Most missed free throws in NBA history in a row

The free throw is an underrated part of basketball games that help decide the outcome of any close game. Most players take it for granted since they practice countless free throws in their lives. Basketball stars typically will hit most free throws as an open shot without any defense designed to make the defense pay.

RELATED: Ranking The Last 10 NBA MVP Award Winners From Worst To Best

The end of games will usually see the losing team fouling to stop the clock and hope the shooter misses the free throws. Pressure at the end of the game can lead to heartbreaking moments for the talents in play. Each of the following basketball players had the worst free throw fails in NBA history to hurt their teams in the moment.

THESPORTSTER VIDEO OF THE DAY

10/10 Kevin Durant Misses Chance To Avoid Embarrassing Sweep

© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant endured one of the most embarrassing moments of his career when the Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics in 2022. Boston shut down Durant for three of four games, but even the better performance in Game 4 ended poorly.

RELATED: The 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets (& 9 Other NBA Superteams Who Failed)

The Nets had a chance to cut the lead to one and foul the Celtics to extend the game when Durant was at the free throw line. Durant missing the second free throw completely killed any chance of Brooklyn mounting a comeback since Boston scored two points on the other end to put the game out of reach.

9/10 LeBron Misses Game Tying Free Throw In Primetime Game

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James has been criticized by certain NBA pundits for being afraid of taking clutch free throws at the end of games. This reached a bad point when he received a questionable foul call for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Golden State Warriors in a prime time game.

Many fans felt that this was a call to give James a chance to tie the game with the team down by one. LeBron missed one of them in brutal fashion to lose a free chance to extend the game to overtime and gave his critics a lot of ammunition.

8/10 Dirk Nowitzki Misses Chance To Tie NBA Finals Game Vs Miami

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The 2006 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat had a few shocking moments. Game 3 featured a back-and-forth matchup late with Dallas having a great chance to build a 3-0 series lead and likely win the entire thing.

Dirk Nowitzki was fouled with a few seconds left and the Mavericks trailing by two. Despite being one of the best big man free throw shooters ever, Nowitzki missed the second free throw in stunning fashion. Miami won that game and the next three to take the NBA Championship out of the hands of the Mavericks.

7/10 Vlade Divac Misses Chance To End Lakers Dynasty

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings gave us one of the greatest Western Conference Finals ever in 2002. Game 4 was the best overall game when Sacramento had a chance to take a 3-1 lead on the road over a Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal team that would have likely ended the series.

A collapse at the end of the game featured Vlade Divac missing a huge free throw that could give them a three-point lead after the big lead already went down. The following play saw the Lakers winning with Robert Horry hitting a buzzer beater three to give them a one-point lead.

6/10 Paul George Misses Two Free Throws In Series Changing Game

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Paul George had some horrible playoff moments during his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers and seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The second season with the Clippers improved George’s reputation getting them to the Western Conference Finals after Kawhi Leonard suffered an injury.

RELATED: 10 Best Jerseys In NBA History, Ranked

Unfortunately, Los Angeles’ most memorable moment from their series with the Phoenix Suns featured George missing two clutch free throws at the end of Game 2. George choked both free throws and had it break Clippers fans hearts even more when Phoenix won the following play with a game-winning tip in.

5/10 Gilbert Arenas Misses After LeBron Gets In His Head

© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The early NBA days of LeBron James saw his Cleveland Cavaliers having a mini rivalry with the Washington Wizards. Gilbert Arenas was the best player for Washington and had two free throws in OT of Game 5 up one point.

The first free throw was missed with LeBron saying something to Arenas before the next free throw. Arenas missed the second and Cleveland scored on the following possession to win the game and the series.

4/10 Kawhi Leonard Misses To Set Up Ray Allen's Shot

@: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Ray Allen’s epic three-point shot to extend the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs is an iconic moment. However, a lot went into that collapse from San Antonio to even reach that point.

Kawhi Leonard was now starting to reach his potential as a tremendous two-way player. Unfortunately, he wasn’t ready for the pressure when missing a huge free throw that could have put the game out of reach. Miami scored with the Allen three-pointer and won the game in overtime to force a Game 7 that they also won.

3/10 George Hill Missing Before JR Smith Disaster

© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

JR Smith rebounding the ball at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals is going to be remembered forever for all the wrong reasons. LeBron James’ reaction and the general population viewed Smith as the scapegoat, but another Cleveland Cavaliers member deserved more fault.

Cleveland had a chance to pull off a shocking Game 1 upset over the Golden State Warriors thanks to an all-time great LeBron game. George Hill was fouled with the team down by one and only made the first. It was Hill’s miss that set the chain of events instead of giving them a lead with a few seconds to go.

2/10 Karl Malone Chokes After Scottie Pippen Trash Talk

Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

The story of the Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz back-to-back NBA Finals was that Michael Jordan performed at his best when it mattered most and Karl Malone did not. Scottie Pippen psyched out Malone at the end of Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals when Malone received two free throws in a tied game late.

Malone missed both free throws after Pippen’s infamous line of “mailmen don’t deliver on Sundays.” The following possession saw Jordan casually hitting a buzzer beater to win the game. Chicago won the series in six games with this standing out as the difference maker.

1/10 Nick Anderson Misses Four Clutch Free Throws In A Row

© RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

No free throw disaster ever failed someone as much as Nick Anderson missing four free throws in a row in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Anderson had a chance to increase the Orlando Magic lead to a two-possession game when up by three over the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets.

Both missed free throws were shocking, but it turned into a nightmare when Orlando rebounded the ball and Anderson was fouled again. Another two misses sucked the energy out of the building. Houston hit a game-tying three right after and won the game in overtime. This game ended up deciding the series with the Rockets sweeping them afterwards.

Who holds the record for most missed free throws in a row?

Who has missed the most free throws in NBA history?

Who has most missed shots in NBA history?