | 4.960 | 5.850 | 84,8% |
| 41 | Kevin Garnett | 4.887 | 6.190 | 78,9% |
| 42 | Vince Carter | 4.852 | 6.082 | 79,8% |
| 43 | Chris Paul | 4.801 | 5.516 | 87,0% |
| 44 | John Stockton | 4.788 | 5.796 | 82,6% |
| 45 | Pau Gasol | 4.755 | 6.311 | 75,3% |
| 46 | Bailey Howell | 4.740 | 6.224 | 76,2% |
| 47 | World B. Free | 4.718 | 6.264 | 75,3% |
| 48 | Clyde Drexler | 4.698 | 5.962 | 78,8% |
| 49 | Jimmy Butler | 4.666 | 5.539 | 84,2% |
| 50 | Nate Archibald | 4.664 | 5.760 | 81,0% |
NBA Free Throw Percentage
The best free throw shooter in NBA history is Stephen Curry (who also holds the record for the best three-point shooter in NBA history), with a success rate of 90.91%.
Here is the complete ranking by free throw shooting percentage.
| # | Player | % |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 91,04% |
| 2 | Steve Nash | 90,43% |
| 3 | Mark Price | 90,39% |
| 4 | Rick Barry | 89,98% |
| 5 | Damian Lillard | 89,79% |
| 6 | Peja Stojaković | 89,48% |
| 7 | Chauncey Billups | 89,40% |
| 8 | Ray Allen | 89,39% |
| 9 | J.J. Redick | 89,18% |
| 10 | Calvin Murphy | 89,16% |
| 11 | Scott Skiles | 88,91% |
| 12 | Reggie Miller | 88,77% |
| 13 | Larry Bird | 88,57% |
| 14 | Kyrie Irving | 88,57% |
| 15 | Kevin Durant | 88,35% |
| 16 | Bill Sharman | 88,31% |
| 17 | Khris Middleton | 87,91% |
| 18 | Dirk Nowitzki | 87,87% |
| 19 | Jeff Hornacek | 87,70% |
| 20 | Kyle Korver | 87,69% |
| 21 | Danilo Gallinari | 87,64% |
| 22 | Earl Boykins | 87,58% |
| 23 | Ricky Pierce | 87,55% |
| 24 | Trae Young | 87,40% |
| 25 | Terrell Brandon | 87,32% |
| 26 | Isaiah Thomas | 87,21% |
| 27 | Kiki Vandeweghe | 87,17% |
| 28 | Darrell Armstrong | 87,14% |
| 29 | Jeff Malone | 87,11% |
| 30 | Devin Booker | 87,10% |
| 31 | Mo Williams | 87,08% |
| 32 | Kevin Martin | 87,04% |
| 33 | Chris Paul | 87,04% |
| 34 | Hersey Hawkins | 86,98% |
| 35 | Mike Newlin | 86,95% |
| 36 | Micheal Williams | 86,80% |
| 37 | D.J. Augustin | 86,71% |
| 38 | Lauri Markkanen | 86,64% |
| 39 | Fred VanVleet | 86,56% |
| 40 | Chris Mullin | 86,55% |
| 41 | Jamal Murray | 86,40% |
| 42 | Allan Houston | 86,34% |
| 44 | John Long | 86,22% |
| 45 | Jamal Crawford | 86,19% |
| 46 | Kawhi Leonard | 86,15% |
| 47 | James Harden | 86,10% |
| 48 | Sam Cassell | 86,08% |
| 49 | Wally Szczerbiak | 85,99% |
| 50 | Bojan Bogdanovic | 85,92% |
Who takes the free throw?
The distance of the free throw in the NBA is 15 feet (4.57 meters) from the center of the hoop. The free throw distance was established in 1949 by the NBA (National Basketball Association) and later adopted as a standard by most basketball leagues worldwide.
What is the distance of the Free Throw Line?
The distance of the free throw line in the NBA is 15 feet (4.57 meters) from the center of the basketball rim. The distance of the free throw line was established by the NBA (National Basketball Association) in 1949 and subsequently adopted as the standard for most basketball leagues around the world.