Missed Free Throws
Growing up in 1990’s Australia, basketball was extremely popular.
Shaquille O’Neal (Shaq) was one of the NBA’s biggest stars and his fame extended past the sport of basketball (Anyone remember the movie “Blue Chips” or the music album “Shaq Diesel”?). His large, powerful frame and dominating game play made him a very dangerous player for opposing teams; and very difficult to defend against.
Shaq’s was a notoriously poor free throw shooter and some teams used a strategy termed ‘Hack-a-Shaq’, a system of deliberate tactical fouling, to attempt to negatively affect his game psychologically. Given his career average for free throw shooting was only 52%, this strategy was somewhat justified.
Statistically speaking pursuing this strategy, opposing teams were willing to sacrifice 1 point to save 2 points. Shaq missed 5,317 free throws during his career; despite this he enjoyed a glittering career in which he scored in total 28,596 points, won 3 championships and a plethora of individual awards.
Phil Jackson, Shaq’s coach under who he won numerous championships, is quoted as stating that Shaq should have won the league’s most valuable player award for 10 years running.
Could Shaq have improved what was clearly a glaring weakness?
Underlying the nature of skill development is the necessity of understanding one’s unique psyche, existing skillset and drive. It is very important to understand one’s present state, circumstances and also the ability to amend these two elements.
Despite Shaq’s weakness, it did not prevent him from becoming a great champion. Perhaps he consciously made the decision to focus on developing his strengths where he had a clear edge versus becoming merely average in his weaknesses.
Mere mortals, like ourselves, can learn a lot from this approach. The quest for perfection within a limited sphere can have no end. However, continuous improvement is a worthy goal given life is so much more encompassing than playing on a mere basketball court.
The importance of discipline and consistency in progress are not to be underestimated even in fields of creative endeavour.
I leave you with a notable quote from David Oglivy, a gentleman with a broad and varied career, who ultimately made his name as ‘The Father of advertising’.
Shakespeare wrote his sonnets within a strict discipline, fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, rhyming in three quatrains and a couplet. Were his sonnets dull? Mozart wrote his sonatas within an equally rigid discipline — exposition, development, and recapitulation. Were they dull?
From ‘Confessions of an Advertising Man’