The Curry family calendar will soon be running out of space as almost all the dates will be circled to remind the family of all the milestones Steph has achieved in his career. The latest in his long list of achievements in the NBA occurred on December 14, 2021. On this date, the Golden State Warriors point guard set the NBA record for career three-pointers. He surpassed Ray Allen roughly four and a half minutes into the game against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden when he hit his 2,974th triple to inadvertently become the greatest shooter in NBA history.
Allen, Reggie Miller (who ranks third on the list), and several other NBA legends were in attendance to witness Curry make history. Nicknamed Chef Curry for his shooting proficiency, the star blew kisses into the crowd when he achieved this great feat. After the game, he paid homage to those that held the top spot in past years before openly declaring that he can now describe himself as the greatest shooter ever. While Steph may be modest in calling himself what the world already knew him to be, he now certainly has a legitimate claim to the title.
Curry Revolutionalized The NBA With The Three-Point Shot
Before Steph Curry began forcing opponents to pay attention to him as he was torching them with shots from outside the arc, shooting a three-pointer was only considered an occasional way of scoring. Since the 3-point shot was allowed in 1979, teams have always had shooting specialists (catch and shoot players if you may), but what was mainly concentrated on was the physical play around the basket.
Players like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and so on dominated the game physically and made a name for themselves for their ability to do so. For Steph, however, many questioned his greatness because he was not able to do this. This all changed in the 2010s when he and the Warriors began enjoying success with their approach to the game. As a result, many teams began to embrace their style of play; shooting high volume threes. Some did it as a way to defeat the warriors while others wanted to copy their style of play in order to be able to achieve some success. What, however, proved to be the shifting point was that many young players wanted to imitate Curry’s shooting ability and so all the kids spent most of the time in the gym working on their three-point shot. The NBA influences the game at all levels so this was not much of a surprise.
With so many college athletes coming into the NBA being able to shoot the three-point, it was evident and inevitable that the game had shifted. Many analysts have given Steph Curry his flowers in this regard. The 2010s, known as the NBA’s three-point revolution era, has been referred to as “The Steph Effect”. During this time, Steph buried shots from unseen distances, turning every basketball game he played in into his personal playground. While doing this, he won a couple of championships and became the first unanimous MVP in league history in 2015-16.
Statistics Show That He Is The Most Efficient From Outside The Arc
Shooting the three-point is not just what sets Steph Curry apart from other sharpshooters in history. It is his volume, range, accuracy, and ability to create his own shot. He shoots 30-footers like floaters and is very efficient for someone with a high volume of shots each night out. It further adds to his game and sets him apart from others in that he is able to create his own shot off the dribble and is not just a catch and shoot specialist.
When comparing Curry to the two players next to him on the all-time list, the facts are evident. Curry’s 2,977 three-pointer record was set over the course of 27,077 minutes in 789 regular-season games. That boils down to one 3-pointer in every 9.1 minutes played. Ray Allen’s total of 2,973 came over the course of 46,344 minutes in 1,300 regular-season games. This equals an average of one 3-pointer per 15.6 minutes. Reggie Miller who recorded 2,560 threes in his career, achieved it in 47,619 minutes over 1,389 games. This averages out to one 3-pointer every 18.6 minutes, more than double the time that Curry set his record.
For efficiency, Steph Curry is also ahead of the duo. In his 12-year career so far, he has maintained 43.1% from the three-point line. Allen managed 40% from deep while Miller shot at 39.5%.
All The Awards and Recognitions His Three-Point Shooting Has Garnered
From a holistic point of view, Steph Curry’s three-point shooting ability has so far helped win him three NBA titles (2015, 2017, and 2018), two NBA Most Valuable Player awards (2015 and 2016), two NBA scoring titles (2016 and 2021), and seven All-NBA selections. In 2021, he made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, a nod to his legacy and contributions in changing the way the game is played.
When it boils down to specific awards, recognitions, and records his three-point shooting has garnered, below are some of his notable achievements.
- With 272 made three-pointers in the 2012–13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season. He, however, surpassed that record in the following years, making 286 in 2015 and 402 in 2016.
- Steph is a six-time NBA three-point field goals leader. He achieved this in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2021.
- Alongside teammate Klay Thompson, he holds the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single playoffs. He also has the NBA Finals record for most three-pointers made in a game
- Curry has won the NBA Three-Point Contest twice, in 2015 and 2021.
- He is the Golden State Warriors franchise leader in three-point field goals made. He is also the franchise’s leader in points
- Both in the regular season and in the playoffs, he holds the NBA record for games with the most consecutive made three-pointers. The regular-season record is 157 while the playoff record is 90.
- With a scoring average of 30.1 in the 2016 season, Steph has the record for the highest scoring average for a player in the 50-40-90 club; players who shot 50+% on field goals, 40+% on 3-point field goals, and 90+% on free throws.
