Durant names an obscure NBA All-Star as the inspiration behind the shimmy ritual.
One of the unwritten rules of free throw shooting is establishing a routine. Whether it’s two or three dribbles, a spin of the ball, or a deep breath, consistency is the key—doing the same thing every time you step up to the line. All the best free-throw shooters in history have theirs, including Kevin Durant.
The 6’11” forward does a shoulder shimmy before every attempt, so where did that thing come from?
See, I got it from Antoine Walker. He used to shimmy when he made a shot when he played for the Celtics,” said Kevin Durant on Boardroom Talks with Jalen Rose. “I got up to the line and I’m like, ‘Let me try this and see if it’ll calm me down a bit,’ and it just went from there. I guess everybody from back home from where I’m from kinda picked it up and ran with it.”
According to The Oklahoman, a nine-year-old Durant was glued to the TV set in Washington, DC, watching Walker set the Wizards on fire with a career-high 49 points. The Celtics ultimately lost, but the second-year forward celebrated by breaking out the shimmy after making baskets.
“I always was a big Antoine Walker fan. He made it look easy,” Durant admitted. “Me and my Godfather used to watch him all the time and he used to do it all the time. That’s why I liked it. I can’t do it after I score, so I tried to put in my free throws.”
Nobody can argue with the results. KD’s free-throw shooting percentage was in the high 80s, but there were seasons when he shot in the 90s. Interestingly, he joined the 50/40/90 club in both these years, first in 2012-13 and later in 2022-23. The 14-time All-Star is a career 88.4% shooter from the charity stripe.
Shimmy like Antoine Walker
Walker was one of the forgotten All-Stars in the 2000s, a unique player ahead of his time. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft was someone who hadn’t seen a shot he didn’t like. “Cyber Toine” was a volume shooter, but he was among the purest stretch 4s in the era.
As KD noted, the 2006 NBA champion liked shimmying after coming up with big plays. Interestingly, he never did that move on the free-throw line, and unlike Durant, he was not an excellent foul-line shooter. Walker knocked down 63% of his freebies, a horrible percentage given his reputation as a “shooter.”
Walker is famously known for squandering his entire salary and filing for bankruptcy less than three years after playing his final NBA game. But at least that shimmy still lives on in Kevin Durant.
Some NBA players go to extreme lengths to make their free throw rituals unique, which sometimes borders on bizarre.
For example, Karl Malone mumbled to himself while juggling and looking closely at the ball. Steve Nash licked his fingers before shooting a free throw, while Gilbert Arenas whipped the ball around his back three times. Nick Van Exel shoots free throws from 18 feet, and Jerry Stackhouse bends his knees all the way over like he was sitting on the floor.
Meanwhile, Jason Kidd blew kisses to his wife, and Jeff Hornacek rubbed the right side of his face to acknowledge his children. Anything goes, anything blows.
In the grand scheme of things, however, the only thing that matters is the ball going through the hoop. Free throw routines may go from practical to quirky, but nothing beats adding points to the scoreboard. Kevin Durant got both in the bag.