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The big fella wasn’t a stellar foul shooter. Gilgeous-Alexander’s worst season of his past four from the free-throw line came in 2023-24, only his second year as an All-Star, when he shot 87.4 percent on 8.7 attempts — less than half as many average attempts as Chamberlain averaged during his streak. “My grandson criticizes Shai because he says that Shai seeks out fouls, that he’s the guy who’s looking to get fouled and to get to the line,” Meschery said. “I know players who have always done that. In my era of Frank Ramsey, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, they jumped into you. So did Paul Arizin. Paul had a wicked jump shot, but he was always jumping into you, and the referees were always calling him and putting him on the line. It’s not a strategy that hasn’t been used before. But what’s significant about Shai is, he doesn’t necessarily jump into you. He jumps sideways.” “That’s what you tried to do,” Hall of Famer Rick Barry told The Athletic. “When I drove, s—, I was trying to get fouled. I wanted to get fouled. I wanted contact. … Shai’s a 90 percent free-throw shooter. Why the hell would you not want to?”
Rick Barry doesn’t just believe the 1975 Warriors pulled off the greatest upset in NBA history with a 4-0 sweep over the Washington Bullets; he thinks the accomplishment goes even deeper than that. “Biggest upset in the history of major sports in the United States,” Barry said before Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. “I defy anybody to point something else out that was as dramatic as what we did. It was a special group of people that came together like a family, cared about one another, played the game the way it was. “We epitomized, I think, what the game of basketball should be about as far as a team goes.”
Zach Kram: Youngest 40-point scorers in a Finals game: 1. Magic Johnson, 1980 2. Rick Barry, 1967 (3x) 3. Russell Westbrook, 2012 4. Jerry West, 1962 5. Jalen Williams, tonight
The Godfather of “granny” free throws has a proposal for Mitchell Robinson: Let me fix your problem. Rick Barry, the NBA Hall of Famer, watched Robinson’s mishaps Saturday with both frustration and confidence that he can make the Knicks center a 75 percent foul shooter by going underhand.
“It’s crazy. It’s so sad that guys are so bad and not proficient at the easiest part of the game — the only part of the game where nobody is trying to stop you from what you’re supposed to be doing,” Barry said in an interview with The Post. “It makes no freaking sense. … Free throws are a critical part of the game. It’s sad. He’s definitely a candidate to me [to shoot underhanded]. He’s got to make a switch. You can’t be shooting 30, 40 percent.”
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Jorge Sierra: Last night in all-time rankings LeBron James passed Patrick Ewing in rebounds for No. 25 all-time. Stephen Curry moved ahead of Patrick Ewing in scoring for No. 26 in NBA history. Kyrie Irving tied with Rick Barry in scoring at No. 76.
Jorge Sierra: Russell Westbrook has moved past Alex English in scoring for No. 22 all-time. Also: Damian Lillard now ahead of LARRY BIRD for No. 39 in scoring... and Paul George at No. 75 after passing Rick Barry.
Barry ranks among the nation’s top age-group players and earned the Triple Crown at the U.S. Open in Naples, Fla., in April. He won the men’s 80-plus singles title, the men’s 80-plus doubles title with partner Fred Shuey and the mixed doubles 80-plus title with Susan Mathews. This week, Barry is looking to add to his medal collection by competing in multiple events at the Huntsman Senior World Games in St. George, Utah. The 80-plus mixed doubles finals take place Friday, and the singles finals are set for Saturday.
“In singles, you’re at such a disadvantage if you have a weak serve, because a good opponent is going to make you run and put you in a difficult situation for your next shot,” Barry said. “Whereas if you have a really good serve and a difficult serve to handle, not only can (opponents) make mistakes on it, but they’re not going to be able to dictate the game. And then, you’re going to be in a position where you can take and move them. “We’re 70, 80 years old. With these guys, we’re (going to give) three hits, four hits maybe. It’s not going to be big, long rallies. So, I worked on my serve. My serve’s become very good.”
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Barry is positively evangelical about this venture. If he’s not playing pickleball, he’s trying to get others to play it. Pickleball has been named the fastest-growing sport in America for three years running by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which tracks year-over-year rates of participation. “I’m telling you, this thing is going to be so incredible,” Barry said. “It’s a phenomenon, and it’s not going away anytime soon.”
Dismiss the sport at your own peril. To Barry and a rapidly growing U.S. fan base, this is kick-your-heinie serious. “I’m out there for one reason and one reason only: I’m out there to win, OK?” said Barry, an eight-time NBA All-Star, four-time ABA All-Star and the MVP of the 1975 NBA Finals. “I can do the social thing afterward if you want to sit and socialize. But on the court, I really want to win.” To no one’s surprise, Barry is now certifiably excellent. He advanced quickly in pickleball because of his hand-eye coordination, rangy 6-foot-7 frame and cutthroat competitive streak. Do opponents recognize him? The older players do, Barry said, and they often want to take a photo. “The younger people don’t know who the hell I am,” he added.
Ted Meyer, 75, served as Barry’s doubles partner at last year’s Huntsman Senior World Games. He recalled a tight game in which the opponent forced Barry to turn, make a mad dash and hit the ball off-balance on the run. “Something a 30-year-old would do,” Meyer said. “And he was doing it in a 79-year-old body. He just didn’t want to lose the point. I think a lot of his instincts kick in when the pressure is on.” Barry’s first love, of course, was basketball. During a 15-year professional career that began in 1965, Barry averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists between the NBA and ABA. He ranks fourth all-time in NBA free-throw percentage (90 percent), trailing only Stephen Curry (91), Steve Nash (90.43) and Mark Price (90.39).
He’s hardly alone in spreading the word. SFIA found a 223.5 percent jump in U.S. pickleball players, with more than 13.6 million across the country picking up a paddle in 2023. He also managed to persuade other NBA Hall of Famers. “I got Chris Mullin to finally start playing, and his wife (Liz) is fanatical about it,” Barry said. “I talked to all the athletes about trying to get outside. I’ve been trying to get Hakeem Olajuwon to start.”