Image via Complex Original
It doesn't happen very often, but when an NBA star shoots an airball, people go wild. Why? Well, our theory is that nothing makes a star player look as human as an airball does. NBA stars may be able to jump higher than you, run faster than you, and, of course, shoot better than you, but when they throw up a shot and don't catch iron, it's your one and only chance to yell, "Yooooooo! Kobe Bryant looked just like I did at the YMCA the other day on that shot!" There's no shame quite like the shame that an airball brings.
With that in mind—and with this Kobe airball from last month still fresh in our memories—we decided to take a closer look at some of the most memorable missed shots in NBA history. Here are 25 NBA Stars Shooting Airballs. So embarrassing.
LeBron James
As any LeBron hater will tell you, King James has missed his fair share of clutch shots at the end of big games. But has he ever missed one this badly? The Bulls were able to knock off the Heat in Game 1 of a playoff series last year after LBJ threw up a shot that didn't come anywhere close to anything in the vicinity of the basket.
Tracy McGrady
Isn't this one of the most Knicks things ever? If T-Mac was on the Raptors, Magic, or Rockets and tried this same exact move, his layup would have went in. But because he was playing for the 2009-10 Knicks at the time, the result was much different. How do you airball a shot from two feet away?
Scottie Pippen
Going into this 1995 game against the Jazz, Pippen was shooting 78 percent from the line. Yet, he managed to airball not one, but two free throws during this particular contest. WTF, Pip?
Michael Jordan
Let this serve as proof that everyone shoots airballs. Even MJ.
Dwight Howard
The best part about this clip is that the commentator for the game spent about 15 seconds talking Howard up and speaking on how well he had been playing for the Lakers back in 2013. And then…welp! Nothing stops a string of compliments like an airball.
Magic Johnson
The 1992 Dream Team won every single game that they ever played by an average of, like, 751 points (give or take a few). So they didn't need the layup that Magic airballed here. But how does one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history drive down the lane uncontested and not at least hit the rim?
Dirk Nowitzki
The Mavericks were playing the Nuggets back in 2013 here. And everyone knows that the air in Denver is thinner, which makes it a little bit more difficult to shoot from downtown and…oh, who are we kidding? Dirk was wide open here and came up short. Maybe the beard that he was growing at the time got in the way? Yeah, that must have been it.
Manu Ginobili
Another airball in Denver. Hmmm…maybe there is something to that whole "the air is thinner!" excuse that we just tried to make up for Dirk.
Kevin Durant
This almost looked like KD threw an alley-oop to Russell Westbrook, didn't it? We like that he tried to play it off like he did, too. But nah...
Shaquille O'Neal
You know you're a bad free throw shooter when you throw up an airball from the line and your head coach responds by cracking up on the bench. LOL, Phil Jackson!
Isiah Thomas
There are two things that you're not allowed to do during NBA All-Star Games: Play defense and airball free throws. Isiah did the latter—twice!—during the 1982 All-Star Game. The first one was clearly jitters. But what was up with the second one?
Dennis Rodman
The Worm was good at a lot of different aspects of the game of basketball during his playing days. But as he proved during the 1987 NBA Playoffs, shooting free throws was not one of them. This is the earliest example of an NBA player airballing two free throws in a row that we could find.
Blake Griffin
BG's three-point shooting has improved a lot over the last year or so. But back in early 2013, he missed everything when he tried a shot from deep. And the Warriors bench absolutely loved it.
Vince Carter
Once upon a time, Vinsanity would have put somebody on a poster on this play from back in 2012. But instead of dunking, he tried to get fancy with a finger roll and…well, let's just say he should have gone with a dunk. Or a regular layup. Or a kick out to one of his teammates. Or anything but that awful finger roll!
Rajon Rondo
Celtics up 3 over the Magic during a 2012 game. About 20 seconds left on the clock. The perfect time to drive to the hole and try to get…WTF IS RONDO DOING? Double R is usually a pretty good decision-maker, especially at the end of games. But this wasn't one of his finer moments.
Tony Parker
Did the ref say something to Parker here? Did Parker stick his hands in a bucket of butter before he took the court during this 2014 game? Did someone steal Parker's contacts at halftime? So many questions and, as you'll hear, Doug Collins just can't find an answer for what happened.
Chris Bosh
You can't see whether or not LeBron James made a face at Bosh after he passed to him during a 2012 playoff game and then watched him shoot an airball. But it's probably, er, definitely safe to assume that he did. Even the Knicks players were laughing on the inside.
Grant Hill
The first 10 seconds of this clip are great. Hill takes the ball, shakes and bakes Ricky Davis, and then makes him fall to the floor. But the five seconds after that will quickly erase that portion of the clip from your memory. How do you make a guy fall and then you end up being the one that everybody is laughing at?
Chris Paul
The play that the Clippers tried to run here back in 2013 was pretty obvious: "Give the ball to Chris Paul and let him try to take Tony Allen to the hole." Just look at all those Clippers players not moving or trying to get open! The play didn't work, though, and it resulted in CP3 taking an incredibly difficult fadeaway from the top of the key that came up juuuuuuust a bit short. Maybe try something a little bit more creative next time, guys?
Hakeem Olajuwon
Even The Dream's teammates got a good chuckle out of this free throw that came up painfully short of the rim. He couldn't help himself from cracking a smile, either.
Russell Westbrook
In this seven-second clip, you'll see Westbrook fire up an airball at the end of a game against the Lakers earlier this year. Other things you'll see: The 13 seconds that are still left on the shot clock when he takes the three. Kevin Durant standing out on the wing waiting for the ball. Derek Fisher on the other wing ready to fire up a shot. And a wide open lane just waiting for Westbrook to drive down it. So why did he take this shot again?!
Roy Hibbert
This is Roy Hibbert's 2014 NBA playoff campaign summed up in 20 seconds.
Karl Malone
The second Dream Team ended up winning this game against Croatia by 31 points. So they didn't really need this free throw to go in. It probably made the Croatians feel pretty good about themselves, though, right? Like, "Hey, we could have done that!"
Jeremy Lin
Lin actually has quite a few airball videos available on YouTube right now. If you've got some time, you should check them out. But this one is easily his worst attempt. If you can believe it, it's even worse than the time he airballed a game-winner against the Heat. How did he manage to throw a ball over the backboard against the Trail Blazers in a playoff game?
Kobe Bryant
Hey, NBA players: If you're ever feeling really bad about yourself after shooting an airball, don't worry. Kobe has done way worse. Back in 1997, in Game 5 of a playoff series against the Jazz, he shot not one, not two, not three, but four airballs, including three in the final minute of the game. And after it ended, he stated the obvious. "I had some good looks," he said. "I just didn't hit the shots." Or the rim. But hey—*shrugs*—as you've seen here, it happens. Even to the best of 'em.