Who Made the Most Free Throws in NBA History?
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Who made the most free throws in NBA history? Check out this list of the top 10 players, including some surprising names.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is NBA royalty. He’s one of the most dominant players to ever play the game and he holds a ton of records. One of the records he holds is for the most free throws made in a career. In his career, Chamberlain made 8,649 free throws. This is an incredible feat and it’s a record that may never be broken.
100-point game
Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game was a historic achievement accomplished by Chamberlain on March 2, 1962. It is widely considered one of the greatest feats in basketball history. Chamberlain, who played for the Philadelphia Warriors, scored 100 points against the New York Knicks at Hershey Sports Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, making 36 of 63 field goal attempts and 28 of 32 free throw attempts. At the time, it was the NBA’s single-game scoring record; a record that would stand for nearly 45 years until Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. While only four players have scored more points in an NBA game, no player has scored as many as 100 since 1962.
Most points in a season
Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the most points in an NBA season. He accomplished this feat in 1961-1962, when he averaged 50.4 points per game. In that season, he scored 3,586 total points, which is also an NBA record.
Most points in a game
With 100 points in a game, Chamberlain set the NBA single-game scoring record, a record that still stands today. He also set several other records that day, including most free throws made in a game (28) and most free throws attempted in a game (32).
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, is the NBA’s all-time leader in free throws made with 11,719. He is also the all-time leader in free throw attempts with 15,687. Bryant’s free throw percentage of .835 is the fourth-best in NBA history.
81-point game
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting the record for the second-most points scored in an NBA game. It was also the most points scored by any player in a single game since Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game in 1962.
Most points in a season
In the 2005–06 season, Bryant averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists, leading the Lakers to a 45–37 record and their first playoff berth since 2003. He scored at least 50 points nine times that season, including a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, the second most points scored in an NBA game behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. It was also the sixth oldest player ever to score 80-plus points in an NBA game. In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Bryant helped lead the Lakers to their first Finals appearance since 2003 by averaging 27.6 points a game while shooting 47 percent from three-point range during the playoffs.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is an American former professional basketball player and the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
Most points in a game
Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He was a transcendent star who excelled at both ends of the court and helped to popularize the sport around the world.During his illustrious career, Jordan set numerous NBA records, including most points in a game.
On April 20, 1986, Jordan scored 63 points for the Chicago Bulls in a playoff game against the Boston Celtics. This mark stood as the NBA playoff record for nearly 30 years, until it was finally broken by LeBron James in 2018. In the regular season, Jordan’s record for most points in a game is 69, which he scored during a contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1990.
Most points in a season
In the NBA, points per game is one of the most commonly used stats to measure a player’s offensive ability. In the history of the NBA, there have been numerous great scorers who have put up mind-blowing numbers. However, there is one player who stands out above the rest: Michael Jordan.
In the 1986-87 season, Jordan averaged a staggering 37.1 points per game, which is the highest points per game average in NBA history. Not only did Jordan average more points than any other player in that season, but he also made more free throws than anyone else in NBA history. In fact, Jordan made an incredible 920 free throws that season, which is 140 more than the next closest player.
What makes Jordan’s feat even more impressive is that he did it while playing against some of the best defenders in the league. In an era where hand-checking was allowed and zone defenses were common, Jordan still found a way to score at will. There’s no doubt that Jordan is the greatest scorer in NBA history, and it’s not even close.
Jerry West
Jerry West is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time. He was an All-Star in each of his 14 seasons in the NBA and was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times. He is also the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team.
Most points in a game
On November 27, 1960, while playing for the Lakers against the New York Knicks, West set the NBA record for most points in a game with 53. The Lakers lost the game by four points, but West’s individual performance was enough to make him an overnight sensation. He would go on to average a career-high 31.3 points per game that season and be named NBA Rookie of the Year.West’s scoring exploits were not limited to the regular season. He also set an NBA record for most points in a playoff game with 46 against the Boston Celtics in 1963. This record would stand for nearly 30 years before being broken by Michael Jordan in 1986. In total, West averaged 26.7 points per game in 141 career playoff appearances.
