Portal:Basketball/Selected article/December, 2007

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Free throws, or foul shots, are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court (the free throw line; informally known as the charity stripe or foul line), and are generally awarded after a foul by the opposing team.

Each free throw is worth one point, and normally more than one is awarded. The importance of free throws is nevertheless sometimes underestimated; games have been known to be decided on them, especially if the score was close. Teams who could have sealed the game on free throws can finish with a narrow win or even a loss because of failure behind the line.

Free throws normally can be made at a high percentage. In the NBA, most players make between 70% and 80% of their attempts. Some good shooters (such as Reggie Miller, Mark Price, Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, Kyle Korver,Yao Ming) can make as many as 90%-92%, while notoriously poor shooters (e.g. Shaquille O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Adonal Foyle) may struggle to make 50% of them.

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