Fadeaway World ranks the greatest free throw shooting players in NBA history based on efficiency in their NBA careers.
When it comes to things that are analyzed and adored in NBA history, great free throw shooters are at the bottom of the list. It is not often that good to great shooters from the foul line are praised for their efficient ways at the charity ᵴtriƥe. However, poor free throw shooters are always ridiculed and lambasted for missing the only shot attempts on a basketball court in which there is no defense trying to stop you.
Today, just as we previously did with the NBA’s greatest mid-range shooters and three-point shooters, we are set to rank the greatest free throw shooters in NBA history. These 25 players were more accurate at the foul line than any other players in NBA history and converted more points from the foul line as well. Not only did these 25 players know how to get to the foul line on a regular basis, but they also made the trips worth it more than any other player to ever play in the NBA.
These are the 25 greatest free throw shooters in NBA history.
25. Terrell Brandon
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 87.3% (1,784-2,043)
Former NBA point guard Terrell Brandon kicks off our list as the 25th greatest free throw shooter in the history of the NBA. Brandon played 11 seasons in the league before a knee injury forced him to retire in 2002 at just 31 years old. At his peak with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brandon was a two-time All-Star averaging over 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game.
Brandon was not one to force himself to the foul line very often but when he did, he made it count. In his career, Brandon averaged 2.8 free throw attempts per game while sinking 2.5 of them. He had just two seasons in which he sank over 250 free throws and one in which he broke the 300 mark. Coincidentally, both of those seasons were his All-Star seasons in 1996 and 1997 with Cleveland.
Despite his low volume of shots from the foul line, Brandon’s efficiency allows him to make this list as one of 32 players in NBA history with a free throw percentage of over 87.0% for their careers.
24. Ricky Pierce
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 87.5% (3,389-3,871)
Ricky Pierce was a 16-year veteran of the NBA from 1983 through 1998 with the Pistons, Clippers, Bucks, SuperSonics, Pacers, Warriors, Nuggets, and Hornets. In those 16 seasons, Pierce was an All-Star just one time with the Bucks and SuperSonics in 1991 and a two-time Sixth Man of the Year with the Bucks in 1987 and 1990.
As far as his free throw shooting goes, Pierce was elite. In 1991 and 1992, he shot over 90.0% from the foul line for the only times in his career. He had just one season in which he shot less than 80.0% from the line which occurred as a rookie in 1983 when he shot 56.3% on just 0.8 attempts. Pierce would have two seasons with at least 400 free throws made as well as three other seasons with at least 300 free throws made.
23. Trae Young
Credit: Jason Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.6% (2,374-2,711)
Trae Young is the first active NBA player to show his face on our list and has been one of the NBA’s greatest free throw shooters over the last five seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. Since entering the NBA in 2018-19, Young has been a two-time All-Star, a one-time All-NBA Team selection, and has led the NBA in both total assists and total points on multiple occasions.
When it comes to his free throw shooting, Young has been efficient and accurate. He has knocked down at least 300 foul shots in each of his five seasons in the NBA and led the league in 2021 with 484 made foul shots. His career-low for free throw shooting came as a rookie in 2019 with 82.9% on 5.1 attempts. His career-high so far would come in 2022 when he shot 90.4% on 7.3 attempts.
Young’s ability to get by defenders and attack the rim has made him one of the better offensive weapons in the NBA due to both his playmaking abilities and efficiency as a shooter from the foul line.
22. Earl Boykins
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.6% (1,255-1,433)
Standing at 5’5’’ tall, Earl Boykins is one of the shortest players in NBA history. Although he was never an All-Star or All-NBA level talent, Boykins had a solid career that lasted 13 seasons with 10 different teams from 1999 through 2012. For his career, Boykins averaged just 8.9 points and 3.2 assists per game on 41.7% shooting but is remembered for the immense amount of heart and passion with which he played the game.
Being at such a disadvantage with his height, it was rare to see Boykins make his way to the foul line. There were only four occasions in Boykins’ career that he went to the foul line at least twice per game on average and he never averaged 4.0 free throws per game in a season in his career. He reached 200 free throws made in a season twice with his career-high of 279 coming in 2005 with the Denver Nuggets.
21. Danilo Gallinari
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.7% (2,993-3,413)
Back in 2008, the New York Knicks made Italian basketball player Danilo Gallinari their sixth overall pick in the NBA Draft. Gallinari has been decent in his NBA career ever since, averaging 15.6 points per game over the last 15 seasons on 42.8% shooting from the field. He has spent time with the Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers, Thunder, and Hawks in his career but has yet to achieve All-Star or All-NBA status, and likely never will.
Despite the lack of individual accolades, Gallinari has been one of the NBA’s most reliable free throw shooters over the last 15 years. He has shot 90.0% or better from the foul line six different times in his career on an average of 4.7 attempts. He has sunk 300 or more free throws four times in his career while reaching at least 200 made three other times. In 2023, Gallinari missed the entire season with an injury but will look to be one of Boston’s main offensive weapons off the bench in 2023-24. At least they know he can knock down his free throws in any situation.
20. Kyle Korver
Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.7% (1,297-1,479)
Kyle Korver is well-known for his superb shooting stroke and for being one of the best all-around shooters of the basketball in NBA history. He is most famous for his three-point shooting that saw his career extended to 17 seasons with six different teams during that time. Korver was a one-time All-Star who led the NBA in three-point shooting percentage four different times in his career.
Being a three-point specialist is certainly going to take a toll on the amount of times a player is sent to the free throw line. This didn’t stop Korver from leading the NBA in free throw shooting in 2007 with a 91.4% conversion rate. Korver shot over 90.0% from the foul line four different times in his career but never attempted more than 3.0 free throws per game in a season.
Although his accuracy from the charity ᵴtriƥe was on point, opponents knew that you never, under any circumstances, foul a team’s best shooter which Korver was on every stop he made in his career.
19. Jeff Hornacek
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.7% (2,973-3,390)
Jeff Hornacek was an NBA shooting guard for 14 seasons in the NBA, most notably with the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz for 13 of those seasons combined. Hornacek was one of the NBA’s most dangerous perimeter players at a time when that part of the game was severely underutilized compared to today. Hornacek was a 20.0 points per game scorer at his peak who earned one All-Star selection in 1992 with the Suns.
Although he was known for his great perimeter shooting, Hornacek also knew how to manipulate defenses and find his way to the rim, drawing plenty of contact and getting to the foul line. He averaged 3.1 attempts from the foul line for his career and broke the 4.0 threshold three different times. He eclipsed 90.0% from the line one time in 2000 with the Jazz when he led the NBA shooting 95.0% from the line on just 2.3 attempts.
18. Dirk Nowitzki
Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 87.9% (7,240-8,239)
Dirk Nowitzki changed the way 7-footers and power forwards are forever looked at in their style of play. Dirk revolutionized the game with his finesse style of play that led to him becoming the greatest big-man shooter the NBA has ever seen, utilizing his signature one-legged fadeaway to perfection over the course of 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki would go on to become an NBA champion, Finals MVP, and MVP along with a top-10 scorer in NBA history sinking 7,240 free throws in the process.
Nowitzki was always a dead-eye shooter from anywhere on the floor and it was no different at the foul line. He shot over 90.0% from the foul line three times including his 2007 MVP season in which he finished with 50/40/90 shooting splits. Per game, Nowitzki knocked down 4.8 out of 5.4 free throw attempts in his career making him not only the most accomplished star on this list so far, but the most voluminous from the foul line as well.
Nowitzki would have a total of nine seasons with at least 400 free throws made in his career as well as three seasons with at least 500 and 615 made in 2005 so you know that even as a shooting big, he was still putting the work in to get his money’s worth from the free throw line.
17. Khris Middleton
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 88.2% (1,944-2,205)
As we head towards the top 15 free throw shooters in NBA history, we get to meet the 17 players in NBA history who shoot 88.0% from the foul line or better in their careers. The first of these players is 11-year NBA veteran Khris Middleton who has spent the last 10 seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. Since joining their team in 2013-14, Middleton has averaged 17.5 points per game, earned three All-Star selections, and played a massive role in Milwaukee’s NBA championship run in 2021.
As clutch as Middleton has been for Milwaukee, he has gotten his fair share of work done at the foul line as well. Over the course of his career, Middleton has earned 3.2 attempts from the foul line per game. Since 2020, he has shot 90.0% or better twice and over 89.0$ in all four seasons. Despite his great efficiency from the charity ᵴtriƥe, Middleton has only recorded one season with 300 free throws made in 2018 and five other seasons with at least 200 made.
It’s safe to say it would benefit Milwaukee if Middleton became more aggressive and earned some more trips to the foul line.
16. Bill Sharman
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 88.3% (3,143-3,559)
It is going to be extremely rare to see any players from the NBA in the 1950s or 1960s on any lists that involve efficiency. Bill Sharman is an exception from the free throw line. In 12 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Sharman became known as a sharpshooter who helped them win four NBA championships while making eight All-Star teams and earning seven All-NBA Team selections.
Sharman was the NBA’s greatest free throw shooter, getting to the line an average of 5.0 times per game in his career and missing just 416 free throws in 12 years. Sharman led the NBA in free throw percentage a total of seven times including five seasons in a row from 1953-1957 shooting 87.3% during that stretch. He shot over 90.0% three times from the line in his career and as the Celtics were dominating the playoffs, he shot 91.1% on 5.2 attempts in his playoff career as well.
15. Kyrie Irving
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 88.5% (2,597-2,936)
Kyrie Irving is one of the most s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed players in the NBA today and the owner of some of the most elite handles in NBA history. Irving has used his crafty maneuvers and finishes to earn his way to the foul line at a rate of 4.4 attempts per game in his career where he has become one of the best to ever do it. Irving is an NBA champion and eight-time All-Star over the last 12 years of his career looking to add more to his resume before it is all said and done.
A new way he can find success on the stat sheet and in the win column is by getting to the foul line. He has shot 90.0% or better from the foul line every season since 2019-20 including 2021 when he had his 50/40/90 shooting season. Irving has been incredibly consistent from the foul line in his career, recording eight seasons with at least 200 free throws made and 300 once.
As he heads into a new chapter in his career with the Mavericks in 2023-24, I expect to see Irving making his way to the foul line more often because as it stands right now, he is one of the very best in the NBA at making the most of those opportunities.
14. Kevin Durant
Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 88.6% (6,631-7,487)
It is no secret that Kevin Durant is one of the greatest and most s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed scorers in NBA history. Durant has dominated all three levels of scoring to near-perfection with four NBA scoring titles, two NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and an MVP award to his name over the course of 16 seasons. Another underrated part of that dominance and precision has been the work he has done from the foul line.
Early in his career with the Thunder, Durant was almost a lock to lead the NBA in free throw attempts and makes. From 2010 through 2014, Durant led the NBA in total free throws made every season, shooting 88.6% from the line during that stretch. He led the NBA in 2013 by going 679-750 from the foul line or 95.0%. In his career, Durant has made over 500 free throws in a season four times and reached over 700 made twice in 2010 and 2014.
13. Larry Bird
Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 88.6% (3,960-4,471)
The legend of Larry Bird is one that is well-documented in NBA history. He is one of the greatest players the game has ever seen with three NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and three MVP awards in 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics from 1980-1992. Other than his trash talk, what made Bird such a legend in his career was his torrid scoring and more specifically, his shooting.
While Bird could light it up from anywhere on the court, this was specifically true from the free throw line. Bird was a league leader from the foul line four different times in his career with an average of 5.0 attempts per game in his career. He shot 90.0% or better five times as well including his 50/40/90 shooting seasons in 1987 and 1988.
Bird’s place on this list is to be expected given his reputation as a shooter and as an overall player. Over the course of 13 seasons, Bird missed just 511 total foul shots out of 4,471 attempts making him one of the most efficient shooters in NBA history from the foul line.
12. Reggie Miller
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 88.8% (6,237-7,026)
Before Stephen Curry and Ray Allen took his crown, Reggie Miller was the three-point King of the NBA. Miller had a reputation as not only a tremendous shooter but a trash-talking star who got under the nerves of opponents and their fans all over the world. If you loved him, you loved him, and if you hated him, you loathed him but there was no doubt that shooting the basketball came naturally for the five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team selection.
Miller played 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers from 1988 through 2005 where he led the NBA in shooting from the foul line on four separate occasions. Miller got to the free throw line an average of 5.1 times per game and knocked down an average of 4.5 of those attempts. In his career, Miller knocked down at least 400 free throws in a season seven times and reached 500 made twice. As one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Miller made a living out of breaking opponents’ hearts late in games, especially from the free throw line.
11. Scott Skiles
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 88.9% (1,548-1,741)
Scott Skiles is a former NBA point guard turned Head Coach who played 10 seasons in the NBA from 1987 through 1996. He is most famously known, as a player anyway, for his unbreakable NBA record of 30 assists in one game back in 1990 as a member of the Orlando Magic. Skiles was also named the NBA’s Most Improved Player with the Magic in 1991.
For his career, Skiles was not a player who forced his way to the foul line very often. He averaged just 2.9 free throw attempts per game in his 10 seasons in the NBA, missing just 193 attempts overall in his career. Skiles made over 200 free throws in a season three times in 10 years and reached 340 made in 1991. He recorded two seasons in which he shot over 90.0% from the free throw line and two other seasons shooting at least 89.0%.
10. Calvin Murphy
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 89.2% (3,445-3,864)
Calvin Murphy is another point guard who makes his way onto this list for the work he did from 1971 through 1983 with the Houston Rockets franchise. Murphy spent his entire career with the Rockets, where he became an All-Star in 1979 and averaged 17.9 points and 4.4 assists per game for his career. Murphy was a 20.0 points per game scorer on numerous occasions and also one of the greatest free throw shooters of his era.
In his career, Murphy went to the free throw line an average of 3.9 times per game. He led the NBA twice in the early 1980s in free throw percentage, shooting over 92.0% in both 1981 and 1983. He shot over 90.0% from the foul line four other times in his career as well with a career-high of 95.8% coming in 1981. Murphy would also record 10 seasons with at least 200 free throws made, five of which reached more than 300 made in that season.
9. J.J. Redick
Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 89.2% (2,060-2,310)
From college at Duke University to the NBA level, J.J. Redick has always been considered one of the world’s best all-around shooters every time he took the court. Redick’s style of play is very similar to that of Stephen Curry in which most of their work comes from working off screens and moving away from the ball. Players that specialize as jump shooters do not typically get to the line often but when they do, and as is the case with J.J. Redick, they make it count.
Over the course of his career, J.J. Redick got to the foul line an average of 2.5 times per game. He missed just 250 out of 2,310 career attempts to go along with his 41.5% career three-point percentage. Redick averaged 12.8 points per game for his career but never reached an All-Star game or earned an All-NBA Team selection. In his career, Redick had seven different seasons in which he shot 90.0% or better from the foul line but just one season making over 200 of his attempts.
8. Ray Allen
Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 89.4% (4,398-4,920)
Casual NBA fans strictly remember Ray Allen for being one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history. They vaguely remember the days he was in Milwaukee and Seattle as one of the premier scorers and players in the NBA at the time. Allen is the former three-point record holder as well as a two-time NBA champion and a 10-time All-Star who knocked down one of the most iconic three-point shots in NBA Finals history in 2013.
Allen’s repertoire went far beyond just being a shooter though which resulted in many trips to the free throw line. For his 18-year career, Allen attempted 3.8 free throws per game which ballooned up to 5.5 attempts at his peak. Over half of Allen’s career was spent as a 90.0% free throw shooter, especially through the 2000s with the Celtics. He was far more active from the foul line during his days with the Milwaukee Bucks where most of his six seasons with at least 300 free throws made took place.
Allen is yet another example of an all-time great three-point shooter holding a top spot as a free throw shooter as well. He also won’t be the last one we encounter as we finish our list.
7. Chauncey Billups
Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 89.4% (4,496-5,029)
Chauncey Billups is a 17-year NBA veteran who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons from 2003 through 2009 and the Denver Nuggets from 2009 through 2011. Billups is a former NBA champion, Finals MVP, and five-time NBA All-Star who earned the name Mr. Big Shot for his ability to knock down any shot he wished during the biggest moments of games. This included the ice in his veins at the free throw line as well.
In his career, Billups averaged 4.8 free throw attempts per game which is more than the last few players we have mentioned on our list. In six of his 17 seasons in the NBA, Billups shot at least 9.0% from the foul line and had three other seasons of at least 89.0%Billups knocked down 400 or more free throws six times in his career and had at least 300 free throws four other times.
As one of the most clutch performers in NBA history, Billups performed at an elite level in the NBA playoffs as well. He shot 88.0% from the foul line in 12 playoff appearances in his career and 89.0% from the foul line as the Pistons won their 2004 NBA championship.
6. Peja Stojakovic
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 89.5% (2,237-2,500)
Once again at No. 6 on our list, we find ourselves with a three-point/mid-range shooter who rarely made his way to the free throw line. Stojakovic is one of the more underrated players to ever play the game with three All-Star selections, an All-NBA Team selection, and an NBA championship in 2011 to his name.
Stojakovic was primarily a perimeter player and rarely put the ball on the floor and made his way to the basket. This led to just 2,500 free throw attempts or 3.1 attempts per game. Stojakovic is a two-time leader in free throw percentage in 2004 with the Kings and in 2008 with the Hornets. Those were just two of his five career seasons in which he shot 90.0% or better from the free throw line.
5. Damian Lillard
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 89.5% (4,427-4,946)
Damian Lillard is one of the greatest shooting point guards in the history of the NBA. Unlike many we have covered on this list so far, Lillard is one of the few who has gotten to the line more than 6.0 times per game in his career despite his perimeter shooting being his best offensive weapon.
Lillard is not only a tremendous shooter but a spectacular overall point guard who was selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. A lot of his scoring ability has to do with being able to put the ball on the floor and get to the free throw line where he excels. Just this past season in 2022-23, Lillard shot 91.4% from the foul line on a career-high 9.6 attempts per game. It was Lillard’s fourth career season shooting over 90.0% from the foul line and making a career-high 558 free throws.
Now, after 11 seasons in Portland, Lillard heads to Milwaukee, where he can really do some damage alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lillard should be able to keep up his increased assault on the free throw line which only helps Milwaukee’s cause of competing for another NBA championship.
4. Rick Barry
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 90.0% (3,818-4,243)
Rick Barry made the “Granny Style” free throw famous during his NBA and ABA career that spanned 15 years from 1966 through 1980. Every time he stepped up to the free throw line, Barry took aim with his unorthodox underhand form and knocked down free throws at one of the greatest rates in NBA history. If we included Barry’s ABA stats in this list, he would still rank top-five in basketball history in free throw shooting.
Barry, the one-time Finals MVP, and NBA champion, led the NBA in his second season in 1967 in free throws made, going 753-852 from the line or 88.4%. After leaving for the ABA for four seasons, Barry returned to the NBA to lead the league in free throw percentage in six of his final eight seasons in the NBA. After returning, Barry never shot below 89.9% from the foul line again and finished with a career free throw percentage of 90.0%.
3. Mark Price
Credit: Fadeaway World
Free Throw Stats: 90.4% (2,135-2,362)
The final three players on our list are all point guards who, no matter how little or how many attempts they took in their careers, made the most of their time at the foul line. The first of these players is Mark Price, former four-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA Team selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.
Price was one of the most efficient all-around shooters ever in an era that did not cater to that s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set. With his career 3.3 attempts per game, Price is third all-time in free throw percentage. He led the NBA three different times in free throw shooting and had seven different seasons shooting over 90.0%. Price was able to knock down at least 200 free throws in a season six times while reaching the 300 mark once in 1990.
2. Steve Nash
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Free Throw Stats: 90.4% (3,060-3,384)
Sitting at No. 2 on our list is former two-time MVP and one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history, Steve Nash. Nash spent 18 seasons in the NBA from 1997 through 2014, most notably with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. He won two MVP awards, and five assists titles, and earned eight All-Star appearances in his career.
One of the more underrated aspects of his game was how efficient he was as a scorer and shooter which included the job he did from the foul line. Nash led the NBA only twice in his career but shot over 90.0% from the foul line nine times. Nash was not a scorer nor was he asked to be but he is the owner of four different seasons with 50/40/90 shooting splits.
1. Stephen Curry
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Stats: 90.9% (3,454-3,801)
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Stephen Curry ranks No. 1 on our list of the greatest free throw shooters in NBA history. Curry shoots an incredible 90.9% from the charity ᵴtriƥe in his career that includes one of the greatest resumes in NBA history. Since 2015, Curry has accumulated four NBA titles, one Finals MVP award, and two MVP awards, and become known worldwide as the greatest shooter in NBA history.
A player who is as lights out as Curry is from any and all distances was basically a lock to be the most efficient shooter ever at the free throw line. Stephen Curry has been a 90.0% or better free throw shooter for 10 of his 14 seasons in the NBA. He has forced his way to the line much more than his three-point shooting peers with 4.3 attempts per game. Curry has recorded five seasons with at least 300 made free throws in his career and six others with at least 200.
In 2023-24, it will be interesting to see how much Curry gets to the foul line. He will be 36 years old during the season and with the addition of Chris Paul, will be working off the ball to find his shot much more often than he has in seasons past. I expect his NBA-record free throw percentage to stand thanks to the low volume of shots from here on out.
