Underhanded throwbacks, single-season record holders and modern guards who barely miss at the line. Career percentages split them by fractions, so reputation and clutch makes may decide it.
1Stephen CurryGolden State Warriors guard who holds the highest career free throw percentage in NBA history, about 91%.1000pts
2Larry BirdBoston Celtics forward who led the NBA in free throw percentage four times and made 88.6% for his career.645pts
3Calvin MurphyHouston Rockets guard who shot 95.8% from the line in 1980–81 and made 89.2% of his career free throws.645pts
4Dolph SchayesSyracuse Nationals forward of the 1950s and 1960s who led the NBA in free throw percentage three times.625pts
5Steve NashTwo-time MVP point guard who made 90.4% of his free throws over an 18-season career.558pts
6JJ RedickSharpshooting guard who made 89.2% of his free throws over 15 NBA seasons.558pts
7Mark PriceCleveland Cavaliers point guard of the late 1980s and 1990s who retired with a 90.4% career free throw percentage.506pts
8Mahmoud Abdul-RaufDenver Nuggets guard who led the NBA twice in free throw percentage, including 95.6% in 1993–94.446pts
9Chris PaulPoint guard whose career free throw percentage sits near 87% on more than 4,800 makes.446pts
10José CalderónSpanish point guard José Calderón, who set the single-season NBA record by shooting 98.1% from the line for Toronto in 2008–09.446pts
11Kiki VandewegheScoring forward for Denver, Portland and the Knicks who made 87.2% of his career free throws.446pts
12Bill SharmanBoston Celtics guard of the 1950s who led the league in free throw percentage seven times.446pts
13Jeff HornacekGuard for the Suns, 76ers and Jazz who made 87.7% of his career free throws and led the league in 1999–2000.378pts
14Devin BookerPhoenix Suns guard whose career free throw percentage sits above 87% on more than 4,000 makes.378pts
15Chauncey Billups2004 Finals MVP point guard who made 89.4% of his free throws across 17 NBA seasons.378pts
16Scott SkilesPoint guard of the 1980s and 1990s who made 88.9% of his career free throws.298pts
17Damian LillardPortland Trail Blazers guard whose career free throw percentage sits near 90% on more than 5,000 makes.298pts
18Peja StojakovićSerbian forward, mainly with the Sacramento Kings, who made 89.5% of his career free throws.298pts
19Kyrie IrvingPoint guard whose career free throw percentage sits near 89%, among the top 15 all time.203pts
20Ray AllenHall of Fame shooting guard who made 89.4% of his free throws on 4,398 makes.203pts
21Dirk NowitzkiDallas Mavericks power forward who made 87.9% of his free throws on more than 7,000 makes.203pts
22Rick BarryHall of Fame forward famous for shooting underhanded free throws, with a 90.0% NBA career mark.203pts
23Reggie MillerIndiana Pacers shooting guard who made 6,237 free throws at an 88.8% career rate.0pts
24Kevin DurantFour-time scoring champion whose career free throw percentage sits above 88% on more than 7,000 makes.0pts
Photo credits
- Larry Bird — Kurt Shimala, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Calvin Murphy — callipygian2005, CC BY 3.0
- Steve Nash — Scott L from Los Angeles, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
- JJ Redick — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mark Price — Ubcwwong, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chris Paul — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- José Calderón — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kiki Vandeweghe — TastyPoutine, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jeff Hornacek — Brad Barlow, CC BY 4.0
- Devin Booker — Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chauncey Billups — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Scott Skiles — Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Damian Lillard — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Peja Stojaković — Chrishmt0423, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kyrie Irving — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Ray Allen — 7th Army Training Command from Grafenwoehr, Germany, CC BY 2.0
- Dirk Nowitzki — Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rick Barry — Corey Carter from Fremont, US, CC BY 2.0
- Kevin Durant — Clément Bardot, CC BY-SA 4.0
