⏩ Numbers Game: Comparing 3-point greats.
By the time Stephen Curry is done revolutionizing the game of basketball, he very well could lead the NBA in every 3point shooting category.
But how would the Warriors’ point guard fare in a onceinalifetime 3point shootout with the best in history?
A threetime winner of the NBA’s 3point shootout, Larry Bird famously asked fellow participants in 1986, “Man, who’s coming in second?” Then he won it without removing his jacket.
Bird is a twotime member of the “504090 club,” often considered the ultimate stat for shooting with a player completing a season above 50% from the field, 40% from 3point range and 90% from the foul line.
Craig Hodges is the only other threetime winner of the 3point shootout, and he also had two secondplace finishes. In 1991, he made 21 of 25 attempts, including 19 in a row — both records for the competition.
Known for his meticulous pregame routine, which included more than 300 jumpers from a variety of angles, Ray Allen has a resume that speaks to his work ethic. His 2,973 3pointers will stand as the NBA’s alltime record until midway through next season, when Curry is projected to jump to the top of the list.
Curry might never quite reach the numbers of Steve Kerr, the career 3point leader at 45.4%. Now Curry’s coach, Kerr had a remarkable run from 199496 with the Chicago Bulls, making 211 of 407 3point attempts (51.8%) in that twoseason stretch.
That was during an era when Reggie Miller was as lethal a deep threat as existed before Curry arrived on the scene. Miller is third in NBA history with 2,560 3pointers. Feared the most in clutch moments, he scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to beat New York in the 1995 playoffs.
Chris Mullin is the best lefthanded shooter ever, but he may have played in the wrong era. He attempted only 829 treys in his first seven seasons; Curry lofted 886 in the 201516 season alone. With the original 1992 Olympic “Dream Team,” however, Mullin went 39for63 (53.8%) to lead a group that included John Stockton, Michael Jordan and Bird.
Another Warriors great, Klay Thompson has one of the silkiest jumpers in history and is also among the leaders in what he calls “spurtability.” Thompson holds the records for both 3pointers in a regularseason game (14 against Chicago in 2018) and in a playoff game (11 against Oklahoma City in 2016). His 9for9 effort during a 37point third quarter against Sacramento in 2015 might be untouchable, and he once needed only 29 minutes and 11 dribbles to score 60 points (2016 against Indiana).
Still, it’s Curry who is second alltime in 3point makes (2,664) and seventh in percentage (43.3%). The seventime AllStar tops the alltime lists in consecutive games with at least one 3pointer (157 in 201416), most times leading the league in 3pointers (five) and most 3pointers in a season (402 in 201516).
Maybe most impressive: Curry made 105 straight 3pointers in a December practice exhibition documented on video.
Curry would never say it out loud, but even the best in history would probably shoot for second place against him.