There are not too many topics that generate widespread agreement among NBA fans.
With that said, the fact that essentially everyone can agree on Stephen Curry’s status as the best 3-point shooter to ever play speaks for how special he is. As Curry passes Ray Allen for the top spot on the all-time triples list, the numbers tell the story better than anyone.
As good as the list of all-time leaders is, it may not be the most accurate representation of the best shooters of all time. After all, the game has changed and some of the best shooters couldn’t afford to play in the modern 3-ball era.
So let’s rank them.
At this point, we know that the list is Steph and everyone else, so instead of a top 10, we come up with a list of the 11 greatest shooters of all time, also known as the 10 that come after Curry.
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By the way, counting the best shooters of all time is no small thing. Take, for example, ridiculous shooters THAT I left when putting together the top 11.
- No, Steve Kerr, who is the most accurate 3-point shooter of all time.
- Not Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest shooter of all time.
- Not Larry Bird, the best shooter of an era when 3s were introduced.
- Without Peja Stojakovic, without Damian Lillard and without JR Smith.
Now that I’ve admitted my omissions … let’s get on with the list.
11. Steve Nash
Nash never had more than 2.2 3s per game in a season, but he did hit 1,685 3s over the course of his career at 42.8 percent. According to NBA insider Marc SteinFormer Nash head coach Mike D’Antoni says he should have implored the two-time MVP to pitch more and, looking at the numbers, he’s definitely right.
10. Dale Ellis
Ahead of his time, Ellis hit nine 3s in April 1990. Not only was Ellis a 40.3 percent career 3s, but he also had 1,719 3s in 17 seasons (1983-2000).
9. Glen Rice
At NBA All-Star 2019, Rice told me “when I was playing, if we hit six 3-pointers as an individual [per] game, we thought we were shooting too many 3s. The chance to go out there and maybe shoot 15 3-pointers a game? It would really hurt me if I didn’t average 30 points per game. ”
Rice is not bad. He averaged 26.8 points per game, the highest of his career, while connecting on 47.0 percent of his 5.6 3-point attempts per game. Those numbers speak for themselves.
8. James Harden
Harden is on a fast track to retiring behind Curry for the second-highest number of 3s of all time. Since Curry is in a class of his own when it comes to 3-point records, Harden is the only other player to sink more than 300 3-pointers in an singles season, and he did so in 2018-19. Just in case, Harden also sank 299 3-pointers in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.
7. Drazen Petrovic
In 2016, Reggie Miller had this to say about Petrovic: “[he] he is the best shooter I have ever played against. I’ve never seen anything like it. ”Before a fatal car accident brought his career to a tragic end, Petrovic established himself as an elite shooter, shooting 3s at 43.7 percent over four seasons.
6. Kevin Durant
When I think of KD, I think of an elite scorer before anything else, but honestly, he wouldn’t be without his elite shooting ability. Durant shot 45.0 percent from 3 in 2020-21, at high volume, no less. It feels strange that at the time of this writing, the most 3-pointers Durant has made in a game is seven, but he’s done it six different times. Ask yourself, how many times do you expect KD to lose a 3? None, right? I rest my case.
5. Kyle Korver
Not only is Korver fifth all-time on 3s (2,450), but he did so by shooting 42.9 percent in his career, including four different seasons in which he led the league in 3-point percentage. Not bad for the 51st overall team.
4. Reggie Miller
We have reached another level.
For some time, Miller held the crown as the all-time leader in triples before being overtaken by Ray Allen and Curry later on. Considering he came to the league in 1987, Müller’s ability to score 2,560 3-pointers over the course of his 18 years is nothing short of impressive. When you think of shooters, you think of Miller, which is why he’s a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
3. Ray Allen
Perhaps the purest jump shot ever seen in the game.
Allen held him down at the start of all time for a long time, hitting 2,973 3s during his Hall of Fame career. Considering that he was more than just a shooter during his prime, it’s something to marvel at. We all know Allen for hitting some of the biggest shots in game history and stepping up to hit them when they count.
So you have to be special to get ahead of Ray.
2. Klay Thompson
Klay is special.
An NBA record of 14 3s in one game? An NBA playoff record of 11 triples in an elimination game? An NBA record of Nine 3-pointers in a quarter? Eight triples on the way to 60 points? I think it’s safe to say that no one gets sexier than Thompson.
We’ve gone over two years without seeing Klay shoot in the game, but some things never go away. You will return immediately upon your return.
1. Stephen Curry
Curry changed the game.
The all-time leader in triples made, the shift to what the game is today can be attributed to Curry’s triples during his appearance to become the best player in the league. If it weren’t for his Splash Brother, Curry might have more single-game records, but Curry still has six of the eight best 3-point shooting seasons in league history.
MORE: All Steph Curry Records
He is the only player to have hit more than 400 triples in a season and has also averaged five or more triples per game in three different seasons and is working on a quarter in 2023-22. No one else in NBA history has done that, ever.
Curry is in a league of his own and is the definition of one of one.
