Like many athletes, NBA players often have their own superstitions and rituals surrounding their game. Whether it’s Ray Allen sticking to the same shooting routine before tipoff or Michael Jordan wearing his North Carolina championship shorts under his NBA uniform, these habits, though uncommon, are part of their pre-game rituals.
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However, one ritual nearly every player shares is their distinct approach to the free throw line. Listed at 6’11 with a seven-foot wingspan, everything about Kevin Durant’s game is unique. However, KD revealed the Celtics star’s name, who he modeled his free throw routine during an interview with Boardroom.
“I got it from Antoine Walker. He used to do a shimmy when he made a shot when he played for the Celtics.”
Durant further added how he tried doing that for the first time while shooting a free throw in an official NBA game.
“I got up to the line, I’m like, ‘Let me try this and see if it’ll calm me down a bit. And it just went from there. And I guess everybody from back home where I’m from kinda picked it up and ran with it.”
Walker was a dynamic presence on the court during his time with the Celtics, always thrilling to watch. However, it was Antoine’s signature shimmy shoulder shake that caught Durant’s eye, inspiring him to incorporate it into his own free throw routine.
Durant has been above 80% when shooting from the stripe since he came into the league. But after his first year, KD posted percentages in the high 90s on multiple occasions.
While many may not agree that it’s the shimmy that makes ‘Durantula’ an automatic machine from the stripe, the two-time NBA champion does believe so.
In fact, Durant isn’t the only one who has a certain routine before or while attempting a free throw. Over the years, players have often displayed some unique and some unusual routines from the line.
For instance, Hall of Famer Jason Kidd would often blow a kiss before attempting a free throw, whereas Steve Nash would often lick his fingers for better grip, supposedly. Then there was NBA legend Rick Barry, who made the underhand ‘Granny’ shot from the free throw routine a norm in the league.
There have been many rituals, and routines that players have created for themselves before shooting a free throw. Now while KD’s shimmy may make him an automatic bucket from the stripe, it certainly isn’t necessary that coming up with a little something before shooting from the line will work for every player.
