Podcast: The Big Man Can’t Shoot

[UCFhonors]

This one of the best things I have ever heard on sports. It's from our UCFriend Malcom Galdwell,

Spoiler: BIO

Malcolm Gladwell

CM

Malcolm Gladwell in 2008.
Born
Malcolm Timothy Gladwell

September 3, 1963 (age 55)
Fareham, England
Alma mater Trinity College, University of Toronto
Occupation Non-fiction writer, journalist
Years active 1987–present
Notable work

• The Tipping Point (2000)
• Blink (2005)
• Outliers (2008)
• What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009)
• David and Goliath (2013)
• Revisionist History (2016-present) (podcast)

Malcolm Timothy Gladwell CM (born September 3, 1963) is a Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker.[1] He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has written five books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009), a collection of his journalism, and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (2013). All five books were on The New York Times Best Seller list. He is also the host of the podcast Revisionist History and co-founder of the podcast company Pushkin Industries.

Gladwell's books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of sociology, psychology, and social psychology. Gladwell was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011.[2]

http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/03-the-big-man-cant-shoot

The basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain had only one flaw: he couldn’t shoot free throws. In 1962, Chamberlain switched to making his foul shots underhanded—and fixed his only weakness.

But then he switched back.

“The Big Man Can’t Shoot” is a meditation on the puzzle of why smart people do dumb things—why excellence is such a difficult and elusive goal, even for the best-intentioned.

 

[UCFhonors]

"Wilt Chamberlain says he shot 80 percent from the foul line in high school. The stats say he was a 62 percent free throw shooter in college, 58 percent as an NBA rookie and a career-best 61 percent in 1961-62. For his pro career, he was a 51 percent free throw shooter and shot under 50 percent in six different seasons, his worst being 38 percent in 1967-68. In the NBA playoffs, he made only 46 percent. Yet he holds the NBA record for most free throws made in a game (28), which happened the night he scored 100. A Philadelphia Inquirer story of March 18, 1991, listed six reasons given by Chamberlain over the years for his poor free throw shooting: 1. Arthritic Knees. 2. Too much English on his shot. 3. Too tall, which ruins his shooting arch. 4. Lifting weights made him too strong. 5. His hands are too big. 6. It's all in his head." - Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA

 

[Stormthecourt?]

Pride. That’s the only excuse anyone has for not shooting underhand. They’d rather hurt the team than possibly be embarrassed

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

Pride. That’s the only excuse anyone has for not shooting underhand. They’d rather hurt the team than possibly be embarrassed

I don’t really see why it’s embarrassing. A few guys did it in college and NBA last year.

 

[ahabmw]

If Tacko shot his free throws underhand would he be more attractive as an NBA talent?

 

[UCFhonors]

Pride. That’s the only excuse anyone has for not shooting underhand. They’d rather hurt the team than possibly be embarrassed

“Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain

Self conscious is certainly a double edge sword.

 

[UCFhonors]

These are the FT% that Rick referenced of the 1 player that he helped - George Johnson. Changed to underhand after shooting 55%

Season
FT%
1972-73 41.2%
1973-74 55.1%

1974-75 65.9%
1975-76 67.3%
1976-77 72.4%
1976-77 80.6%
1976-77 68.7%
1977-78 71.9%
1978-79 76.1%
1979-80 70.6%
1980-81 73.4%
1981-82 67.2%
1982-83 73.7%
1984-85 81.5%
1985-86 68.8%

Career average 69.4%

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnsge02.html

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

NBA or D League guy from Louisville.

https://2ways10days.com/chinanu-onu...rhand-free-throw-300d0a4ede22?gi=ac5c740b2f2e

 

[UCFhonors]

NBA or D League guy from Louisville.

https://2ways10days.com/chinanu-onu...rhand-free-throw-300d0a4ede22?gi=ac5c740b2f2e

Outstanding read.