10 milestone moments in Stephen Curry's NBA career
Take a look back at some of the best 3-pointers Stephen Curry has made throughout his career.
Stephen Curry is on the cusp of passing Ray Allen as the NBA’s leader in career 3-pointers made. Toss in two Kia MVPs, seven All-NBA nods, seven All-Star appearances, three NBA titles and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and Curry has more than enough career accolades to reflect on.
As Curry closes in on Allen’s mark, here are 10 notable regular-season moments and milestones from his career listed in chronological order.
Curry makes his NBA debut in 2009
Take a look back at Stephen Curry's regular-season NBA debut on Oct. 28, 2009.
Date: Oct. 28, 2009 vs. Houston
After a standout collegiate career at Davidson, the Golden State Warriors picked Curry with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft as they were in the midst of a franchise rebuild. Curry showed some flashes of the play that has marked his Warriors career, finishing with 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting along with seven assists, four steals and two rebounds in a 108-107 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Overall as a rookie, Curry would average 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals while leading Golden State with 166 made 3-pointers (a total that ranked sixth in the NBA as well). Curry played alongside veteran Monta Ellis and the two combined to average the most points, rebounds, assists and steals out of any guard duo in the NBA (66.8 ppg combined). Additionally, Curry’s five 30-10 games that season were the most by a rookie since Michael Jordan (1984-85) and tied for the second most all-time (Oscar Robertson 25, 1960-61).
Lighting up MSG for 54 points
Stephen Curry had his coming out party at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 27, 2013, scoring a then career-high 54 points.
Date: Feb. 27, 2013 vs. New York
A 42-point game as a rookie was Curry’s previous career high until Feb. 27, 2013 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He then lit up New York for 54 points, which was the highest scoring performance by anyone in the league that season as he sank a then franchise-record 11 3-pointers (one shy of the NBA record at the time). Additionally, Curry’s total was the most by a Warrior since Purvis Short tallied 59 points on Nov. 17, 1984, and only Short, Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and Joe Fulks had recorded higher scoring games with the Warriors.
Since MSG’s reopening in 1968 at its present location, at the time only two other visiting players scored more than 54 there: Kobe Bryant (61 in 2009) and Michael Jordan (55 in 1995).
Single-season 3-pointers made record (the 1st time)
Date: April 17, 2013 vs. Portland
In the 2012-13 season, Curry was finally healthy again after injuries spoiled his 2011-12 season. His banner moment that season came on the last night of the regular season as he sank a 3-pointer with 6:49 left in the second quarter in Portland to give him 270 that season. In doing so, he passed the 269 Allen made with Seattle in 2005-06. Overall, Curry had 272 made 3-pointers that season, accomplishing that total in 53 fewer attempts than Allen did. He also claimed the Warriors’ single-season record for 3-pointers, besting Dorell Wright’s mark of 194 (set in 2010-11) by a whopping 78 long-range shots.
He became the first player in NBA history with at least 250 threes and 500 assists in a single season and the second-ever to hit at least 200 threes on 45%-or-better from long range, joining Glen Rice in 1995-96.
Single-season 3-pointers made record (2nd time)
Date: April 9, 2015 vs. Portland
Why own one single-season 3-point shooting record when you can own two of them? That seemed to be the approach Curry took in 2014-15 as he smashed his mark for 3-pointers made. On April 9, 2015, Curry pushed past his single-season mark of 272 made 3-pointers with a shot from the top of the arc (ironically enough, against the team he set the old mark against — the Trail Blazers).
After his record-breaking run in 2011-12, Curry was even more lethal in 2014-15. He ended the season with 286 made 3-pointers and shot 44.3% from deep as Golden State won 67 games and, eventually, its first NBA title in 40 years.
Winning his first Kia MVP
Check out the top plays from Stephen Curry's Kia MVP season in 2014-15.
Date: May 4, 2015
The Warriors were on the rise in the Western Conference by the time the 2014-15 season began, with Curry leading the charge for Golden State. Any doubters of Curry’s ability were silenced in 2014-15 after his banner season led to Kia MVP honors, besting Houston’s James Harden for the award.
Curry was a unanimous All-NBA First Team selection, led the league in 3-point field goals for a third consecutive season and ranked third in 3-point percentage. He hit a 3-pointer in all but one of his 80 games in 2014-15, including each of his last 73 contests, giving him at least one 3 in 148 of his last 149 regular-season games. With season highs of 51 points and 10 3-pointers on Feb. 4 vs. Dallas, Curry became the only player in league history to register multiple games with at least 50 points and 10 3-pointers.
Single-season 3-pointers made record (3rd time)
Date: Feb. 27, 2016 vs. Oklahoma City
As the old saying goes: third time is a charm. For Curry and the Warriors, his breaking of his single-season 3-pointers made mark came in a classic overtime showdown against the rival Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry finished with 12 3-pointers in the game, including the game-winner with :00.6 left to seal the win for Golden State.
Curry tied the game up again with 2:29 remaining with his 11th 3-pointer on the night, which was the one that pushed him to 288 on the season. He then finished things off with his thrilling shot with less than a second remaining that further moved the record forward. Overall, Curry finished with an astounding and record-setting 402 3-pointers made. In that 2015-16 season, Curry became the first player in NBA history to sink 300 3-pointers and 400 3-pointers in a single campaign. To date, he is the only player ever with 400 or more 3-pointers in a season.
Becomes 1st unanimous Kia MVP
Take a look at the best moments from Stephen Curry's back-to-back Kia MVP seasons.
Date: May 10, 2016
One season after collecting his first Kia MVP, Curry did even more to wow the voters in 2015-16. He became the first unanimous MVP winner in league history after Golden State rolled to an NBA-record 73-9 season spearheaded by the high-scoring guard.
Curry hit a 3-pointer in each of the 79 games he played in 2015-16, setting an NBA record by hitting at least one three-pointer in 152-straight regular-season games. He hit at least 10 3-pointers four times during that season, a feat no other player had accomplished more than three times in their careers up to that point.
Overall, he averaged 30.1 ppg and became the first guard to average at least 30 ppg while shooting 50% or better from the floor since Michael Jordan in 1991-92. Curry also led the league in steals (2.1), becoming the first player to lead the league in both scoring and steals since Allen Iverson in 2001-02. He shot 50.4% overall, 45.4% on 3-pointers and led the NBA in free throw percentage (90.8%), joining Steve Nash as the only players to hit 50/45/90 over the course of an entire campaign.
Most consecutive games with a 3-pointer
Dates: Nov. 13, 2014 to Nov. 3, 2016
Dependability from the 3-point line has been a hallmark of Curry’s career and for a nearly two-year span, he personified that trait.
Curry holds the record with 157 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made, a streak that spanned three seasons from Nov. 13, 2014 to Nov. 3, 2016. Kyle Korver is the only other player to reach 100 straight games with a 3-pointer at 127 games.
Career-high 62-point game
Relive Stephen Curry's 62-point game vs. Portland from 2021.
Date: Jan. 3, 2021
Injuries limited Stephen Curry to just five games in the pandemic-stricken 2019-20 season, but he was back with a vengeance in 2020-21. Through his first five games that season, Curry was averaging 26.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 42% overall (and 32.1% on 3-pointers).
Then came a Jan. 3 date with Portland and Curry went wild. He finished with a career-high 62 points, topping the 54-point game at MSG in 2012 as he shot 18-for-31 (58.1%) overall, 8-for-16 on 3-pointers and 18-for-19 at the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and four assists. He scored those 62 points in 36 minutes, and scored 30 points in both halves (a feat last accomplished by “Pistol” Pete Maravich in 1977).
Curry passes Miller for No. 2 in 3-pointers made
Stephen Curry hits 4th three vs. Utah to pass Reggie Miller on all-time 3-pointers made list.
Date: Jan. 23, 2021
As Curry’s career rolled into season No. 12 in 2020-21, his 3-point proficiency did not stop. By the third game of that season, he reached 2,500 career 3-pointers faster than anyone in NBA history, joining Allen and Reggie Miller in that club. Thirteen games later, Curry passed Miller to snag the No. 2 spot on the all-time 3-pointers made list.
Curry nailed a catch-and-shoot corner 3 in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz to pass Miller, who made 2,560 3-pointers over 1,389 regular season games during his 18-year NBA career. Curry passed him in his 715th career game, coming early in his 12th NBA season.
