10 NBA Players With The Most Missed Free Throws In History: Wilt Chamberlain Has Missed The Most, LeBron James Surprisingly 6th

In the history of NBA, there are certain players that missed their free throws. These 10 NBA players have the most missed free

The “who has made the most free throws in nba history ” is a question that many people ask. The answer may surprise you.

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Free throws are a key component of the game, and they’re the quickest way for players to rack up scores. We are seeing superstar players receive a lot of fouls called on them in the current game, resulting in easy baskets from the line. A player’s team is usually in a much stronger position at the conclusion of a game if he can regularly go to the line and hit his foul shots.

However, we’ve seen players fail to shoot foul shots throughout NBA history and the great majority of them are large guys. Big guys, for whatever reason, have a tendency to struggle from the free-throw line. A lot of large guys fail to hit foul shots, which might be due to their huge limbs and inability to move about to build momentum before shooting. There will undoubtedly be some familiar names among the top ten NBA players with the most missed free throws in NBA history.


10. Moses Malone – 2,559 Free Throws Missed

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Moses Malone, one of the most influential players of his generation, retired with an NBA championship, a Finals MVP and two MVP Awards. Malone was a powerful rebounder who six times led the league in RPG and was an unstoppable force in the paint.

Moses, unlike many other All-Star big men, did not seem to struggle as much from the free-throw line. Moses had a career shooting percentage of 76.9%, which was amazing given his stature of 6’10” and lengthy limbs. Despite this, Malone missed over 2,500 free throws, mostly because he was fouled often, with an average of 8.3 attempts per game over his career.


2.572 missed free throws by Tim Duncan

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As a power forward, Tim Duncan was near-perfect because he could dominate on defense while still leading the attack on the block. Duncan retired as a five-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP because he had a flair for making a huge effect on the game.

Duncan’s free-throw shooting, on the other hand, was a glaring flaw in his game. The Spurs legend’s career free-throw percentage was 69.6%, which isn’t very impressive for an all-time great player. Tim Duncan was always anticipated to miss at least one free throw when he was at the line, but his performance on the court was unaffected by it.


2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 2,592 Free Throws Missed

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, enjoyed a two-decade career. No defense had a chance against the big man’s skyhook, so he didn’t need to do anything else except let it fly. One method to halt Kareem may have been to foul him.

Abdul-career Jabbar’s free-throw percentage was 72.1 percent, not bad for a player who was unstoppable with the ball in his hands. Defenders found that fouling him was the greatest tactic since the center could put the ball in the hoop whenever he wanted. It’s incredible that Kareem still owns the all-time record for points scored despite missing almost 2,500 free throws.


7. Elvin Hayes – 2,643 Free Throws Missed

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Elvin Hayes, a 12-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA team selection, is one of the best big men of his generation. Hayes is the 11th best scorer in NBA history with almost 27,000 points, despite his inability to regularly hit free throws.

Hayes missed nearly 2,600 free throws throughout the course of his career, averaging 67.0 percent from the line. Defenders often fouled the big guy because pushing him to make foul shots was a better tactic than allowing him to score at freely. Hayes won’t be the last big man on this list, and the league’s history is littered with worse foul shooters.


6. LeBron James – 2,816 Free Throws Missed

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Lakers Daily photo

Surprisingly, LeBron James is the only non-big guy on the list. The King is without a doubt one of the best players in the game’s history, yet he is no stranger to criticism. In fact, James’ failure to regularly hit free throws has been one of his most vehement critics throughout his career.

James hasn’t allowed it stop him from becoming a four-time MVP and winning four NBA championships with three different clubs. However, for a player of James’ quality, a career free-throw percentage of 73.4 percent isn’t that amazing, considering he’s missed over 2,800 attempts. There’s little question that LeBron James is pursuing Kareem Abdul-regular-season Jabbar’s scoring record, and if he can hit more free throws, he’ll have an easier time doing so.


5. Walt Bellamy – 2,975 Free Throws Missed

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Walt Bellamy, a 6’11” great center who was elected into the Hall of Fame had a lot to be proud of over his career. In his first season, the big man was named to four All-Star teams and won Rookie of the Year after averaging 31.6 points per game and 19.0 rebounds per game. In fact, his first five seasons were legendary, as he averaged 26.6 points per game and 16.5 rebounds per game.

Bellamy had a strong interior presence, but he wasn’t a consistent free-throw shooter. He made 63.2 percent of his free throws, which resulted in 2,975 missed opportunities. With almost 20,000 points, Bellamy ranks 38th all-time in points scored, although he should have retired with a higher number.


4. Karl Malone – 3,401 Free Throws Missed

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Karl Malone’s free-throw shooting, according to the great Isiah Thomas, was the reason the Pistons were able to win two consecutive championships. Having a below-average free-throw shooter as your greatest scorer in the most important of games was not ideal. That is most likely why Malone never won a championship in his professional career.

However, Malone’s prowess as a scorer should not be overlooked, as he is now ranked second all-time in total points scored. Malone dominated the NBA for two decades as an exceptional mid-range shooter with a strong post game. Despite having a 74.2 percent free throw shooting percentage, he missed almost 3,000 free shots over his career.


Dwight Howard is third with 4,078 missed free throws.

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The Star of the Day

Another big guy makes the list, and it’s Dwight Howard, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Because he coupled strength and jumping ability with a great basketball IQ, the big man is one of the most powerful defensive players in NBA history.

However, Dwight was often chastised for not being a more consistent offensive player, as he lacked a go-to post move like the other great centers on this list. Dwight’s poor free-throw shooting was a key flaw in his game, as he missed over 4,000 free throws over his career. Howard was never able to make more than four of his approximately eight tries each game, which perhaps held him back a little.


Shaquille O’Neal ranks second with 5,317 missed free throws.

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Credit: Getty Images/Otto Greule Jr

Shaquille O’Neal, the most fearsome power of the modern age, had no equal in his heyday. The large guy would virtually push the ball into the hoop, and it would frequently take a player fouling out to prevent him from scoring two easy points. The game strategy was to foul Shaq and put him to the line at every times. What is the explanation behind this? Shaq’s career free throw percentage was 52.7 percent.

O’Neal claimed that his free-throw shooting was abysmal, and it was frequently amusing to witness the colossus chucking the ball into the hoop. O’Neal, as poor as he was in terms of percentages, was always known to make them when it mattered. Shaq’s ability to win despite missing nearly 5,300 free throws was shown by his four NBA championships and three Finals MVP awards.


1. Wilt Chamberlain – 5,805 Free Throws Missed

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Mayo Oshin is the author of this piece.

Wilt Chamberlain is the NBA’s first dominating physical force, setting the bar for Shaquille O’Neal to follow. Wilt was a beast of a man, standing 7’1″ and weighing 275 pounds, and he had no response. Wilt’s shots were so difficult to stop that even three defenders couldn’t stop him, which is why the big man once scored 100 points in a single game.

Chamberlain did, however, have one major flaw: his free-throw shooting. Wilt shot 51.1 percent from the line in his career, which means he missed at least 5 free throws every game. They believe God is just because if Wilt had made more free throws, he might have ended as the all-time leading scorer with even more unbreakable records to his credit. 

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Wilt Chamberlain has missed the most free throws in NBA history. LeBron James surprisingly 6th place on this list, and there are 10 players with the most missed free throws in history. Reference: wilt chamberlain records .

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