The last day of the 2023-24 regular season witnessed various playoff teams vying for seeding, others aiming to enhance draft lottery chances, and a few simply looking to finish the season positively.
The Houston Rockets, who had made a late push for the Play-In Tournament without success, fell into the latter group, seeking their first non-losing record since the 2019-20 season.
On Sunday, both Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers fans had reasons to celebrate.
During Houston’s 116-105 win over the Clippers, with 4 minutes and 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter, center Boban Marjanović intentionally missed a free throw after missing the first one. Marjanović, a 76.4 percent free-throw shooter, deliberately missed the second free throw to gift attending fans free chicken, as part of the Clippers’ promotion where fans get free chicken if the opposition misses two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers supporters, who had seen their team’s reserves put up a good fight throughout the game, finally had something to cheer about, leading to a growing excitement in the stands.
Boban.
Man of the people. 🍗 pic.twitter.com/PRq6xIXxIW
— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2024
The trend of rewarding home fans for two missed consecutive fourth-quarter free throws has gained popularity in recent years. In some blowout games when bench players get a chance to play, some players intentionally miss the first free throw to excite the crowd, only to make the second one and tease them.
But if there’s anyone in the NBA who would willingly miss to ensure fans leave with a reward, it would be Marjanović, known as one of the nicest professional basketball players.
A finalist for this season’s NBA sportsmanship award, the former Clippers fan favorite has built a reputation for his kind gestures at every team he’s played for.
As soon as the second free throw missed, Marjanović raised a finger in the air, signaling to the crowd who they should thank for the free Chick-fil-A.
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(Photo: Adam Pantozzi / Getty Images)
