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An NBA player missed a free throw on purpose — but he didn't chicken out

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Sometimes, at the end of a long NBA season, things get a little silly and fans get a little poultry.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Yesterday the Houston Rockets visited the Los Angeles Clippers in the last game of the regular season. The Clippers had already secured a fourth seed in the playoffs and rested their star players. The Rockets knew their season was about to end.

KELLY: Late in the game, Houston's Boban Marjanovic went to the free throw line. The 7'4" center from Serbia has been a fan favorite everywhere he has played, including a stint with the LA Clippers. And the Clippers run a promotion where if an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter, everyone in the crowd gets a free fried chicken sandwich.

CHANG: Yeah. Boban missed his first foul shot, and a wry look spread across his face. He knew what he had to do. He aimed for the left side of the rim.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: Here's your - he gave them chicken. He's a man of the people.

CHANG: Boban pointed to the air to remind the crowd of their benefactor, then ran back to play defense.

KELLY: Well, despite the missed shots, the Rockets did hang on to win, ending their season on a high note. As for Boban, he does not yet have a deal for next season, but you cannot accuse him of not giving a cluck. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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