Stephen Curry passes Reggie Miller for No. 2 all-time in 3-pointers made
Stephen Curry is now 411 made 3-pointers behind Hall of Famer Ray Allen for the most in NBA history.
With a catch-and-shoot corner 3 in third quarter Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Stephen Curry passed Hall of Famer Reggie Miller for second place on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list.
Miller 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.
Growing up, Reggie Miller was my favorite player.
With @StephenCurry30 passing @ReggieMillerTNT for 2nd all-time in threes made, take a look at the mutual admiration these two sharpshooters have for each other. pic.twitter.com/whsHdsV0KG
— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2021
“That’s pretty dope,” Curry said after the game (the Jazz beat the Warriors 127-108). “We got our head beat tonight, but I was trying to still enjoy it. After I made the third one, I knew that was a big one, and then to make that fourth one in the third quarter was pretty special. Something I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.”
The only player now blocking Curry from the title of 3-point king is the legendary shooter, Ray Allen, who tops the list with 2,973 career 3s, with Miller now behind him. Despite having a lead of over 400 3-pointers, Allen’s reign is expected to remain secure for 2021. However, it’s just a matter of time before Curry seizes the record.
So many little ones, like mine, find you to be an inspiration.
Our guy @ReggieMillerTNT congratulated Steph after he moved into 2nd place on the all-time 3PM list. pic.twitter.com/tsKYHuMUGa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2021
Given that Curry is currently making 4.1 three-pointers per game, he would require slightly more than 100 games to surpass Allen. However, as only 57 games are left in this condensed 72-game season, it’s probable that Curry won’t be able to contest Allen’s record until the latter part of the 2021-22 season.
What distinguishes Curry from Miller and Allen is the speed at which he ascended the all-time leaderboard. Although Miller and Allen incorporated the 3-point shot into their gameplay, Curry was at the forefront of a 3-point revolution due to his shooting prowess and a growing focus on the 3-point shot. Simply put – he revolutionized the game.
Over the past six seasons, Curry has averaged at least 9.8 3-point attempts per game each year and has three seasons averaging at least 11 3s per game. By comparison, Miller’s career-high in 3-point attempts for a season was 6.6 in 1996-97 (3rd in NBA), while Allen’s was 8.4 in 2005-06 (1st in NBA by 1.6 3PA).
Curry’s ascendancy isn’t solely due to the increased number of 3-point attempts he makes. He is often considered the best shooter in history because his high number of attempts is matched by unparalleled precision. Curry’s career shooting average from a distance stands at 43.3%, compared to Miller’s 39.5% and Allen’s 40.0%.
Curry’s 43.3% career 3-point percentage ranks seventh all-time and leads all players ranked in the top 200 in 3-pointers made. Curry has a strong connection with the top two players on the all-time 3-point percentage list: No. 1 is his head coach Steve Kerr (45.4%) and No. 2 is his younger brother Seth (44.9%), who is shooting a league-best 59.6% this season from 3 for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Curry’s mix of high volume and remarkable precision are the pivotal reasons why he needed only 715 games to surpass Miller’s career total, achieved over 1,389 games. This is also why Curry will be the first player to exceed 3,000 career 3-pointers, setting a benchmark for all other shooters to pursue.
Which Players Will Eventually Challenge Curry?
If Curry does indeed surpass Allen to set a new career record for 3-pointers, there will still be two unresolved questions: 1. How much will he raise the bar by? 2. Which active players could potentially surpass him in the future?
Let’s go back to the all-time leaderboard for 3-pointers made, but rather than track totals we’ll look at per game averages instead. The 14 players with the highest 3-pointers made per game are all active players before we get to Allen at No. 15. Let’s take a closer look at the top 10 on that list and see which players may have a shot at catching Curry.
Curry currently holds a substantial lead and does not show signs of slowing down, making it difficult to envision other veteran players catching up to him. Currently, Harden ranks fifth all time and is almost 200 3-pointers behind Curry. Having made 3-pointers at an incredible rate during his last two seasons in Houston (4.8 per game in 2018-19, 4.4 per game in 2019-20), Harden is now adapting to a new role in Brooklyn and has averaged 3.2 3PM so far this season.
By excluding the seasoned players like Thompson, Lillard, Harden, and George from the list, we can turn our attention to the younger players who were inspired by Curry’s game during their path to the NBA. Not only have these players been shaped by Curry’s style, but they are also devoting their entire careers to an NBA that has adopted the 3-point shot in an unprecedented way.
First 100 games of a player’s career with the most 3-pointers:
1. Duncan Robinson, 326
2. Luka Doncic, 250Other significant points to remember (especially considering the game has undergone major changes):
11. Klay Thompson, 204
12. Stephen Curry, 200
18. Mike Miller, 190
59. Ray Allen, 145— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) January 19, 2021
Donovan Mitchell recently surpassed Buddy Hield’s record by achieving 600 career 3-pointers in just 240 games, four games less than Hield’s 244. Although Mitchell isn’t recognized as a 3-point specialist, the importance of the 3-point shot in modern games has led to him progressing faster than his predecessors. This mirrors Curry’s progress, who has outpaced Miller and is on track to overtake Allen.
Keep a close eye on the youngest players on the top 10 list – Trae Young (22) from Atlanta and Luka Doncic (21) from Dallas. They are both in their third season and have a knack for effortlessly sinking 3-pointers. This coupled with their youth and capacity for 3-point volume gives them a competitive edge to potentially challenge Curry.
4 More Stats to Know on Curry’s 3-Point Shooting
1. Double-Digit 3-Point Shooting Games
Curry has 15 of the 56 games in NBA history when a player has made at least 10 3-pointers in a game. The next ranked player is his teammate Klay Thompson with five, followed by the trio of Damian Lillard, James Harden and JR Smith with three each and Zach LaVine with two. No other player has more than one game with at least 10 3-pointers made.
Thompson currently holds the record for the most 3-pointers made in a single game, with 14. Curry and LaVine follow closely behind with 13 3-pointers each. Curry was the first player to achieve 13 3-pointers, setting a new record on November 7, 2016, when he shot 13-for-17 from beyond the arc during a win against the Pelicans. Thompson surpassed this record two years later, with LaVine matching Curry’s record in 2019.
2. Playoff 3-Pointers Made
Keep in mind that all of the numbers discussed so far are for regular season games only, and do not count Curry’s record 470 3-pointers made in the NBA Playoffs. Curry racked up his 470 3s over 112 career playoff games (4.2 3PM per game); he is followed by LeBron James, who has 414 3s in 260 career playoff games (1.6 per game).
Regarding the legend he just surpassed, Reggie Miller is ranked sixth for scoring 320 3s in 144 playoff games (2.2 per game). As for the legend he is still trying to surpass in regular season 3s, Ray Allen, he is ranked third for scoring 385 3s in 171 playoff games (2.3 per game).
3. Most 3-Pointers Made in a Season
There have been four seasons in NBA history when a player has made at least 300 3-pointers – Curry accounts for three of the four, with James Harden being the only other member of the club. In 2015-16, Curry not only became the first-and-only unanimous selection for the Kia Most Valuable Player award, he also set the record for 3-pointers made in a season as he shot 402-for-886 (45.4%) from beyond the arc over 79 games.
In the 2018-19 season, Harden was ranked second with 378 3-pointers, while Curry recorded the third-highest 3-pointers in that same season with 354. In the 2016-17 season, Curry made 324 3-pointers. Curry’s record is impressive, owning three out of the top four seasons when it comes to total 3-pointers made. Moreover, he holds six positions in the top 20 list. Harden, on the other hand, holds four places in the top 20. The only other players to have more than one spot in the top 20 are Buddy Hield and Klay Thompson.
4. Most Consecutive Games With a 3-Pointer
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.
Curry does not have the longest active streak in the league, that belongs to Sacramento’s Buddy Hield at 82 straight games, followed by Curry and Brooklyn’s Joe Harris each with 77 consecutive games. Toronto’s Fred VanVleet and Brooklyn’s James Harden are the only other players with an active streak of at least 40 games.
Curry’s Milestone 3-Pointers on Climb to No. 2
Curry started his journey to the second position in career 3-pointers made in 2009, having joined the league as the seventh overall pick from Davidson College. This is a recap of the significant milestones he reached on his ascent through the ranks.
1 – Oct. 30, 2009: After missing his only 3-point attempt in his NBA debut, Curry shot 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in his second career game, a 123-101 loss to Phoenix.
100 – Feb. 27, 2010: Curry’s 100th 3-pointer came in his 58th career game as he shot 3-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 27 points in a 95-88 win over Detroit.
500 – Jan. 26, 2013: Curry reached 500 career 3-pointers in his 221st career game with No. 500 coming on a night when he scored 26 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point land in a 109-102 loss to Milwaukee.
1,000 – Jan. 7, 2015: Curry became the fastest player to ever reach 1,000 3-pointers made as he reached the century mark in just his 369th career game. He reached the milestone during a 117-102 win over Indiana when he shot 4-for-8 from deep and finished with 21 points.
1,500 – March 11, 2016: The theme of Curry being the fastest to reach a 3-point milestone continued as he hit the 1,500 mark, this time shattering the previous record held by Ray Allen. Curry needed only 477 games to reach 1,500 3-pointers made, while Allen needed 661 games.
Enters Top 10 – March 5, 2017: Curry entered the top 10 on the all-time 3-pointers made list at Madison Square Garden in New York – the same arena where he set his career-best scoring mark of 54 points four years prior (he topped that mark with a 62-point game earlier this season). Curry scored 31 points and shot 5-for-13 on 3s in a 112-105 win, ending the night with 1,833 career 3-pointers, passing Chauncey Billups (1,830) to crack the top 10.
2,000 – Dec. 4, 2017: Curry became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career 3-pointers and did so faster than any other player, needing only 597 games to hit the milestone. Curry scored 31 points and shot 5-for-11 on 3s in Golden State’s 125-115 win, but the achievement was marred by a sprained ankle late in the game that would cost Curry nearly four weeks of action.
Enters Top 5 – Oct. 24, 2018: Curry entered the top five on the all-time 3-point list in style as he scored 51 points and made 11 3s during Golden State’s 144-122 win over Washington. With his third 3-pointer of the night, Curry (2,162) passed Jamal Crawford (2,153) for fifth place in career 3s made.
2,500 – Dec 27, 2020: In the third game of the 2020-21 season, Curry became the third player in NBA history to reach the 2,500 career 3-pointers made milestone, joining Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. Curry scored 36 points and shot 5-for-15 from deep to help the Warriors earn their first win of the season.
