With the game on the line, Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon intentionally missed a free throw just so he could protect the record of the late Chris Street.
The Hawkeyes were up 73–65 over Northwestern with about two minutes left in the contest, and Bohannon stepped to the free throw line. He knew exactly what to do: Miss the shot in order to preserve Street’s record rather than protect his team’s lead.
The reason for the noble move was that Street, a former Iowa basketball player, died in a car accident in 1993. Just days before the tragedy, he sunk his 34th consecutive free throw. He never had a chance to take it to 35, or beyond.
Heading into the the game against Northwestern, Bohannon knew he had the chance to snap the record by hitting his 35th straight shot from the charity stripe. However, he made sure to come up way short on the shot. Then, he pointed to the sky to acknowledge Street’s legacy.
“That’s not my record to have,” Bohannon said in an interview after Iowa’s win. “That record deserves to stay in his name.”
Here is the free throw Jordan Bohannon missed on purpose that would have broken Chris Street’s record. And then a minute later, back to the line, you see his homage to Street. He made them both. pic.twitter.com/pv7Q0HOQdm
— Jon Miller (@hawkeyenation) February 26, 2018
Bohannon has gotten to know Street’s family over the last couple of years. The late player’s parents emotionally embraced Bohannon on the court after the game.
“What a good kid. He’s so kind,” Patty Street told the Des Moines Register. “That was so special that he thought of Christopher and that record.”
Chris’s father, Mike Street, was touched as well, but if the record was going to fall, he wanted Bohannon to snag it.
“Christopher would want him to do to the best he could do and stay after it. But that was Jordan’s decision, and if that’s what he wanted to do, then we appreciate it,” Mike said. “We certainly in the future want him to get another shot at it.
“I told him, ‘Next time, you need to go right on by.’“
Who knows if there will be a “next time.” For now, Bohannon is happy sharing the record with Street. Perhaps one day, a third name will sit right next to theirs.
