The best free throw animations in NBA 2K25

Free throws are called that because they’re supposed to be a guaranteed bucket, but knocking these down can be challenging if you have a poor release. Equipping one of the best free throw animations in NBA 2K25 is a huge leap toward not bricking crucial shots.

Animations define every single action your MyPLAYER makes on the court and are almost as crucial to success as your actual inputs. Bad animations can significantly hamper your performance, and no one wants to lose through no fault of their own. Free throws are just a fraction of the arsenal of animations in NBA 2K25, which includes actions as seemingly mundane as how you walk and run down the court.

Free throw animations are completely free to use in NBA 2K25, but there are height limitations that can lock you out of a sizable chunk of them. We assure you there are still enough animations to choose from regardless of height, and we’ve picked out the very best for you.

Best free throw animations for players under 6-feet-5-inches in NBA 2K25

• Gilbert Arenas
• Scoot Henderson
• Kyle Lowry
• Steve Nash

These are four suggestions for smaller guards. The first two are both very smooth from start to finish and will almost make you want to go to the free throw line just to get these animations going. The second pair is a bit different. It’s still clean but much slower on the release, which can be beneficial for players with a lower free throw attribute.

Best free throw animations for players between 6-feet-5-inches and 6-feet-9-inches in NBA 2K25

• Carmelo Anthony
• Devin Booker
• Kobe Bryant
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
• Tim Hardaway Jr.
• Jrue Holiday
• DeAndre Hunter
• Zach Lavine
• Keegan Murray
• Isaac Okoro
• Patrick Williams

Players in the middle height range are blessed with an overabundance of great free throw animations, so which one you end up using will entirely rely on what you vibe with the most. The variations in these animations are tiny. All of them are pure and intuitive; just give them all a little tryout and go with the flow.

Best free throw animations for players over 6-feet-9-inches in NBA 2K25

• Karl Malone
• Julius Randle
• Ivica Zubac
• Moritz Wagner
• Anthony Davis

We have to single out Anthony Davis’ free throw animation as our favorite. It’s slow, yet fluid, providing both crucial elements for an effective animation. That’s not to say any of the rest are mediocre, otherwise we wouldn’t have picked them. Zubac is an underrated option for big men. His release is slightly more snappy but has a very clear release point. Karl Malone’s free throw animation is one of the longest and most enjoyable to watch, in addition to having a sweet release, so the aesthetic enjoyers out there might prefer it over the others.

You can’t just go off on solid free throw shooting if you’re going to be any sort of offensive threat, though. You should also think about adding one of the best jumpshots in NBA 2K25 to your MyPLAYER’s animations or an effective dunk package. Ideally, you’d have both, which paired with a smooth free throw animation pretty much sets you up on the offensive end.

If you’re enjoying NBA 2K25, you can also check out some of our other articles before the start of the real-life NBA season, including the best young players in the game, how to turn on Shot Feedback, and more.