Othello Hunter made his first three-point attempt in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague way back in 2013, his rookie season. He then missed the next 14 triples that he tried over the rest of that one and the next seven seasons. His three-point history might have ended there had he not been dissuaded from retiring by head coach Andrea Trinchieri, who was looking for a veteran leader for FC Bayern Munich.
"My agent called and said a coach wants to talk to you," Hunter recounts. "I said 'You know I do not like talking to coaches. I'm really not thinking of basketball. I'm really not, at this point. Basketball is done."
Two years later, against all odds, the 36-year-old center has become a three-point ace, hitting 24 of 55 shots from the arc this season for a 43.6% rate that makes him the only center among the EuroLeague's top 20 most efficient long-distance shooters.
"Most big guys, they want to shoot the ball. Even if they can't shoot, they want to shoot, you know what I mean? It's like, 'I get to shoot? Oh yeah, this is fun!'" Hunter says.
Hunter's transformation into an outside threat has been motivated by both adapting to the modern game and to preserving his body after 10 years in the league.
"It's like position-less basketball at this point. I don't like seeing all the big guys shoot, but this is the time we're in right now," Hunter explains. "My role before was screen-and-roll. Now I'm at the point where I'm getting older, and I don't need to get bumped all the time now. I feel every bump, every day."
Going from 1 three-pointer made in eight seasons to 30 in the last two does not happen simply by wishing it were so, however.
"I'm in the gym, I would say, probably a good four hours. I don't touch the paint. And if I do touch the paint, it's maybe because I'm doing some Euro-steps or some floaters," Hunter says. "Mainly, I do threes and shooting. And this year it's like, OK, bring it out."