Granovetter used riots as one of the main examples.
In a famous essay published over four decades ago, Stanford University sociologist, Mark Granovetter, tried to answer the question of why people do things out of a character. So, what’s it about the Wilt Chamberlain’s of the world-who make bad decisions even when they know better-that’s different from the Rick Barry’s of the world, who stick to good decisions, even when they’re an anomaly? The Threshold Model of Collective Behavior But, this could well have been Wilt Chamberlain’s record, if he had stuck to the underhand throw for the rest of his basketball career.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN UNDERHAND THROW FREE
At the time of his retirement, Rick Barry held a godlike 90 percent free throw record, ranked first in NBA history. Unlike Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry never switched back to overhand free throws. And for the rest of his basketball career, remained a poor free throw shooter.Īt that time, the only other player who shot underhand free throws was Rick Barry, a Hall of Famer, and just like Chamberlain, an unstoppable offensive juggernaut, who stood 6 foot 7 inches tall. But despite knowing better, Chamberlain switched back to his old way of shooting. There were no rational reasons for Wilt Chamberlain to stop shooting underhand free throws, as he wasn’t ignorant to the positive results of the new approach. Could insanity also be doing something different, finding a solution to your biggest problems and then, reverting back to your old ways that didn’t work? There’s a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. He chose to go back to being a terrible free throw shooter! Wilt Chamberlain stops shooting underhand, and reverts back to shooting overhand. Wilt Chamberlain would stick by this good decision and improve as a free throw shooter.Īfter the historic game, something incredible happens. It happened because he changed the way he shot free throws. This drastic improvement, from 40 percent to 87.5 percent, didn’t occur because Chamberlain improved his athleticism or shooting skills. The most free throws ever made during a single game of basketball in NBA history. That’s an incredible 87.5 percent from the free throw line. Then, on that historic night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain netted 28 out of his 32 shots from the free throw line. And all of a sudden, he became a pretty good free throw shooter, netting close to 60 percent of his shots. Throughout the season, Wilt Chamberlain would hold the ball between his legs, slightly crouch his knees and flick the ball upwards to the basket rim. Underhand Free Throw (Bob Levey/Associated Press) Instead of shooting, like every other basketball player-overhand, releasing the ball near the forehead- Chamberlain switched to underhand free throws. We’re talking 40 percent of shots made from the free throw line.Īt the start of the season leading up to the historic game, Wilt Chamberlain made a decision to try a different way of shooting free throws. But, when it came time to shoot a free throw-an unopposed attempt at scoring points-he was horrendous. When Wilt Chamberlain first joined the NBA, he dominated his opponents physically, scoring at will, even when he was grappled by two or more players. A head-scratching decision, some would say near insane, by the star man, Wilt Chamberlain.Ĭhamberlain’s puzzling decision, begs the question: why do we make bad decisions, or dumb choices, even when a good choice is right in front of our face? Granny Shots and Free Throws Something strange occurred after this historic game.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN UNDERHAND THROW PROFESSIONAL
Wilt Chamberlain had just scored 100 points, the most any player has ever scored in a professional basketball game.īut, that wasn’t all. Hundreds of spectators stormed the court, to celebrate and touch the hero of the night. With 46 seconds left on the clock, Chamberlain broke free from five Knicks players, approached the basketball rim, jumped high and put the ball through the hoop. By the end of the first quarter Chamberlain scored 23 points. Let that sink in for a second.īack to the game. In context, Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, averaged 37.09 points per game in his best single season. A single season points record that has never been broken. He was as tall as a giraffe and as graceful as a ballerina.ĭuring the 1962 basketball season, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.36 points per game. In the game of basketball, 7 foot tall players look awkward and clumsy on the court. The star player of the warriors was a 7 foot 1, 275 pound man with a towering physical presence.
It’s the Philadelphia Warriors versus the New York Knicks. On a cold, rainy night in 1962, Hershey, Pennsylvania, one of the greatest games in basketball history would take place.
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