Dwight Howard Told Beyonce He Sang Her Songs to Help Him Shoot Free Throws

When Dwight Howard first entered the league with the Orlando Magic, he was not a terrible free-throw shooter (67.1 percent). Now, it's pretty much a 50-50 shot when he steps to the line.

Perhaps that's because he has gotten away from a routine that used to put his mind at ease.

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com published a piece Thursday that examines free throws and the Hack-a-Shaq technique.

Howard was among the NBA players interviewed, and the eight-time All-Star admits that he lets what other people say get into his head. 

"Free-throw shooting is all mental," Howard said, per Haberstroh. "In practice, I don't miss. In warm-ups, I don't miss. When I get into a game, I hear people say, 'He's going to miss,' and it gets inside my head."

There are different things athletes can do to block out all of the negative noise. For Howard, he has (or had) a special way to try to focus at the line:

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In Orlando early in his career, Howard said he hired a personal sports psychologist who used to work with Tiger Woods. He has also tried singing songs in his head to keep his mind off the task.

"I used to sing Beyonce songs, that was my thing," Howard said. "I told her about it when I saw her. I said, 'When I sing your song, I make my free throws.' She seemed to like that."

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Howard singing Beyonce songs at the line isn't new. Late in 2013, the center revealed that tidbit to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. But the fact that he actually told her his strategy? That had to be flattering for the "Crazy in Love" singer.

The Atlanta Hawks have to be hoping that their new big man will find a way to knock down free throws at a better clip than the 56.8 percent he has shot for his career. If that means they have to blast Beyonce songs when he shoots, so be it. Otherwise, Hack-a-Howard is going to get old really fast for Hawks fans.

[h/t Uproxx]