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 | Made | Failed | % |
| 1 | Karl Malone | 9.787 | 13.188 | 74,20% |
| 2 | Moses Malone | 8.531 | 11.090 | 76,90% |
| 3 | Kobe Bryant | 8.378 | 10.011 | 83,70% |
| 4 | LeBron James | 8.060 | 10.968 | 73,50% |
| 5 | Oscar Robertson | 7.694 | 9.185 | 83,80% |
| 6 | James Harden | 7.331 | 8.524 | 83,8% |
| 7 | Michael Jordan | 7.327 | 8.772 | 83,50% |
| 8 | Dirk Nowitzki | 7.240 | 8.239 | 87,90% |
| 9 | Jerry West | 7.160 | 8.801 | 81,40% |
| 10 | Paul Pierce | 6.918 | 8.578 | 80,60% |
| 11 | Adrian Dantley | 6.832 | 8.351 | 81,80% |
| 12 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 6.712 | 9.304 | 72,10% |
| Dolph Schayes | 6.712 | 7.904 | 84,90% | |
| 14 | Kevin Durant | 6.606 | 7.456 | 88,60% |
| 15 | Allen Iverson | 6.375 | 8.168 | 78,00% |
| 16 | Charles Barkley | 6.349 | 8.643 | 73,50% |
| 17 | Carmelo Anthony | 6.320 | 7.724 | 81,40% |
| 18 | Reggie Miller | 6.237 | 7.026 | 88,80% |
| 18 | Bob Pettit | 6.182 | 8.119 | 76,10% |
| 19 | Wilt Chamberlain | 6.057 | 11.862 | 51,10% |
| 20 | David Robinson | 6.035 | 8.201 | 73,60% |
| 21 | Dominique Wilkins | 6.031 | 7.438 | 81,10% |
| 23 | Shaquille O’Neal | 5.935 | 11.252 | 52,70% |
| 24 | Tim Duncan | 5.896 | 8.468 | 69,60% |
| 25 | Elgin Baylor | 5.763 | 7.391 | 78,00% |
| 26 | Dwyane Wade | 5.708 | 7.463 | 76,50% |
| 27 | Russell Westrbook | 5.682 | 7.295 | 77,90% |
| 28 | DeMar DeRozan | 5.580 | 6.648 | 83,90% |
| 29 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 5.423 | 7.621 | 71,20% |
| 30 | Lenny Wilkens | 5.394 | 6.973 | 77,40% |
| 31 | Patrick Ewing | 5.392 | 7.289 | 74,00% |
| 32 | John Havlicek | 5.369 | 6.589 | 81,50% |
| 33 | Dwight Howard | 5.361 | 9.455 | 56,70% |
| 34 | Elvin Hayes | 5.356 | 7.999 | 67,00% |
| 35 | Walt Bellamy | 5.113 | 8.088 | 63,20% |
| 36 | Chet Walker | 5.079 | 6.384 | 79,60% |
| 37 | Tom Chambers | 5.066 | 6.274 | 80,70% |
| 38 | Paul Arizin | 5.010 | 6.189 | 81,00% |
| 39 | Magic Johnson | 4.960 | 5.850 | 84,80% |
| 40 | Kevin Garnett | 4.887 | 6.190 | 78,90% |
| 41 | Vince Carter† | 4.852 | 6.082 | 79,80% |
| 42 | John Stockton | 4.788 | 5.796 | 82,60% |
| 43 | Pau Gasol | 4.755 | 6.311 | 75,30% |
| 44 | Bailey Howell | 4.740 | 6.224 | 76,20% |
| 45 | World B. Free | 4.718 | 6.264 | 75,30% |
| 46 | Chris Paul | 4.709 | 5.414 | 87,0% |
| 47 | Clyde Drexler | 4.698 | 5.962 | 78,80% |
| 48 | Tiny Archibald | 4.664 | 5.760 | 81,00% |
| 49 | Reggie Theus | 4.663 | 5.644 | 82,60% |
| 50 | Jerry Stackhouse | 4.649 | 5.659 | 82,20% |
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 | Free Throw Percentage |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 90,91% |
| 2 | Steve Nash | 90,43% |
| 3 | Mark Price | 90,39% |
| 4 | Rick Barry | 89,98% |
| 5 | Damian Lillard | 89,54% |
| 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 | Kevin Durant | 88,60% |
| 14 | Larry Bird | 88,57% |
| 15 | Kyrie Irving | 88,36% |
| 16 | Bill Sharman | 88,31% |
| 17 | Khris Middleton | 88,14% |
| 18 | Dirk Nowitzki | 87,87% |
| 19 | Jeff Hornacek | 87,70% |
| 20 | Kyle Korver | 87,69% |
| 21 | Danilo Gallinari | 87,69% |
| 22 | Trae Young | 87,63% |
| 23 | Earl Boykins | 87,58% |
| 24 | Ricky Pierce | 87,55% |
| 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 | Mo Williams | 87,08% |
| 31 | Kevin Martin | 87,04% |
| 32 | Chris Paul | 86,98% |
| Hersey Hawkins | 86,98% | |
| 34 | Mike Newlin | 86,95% |
| 35 | Micheal Williams | 86,80% |
| 36 | D.J. Augustin | 86,68% |
| 37 | Devin Booker | 86,70% |
| 38 | Chris Mullin | 86,55% |
| 39 | Bojan Bogdanovic | 86,45% |
| 40 | Allan Houston | 86,34% |
| 41 | Luke Ridnour | 86,23% |
| 42 | John Long | 86,22% |
| 43 | Jamal Crawford | 86,19% |
| 44 | Sam Cassell | 86,08% |
| 45 | James Harden | 86,00% |
| 46 | Wally Szczerbiak | 85,99% |
| 47 | Kawhi Leonard | 85,93% |
| 48 | Dana Barros | 85,78% |
| 49 | Fred Brown | 85,75% |
| 50 | Ben Gordon | 85,67% |
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.