On another level, it made me think about our approach to everything a bit differently. Gladwell examines the reasons why smart people do dumb things – it’s a fascinating listen!
#The underhand throw professional
Isn’t your perception as a professional player more important than being ‘cool’? But Malcolm Gladwell ran a great podcast on the phenomenon this summer – you can listen to it here. That professional basketball players would knowingly shy away from something that will improve their game because of perceptions seemed unbelievable. But Chamberlain reverted back to his regular stats and technique soon after, feeling like it wasn’t “cool” to shoot underhanded (even if it had better results!).Īt my first hearing of this story, I thought it was crazy. He helped Wilt Chamberlain improve his free throw stats by 10 percentage points using the granny shot.
Barry famously retired in 1980, with a 90% free throw stat, ranked first in NBA history (at the time, he’s now #4). Also known as the granny shot, basketball players have shied away from this technique at the foul line, despite proponents claiming it improves accuracy. Popularized by Rick Barry – the underhand free throw is exactly what it sounds like. What’s incredible is the way he did it – Chinanu Onuaku has brought back the underhand free throw. Onuaku isn’t a phenomenal free thrower – his percentage was just 59% in his sophomore year. Not for an amazing trade deal, or political comments. Any ideas why? No, not an incredible dunk, or a 50-point game.
In particular, back in 2016, a rookie player for the Houston Rockets, Chinanu Onuaku, made headlines in a preseason game. The NBA playoffs have me remembering a phenomenon that reenters the news periodically.
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