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Rockets Rookie Chinanu Onuaku Brings Back Granny-Style Free Throw in NBA Debut

Long live the granny-style free throws.

Rockets rookie Chinanu Onuaku made his NBA debut in the fourth quarter of Monday's 131-115 win over the Phoenix Suns, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds in the comfortable Houston win. It was two of those points, however, that brought the crowd to its feet—two granny-style free throws, the likes of which have not been seen in a regular-season NBA game in quite some time.

Onuaku, a second-round pick, brought back the legendary underhand technique of Rick Barry after shooting a miserable 46.7 percent from the charity stripe during his freshman season at Louisville. He was up to 67.4 percent in the D-League, and now he's at 100 percent in the NBA, baby!

How did it feel to bring back the granny-style on the biggest stage in the basketball world? "I was nervous as hell," Onuaku said. "I'm just happy that I made them."

Rockets veteran Corey Brewer, who claimed never to have seen anything like Onuaku's free throws attempted in a game, put the whole thing into perspective: "He was 2-for-2 -- whatever works. If it works for him, keep doing it. It's different, but hey, why not do it."

Onuaku was sent back to the D-League after the win, which means fans will have to tune in to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers if they want to see more granny-style free throws…for now, at least.

[ESPN]