The granny shot has officially returned to the National Basketball Association.
Houston Rockets rookie big man Chinanu Onuaku made his NBA debut on Monday night against the Phoenix Suns and brought back a long-lost basketball tradition by stepping to the line and shooting his free throws underhanded. And wouldn’t you know it, Onuaku made both of them.
Chinanu Onuaku and his underhand free throws make their NBA debut pic.twitter.com/UlOw129ns0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 27, 2016
The 20-year-old Onuaku, who was the No. 37 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, has been taking his foul shots that way since his college days at Louisville. After shooting 46.7 percent from the line as a freshman, Onuaku adopted the underhand approach the summer before his sophomore season and subsequently upped his conversion rate to 58.9 percent.
Many a poor free throw shooting big man has considered swallowing his pride and shooting granny-style in recent years. But props to Onuaku for actually going out and embracing an underhanded charity stipe existence.
