IN basketball, you do not only earn points when you score a two or three-pointer.
Points can also be achieved with free throws, which are awarded to the opposing team when a player draws a penalty.
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Who has taken the most free throws in NBA history?
The NBA has records of every free throw attempt in the league's history.
To date, the top 10 players who have taken the most include:
Karl Malone (13,188 free throw attempts)
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Born on July 24, 1963, Karl Malone was drafted in 1985 by the Utah Jazz with the thirteenth overall pick.
He attended the Louisiana Tech University before being drafted.
His career immediately kicked off, and he was voted in the 1986 NBA All-Rookie Team.
He earned himself the nickname The Mailman because he always delivered on the court, and when John Stockton also joined the team, they became unstoppable.
The duo are known as one of the most dominating in NBA history, especially after their triumph in 1997 and 1998.
During the 1990s, Malone was also the player who scored the most points in that decade, with a total of 21,370, ahead of Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.
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In 2003, Malone joined the Los Angeles Lakers for one last season in the NBA.
He finished off his career with 9,787 free throws scored out of 13,188 attempts.
Wilt Chamberlain (11,862 free throw attempts)
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Wilt Chamberlain spent 14 seasons in the NBA, during which time, he made 11,862 free throw attempts.
Often referred to as one of basketball's greatest players, the 7 ft 1 in tall center joined the league in 1959 after he was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors.
He went on to have stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Lakers before retiring in 1973, scoring 31,419 points along the way.
Of the 11,862 attempts, the star player made 6,057.
Chamberlain later passed away on October 12, 1999, at the age of 63 of natural causes.
Shaquille O'Neal (11,252 free throw attempts)
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Shaquille O'Neal made a name for himself on the court, but his notoriety has spanned long after his 2011 retirement.
Born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey, O'Neal began his NBA career in 1992 after he was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic.
He went on to have stints with the Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics, attempting 11,252 free throws along the way.
Of those 11,252 attempts, Shaq made 5,935.
Moses Malone (11,090 free throw attempts)
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Moses Malone only ever won one championship throughout his NBA career - the 1983 title with the 76ers in which he was also named the Finals MVP.
He had stints with several teams across the NBA but was first drafted in 1974 by the Utah Stars who then changed their name to Utah Jazz.
Malone then played for Spirits of St. Louis, Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the San Antonio Spurs.
He retired from basketball with the Spurs in 1995 and from 2006 till 2009 he took on the role of assistant coach for the 76ers.
From 11,090 free throws, Moses dunked 8,531 shots.
Moses later passed away on September 13, 2015, at the age of 60 from heart disease.
LeBron James (11,000 free throw attempts)
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LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, and is currently the oldest active player in the NBA.
His journey began in 2003 when he was drafted by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Throughout his career, he also represented the USA at the Olympic Games three times.
He took home gold in the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games while he earned himself a bronze medal in his first-ever national adventure in the 2004 Athens Games.
He has four NBA Championships to his name: two with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013), one with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), and one with the Los Angeles Lakers (2020).
He was voted as the MVP in all four finals.
Out of 11,000 free throw attempts, LeBron has made 8,087 as of this writing.
Kobe Bryant (10,011 free throw attempts)
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Kobe Bryant spent his 20-year career playing for the Lakers.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe and his daughter Gianna were involved in a plane crash that took both lives, and the NBA lost one of the greatest players ever seen.
Throughout his career, he scored over 33,000 points and won five NBA Championships in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
Being one of the best point guards, he nicknamed himself the Black Mamba in 2003.
He adopted it from Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill because he believed that his basketball skills matched the agility and ruthlessness of the snake and character.
Kobe said: "This is the perfect description of how I would want my game to be.
"What I am when I step on that court, I become that, I am that killer snake."
Out of 10,011 free throw attempts, Kobe scored 8,378.
Dwight Howard (9,455 free throw attempts)
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Dwight Howard began playing in the NBA after he was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2004.
The former No. 1 draft pick went on to have stints with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and 76ers, during which time, he made 9,455 free throw attempts.
Of those 9,455 attempts, he scored 5,361.
Howard has not retired, however, he is not listed on an NBA roster as of this writing.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9,304 free throw attempts)
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is often referred to as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Named a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, the former center recorded 9,304 free throw attempts throughout the course of his 20-year career with the Bucks and Lakers.
Of those 9,304 attempts, he made 6,712.
Abdul-Jabbar went on to retire in 1989 with six NBA titles.
Oscar Robertson (9,185 free throw attempts)
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Oscar Robertson was born on November 24, 1938, and still remains in the top 10 of free throw takers.
He enjoyed 14 NBA years, starting off in 1960 with the Cincinnati Royals.
He spent 10 years with that team before he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks and won his first and only NBA Championship in 1971.
In his first year playing NBA basketball, he also got to represent the USA in the 1960 Rome Olympics, in which he brought home the gold.
In 1964 he was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player and from 1961 to 1972, he always made the NBA All-Star team.
From 9,185 free throws, Oscar dunked in 7,694 shots.
Jerry West (8,801 free throw attempts)
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Jarry West spent a 14-year career playing for the Lakers during the same time as the previously mentioned Oscar Robertson.
He too retired in 1974, and two years later, joined the team as the head coach.
Throughout his career, he managed to win one NBA Championship in 1972 while he was voted the Final MVP in 1969 despite the Boston Celtics taking home the title.
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In his 14 years playing, he was named to each NBA All-Star team from 1961 to 1974.
Throughout his career, he attempted 8,801 free throws and scored 7,160 out of them.
