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What: “Free Throw: 7 Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line”

Authors: Dr. Tom Amberry, with Philip Reed

Publisher: HarperPerenial, $10.95

Hey, Phil Jackson, here’s something Shaquille O’Neal could use. And this 120-page paperback book is something Shaq might want to pass along to some of his teammates too.

On Nov. 15, 1993, Tom Amberry, at age 72, made 2,750 consecutive free throws and stopped without a miss. He’d been practicing for only 1 1/2 years. He still practices free-throw shooting every morning at the Rossmoor Athletic Club in Seal Beach. Amberry and co-author Philip Reed hooked up after Reed read about Amberry’s incredible feat.

Amberry practices the Buddhist discipline of Zen, as does Jackson. In fact, this book has become known as “Zen and the Art of Free Throw Shooting.”

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The book is a nice read with more than instructional material. One section of particular interest deals with Bill Sharman, the Boston Celtic Hall of Famer and former Laker coach who was one of the greatest free-throw shooters of all time. In his book, “Sharman on Basketball,” Sharman said he was “a little above average” as a free-throw shooter during his first two years at USC in the late 1940s. But after a summer of practice he didn’t miss a free throw in all 12 league games as a junior. After a 12-year NBA career, his free-throw average was .883. It was a then-NBA record .932 for the 1958-59 season. Sharman, also a former Laker general manager and president, still works for the team as a consultant.

The book is at most major bookstores or can be ordered through a Web site, https://www.freethrow.com, or by calling (800) 378-7777.

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