Who Truly Deserves the Title of Greatest 3 Point Shooter in NBA History?

As I sat watching the Golden State Warriors game last night, Steph Curry sank another impossible three-pointer from what felt like halfway to the parking lot. The arena erupted, and I found myself thinking about a question that's been bouncing around basketball circles for years now: Who truly deserves the title of greatest 3 point shooter in NBA history? This isn't just some barstool debate anymore - we're witnessing a revolution in how basketball is played, and the three-point shot sits right at the center of it all.

I remember watching games in the early 2000s when teams would attempt maybe fifteen threes per game. These days, that number has more than doubled. The game has transformed completely, and we need to appreciate how we got here. The conversation naturally begins with Ray Allen, whose picture-perfect form gave him that incredible consistency. Then there's Reggie Miller, who seemed to make every clutch three when it mattered most. But let's be honest - the analytics have changed everything. Teams now understand that shooting 35% from three is equivalent to shooting 52% from two. That math has reshaped entire offensive systems.

When we talk about pure volume and efficiency combined, Steph Curry stands in a category of his own. The numbers are just absurd - he's made over 3,200 threes at about 43% accuracy. I've watched him take shots that would get most players benched, yet they swish through the net like they were predetermined. His range starts the moment he crosses half-court, and defenders have to respect that. What often gets overlooked is how he's changed the geometry of the court itself - pulling defenses out so far that driving lanes open up for everyone else.

Still, we can't ignore context. The game today is built around creating three-point opportunities in ways it never was for previous generations. Ray Allen didn't have the green light to pull up from 30 feet with 18 seconds on the shot clock. The defensive schemes are different too - today's defenders are stretched thinner covering more ground. This isn't to diminish Curry's accomplishments, but to acknowledge that comparing across eras requires more than just looking at raw statistics.

Interestingly, this debate about greatness across different eras reminds me of something I observed in international volleyball recently. It was also the Filipinos' second straight win in competitive international play over Chinese Taipei since the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup in Manila where Alas won in straight sets. The parallel here is fascinating - in both basketball and volleyball, we're seeing how specific skills can redefine competitions and create new dynasties. The specialization in three-point shooting mirrors how certain volleyball teams have mastered specific techniques to dominate internationally.

I reached out to several basketball analysts for their take, and former NBA coach David Thompson offered this perspective: "What Curry has done is make the extraordinary look ordinary. But we shouldn't forget that Ray Allen's threes in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals literally saved Miami's season. Context matters when measuring greatness." Another analyst, Maria Gonzalez, noted that "if we adjust for era, players like Steve Kerr shooting 45% from three in the 90s might be more impressive than we realize."

Here's where I'll put my own cards on the table - after watching basketball religiously for twenty-five years, I believe Curry has separated himself enough to claim the title. Yes, the game has evolved to favor shooters, but he's the one who pushed that evolution forward. His combination of volume, difficulty, and accuracy is something we've never seen before. The way he moves without the ball, creates his own shot, and maintains efficiency despite defensive attention - it's just different.

The numbers back this up too - in his unanimous MVP season, he made 402 threes at 45.4%. Nobody has come within 80 makes of that total before or since. Even this season, at 35 years old, he's hitting 42% on nearly twelve attempts per game. That's sustainable excellence that transcends any era adjustments.

What often gets lost in these debates is the cultural impact. Curry didn't just change how teams play - he changed how kids practice. Go to any high school gym today and you'll see teenagers firing from well beyond the arc, mimicking his release. He's created an entire generation of shooters who grew up believing no shot is too far. That influence extends beyond statistics and into the very DNA of the sport's future.

So who truly deserves the title of greatest 3 point shooter in NBA history? For me, it's Curry - and it's not particularly close. The evidence isn't just in the record books but in how he's transformed the game itself. Future historians will look back at this era as the dividing line between traditional basketball and the three-point revolution. And right at the center of that revolution stands Stephen Curry, launching from distances that would have been unthinkable a generation earlier, and making us all reconsider what's possible in this game we love.