A skilled basketball player voted ‘most likely to break a world record’ in high school has made his childhood dream come true.
Jeremy Ware (USA) landed the farthest basketball shot made backwards from almost the complete other end of the court!
Jeremy’s shot, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas – home of the Spurs – covered a whopping 26.06 metres (85.5 ft).
For context, a standard NBA basketball court is 28.7 m (94 ft) long, making Jeremy’s shot all the more mind-blowing!
The record to beat was 25.61 m (84 ft), but was no contest for Jeremy who has practically been preparing for this moment his whole life.
Jeremy, 30, has been making backwards basketball shots since 2010, and became incredibly good at it.
He told us: “I loved the Guinness World Records book growing up and always read them. In high school, I was voted most likely to break a world record and in college I became very good at shooting the ball backwards and just did it for fun.
“12 years later, I was reminded that there was a record for the farthest basketball shot made backwards, so I set my sights on the goal.”
Jeremy stays in shape by sticking to the same workout regime he had when he was playing basketball in college, but he did up the kettlebell swings in the lead-up to his attempt.
With the backing of the San Antonio Spurs, who not only loaned Jeremy their court but also their mascot and cheerleaders, he revelled in his record-breaking moment.
Mascot The Coyote grabbed Jeremy and hugged him after he hit nothing but net, and Jeremy was so elated he crumpled to the floor.
He said of beating the record: “Words cannot describe how cool it is. I understand the magnitude of it, and I am deeply honoured.
“I will not take this for granted. I can tell my kids and grandkids for generations to come that I held a Guinness World Records title! Not too many people can say that.”
It took Jeremy four days to recover from his record attempt, with him left feeling like his shoulder was “on fire”.
“Well worth it,” he assured us. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Jeremy said his achievement personifies the mantra he lives by: HWPO.
“Hard Work Pays Off, and it did."
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