One of Joshua Walker’s swishes came true when he broke the record for the longest basketball shot (male).
The Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA native shot the ball an astounding 34.6 metres (113 ft 6 in) on 22 July 2022.
Together with some friends, the basketball fanatic came up with the idea to break five records in one day, with the farthest behind-the-back basketball shot being the first one he applied for.
Although the record has since been broken, Joshua wowed the crowd when he shot the ball 14.63 metres (48 ft) behind his back.
“We knew it could be a record when my friends and I looked it up and saw that it was not nearly as far as we had thought,” said Joshua.
“We went and semi-tested it out to see if it was possible and we realized it definitely could happen.”
Joshua has been playing basketball since he was a child.
He began playing in his town’s Little Dribblers League when he was six years old and was obsessed with the sport from that moment on.
Because his father and uncle were both professional athletes, he knew he would somehow end up playing ball.
“I stayed outside shooting on our goal every night until it got dark,” he said.
As I grew older, the obsession never went away, and I played through middle school and high school.
Joshua continued his basketball journey in college, where he played four seasons at Louisiana State University-Shreveport.
“It was during my time at LSU-S that I realized I was getting pretty good with some of the more unorthodox shots,” he said.
“We would hang around after practice and start playing HORSE or just seeing who would make the toughest shot.”
Joshua loved performing trick shots, so his ability to perform the feat developed over time.
“I did not train for this attempt,” he said.
“However, years of goofing off in the gym definitely helped.”
Joshua says he was inspired by his late father to attempt the record.
“My dad actually passed away just a few months before these attempts and with him being a former professional athlete, we obviously bonded over sports my whole life,” he said.
“Luckily, he was able to see the first one and I got to talk to him about doing more, so that was definitely on my mind that day.”
On the day of the record attempt, Joshua had some friends in town who all showed up at the gym where he was attempting the record.
Joshua had not attempted the records beforehand and was unsure if they would even be possible.
“There were a couple that I knew I would make with enough attempts,” he said.
“But the others were completely new to me.”
Joshua began with the farthest behind-the-back basketball shot, and with as much as he wanted the very first shot to go in, he didn’t even get close.
However, a few shots later, his shot rattled in and out and he knew it would be possible.
“The next 10-15 minutes after that felt like a lifetime,” said Joshua.
I would shoot maybe two to four times per minute, and every miss felt like it was less and less likely to happen.
On his 30th attempt, he finally made the shot.
“Watching it go through was the biggest sigh of relief ever,” said Joshua.
“Even knowing that we still had four more to go.”
The record was attempted alongside four other records, so everyone was excited and nervous for Joshua because no one really knew if he would be able to complete them all.
“Having the Guinness World Records film crew there was really cool and getting to do it with my friends and family there was pretty special,” said Joshua.
“The video ended up on Good Morning America, so that was probably the most exciting thing.”
Joshua says the most difficult part of the record attempt was remaining positive after one of his shots didn’t make it.
“That is a heartbreaker for sure.”
He also says the toughest thing about shooting the ball from such long distances is the stamina needed.
“After about 10 shots you realize just how strenuous it is on your arm,” said Joshua.
It was important for me to keep at a decent pace, so I didn’t wear myself too quickly.
After his failed shot, Joshua tried to focus on getting the ball as close as possible to the hoop and hoping he would get lucky.
Joshua broke three other records that day:
- Farthest basketball shot made while sitting on the court – 19.58 metres (64 ft 3 in)
- Farthest basketball bounce shot – 28.95 metres (95 ft)
- Farthest basketball hook shot – 24.38 metres (80 ft)
Joshua urges those who would like to attempt a similar record to realize you can do more than you think you can, and all you have to do is get lucky once.
He would also like to attempt a few more basketball-related records and bring his total amount of records up to 10.
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