When
racking up points on the court, three-pointers are one of the most
efficient ways to score big in a small amount of time. When NBA games
come down to the wire, a three-point scorer on the team can make all
the difference. That’s why point-scoring metrics are tracked
meticulously, so we know who leads the association at any one time.
Today we’re looking at the leaderboard, namely the five players who are
ahead of the entire association. Some of them are active players, so
the reigning three-point champion can change at any moment. If you want
to put some money on the point-scorers that haven’t retired yet, you
should check out NBA odds.
1. Stephen Curry
It won’t come as a surprise to most that Steph Curry
is at the top of this list. With that said, he only recently made it to
the top. For a long time, Curry was playing second fiddle to the next
basketball player on this list – Ray Allen.
However, Allen is retired and Curry isn’t, and now Curry has overtaken
them. It’s just yet another win for Curry, who is one of the most
popular players in the NBA right now. He’s still active, so he can run
away with the three-point record to guarantee he won’t lose it anytime
soon.
Curry has attempted 7,183 three-pointers, making 3,074 of them. That’s
a percentage of 42.8%. All of them were scored as part of the Golden
State Warriors too, who has quickly become one of the most successful
franchises in the NBA thanks to superstars like Curry and Kevin Durant.
2. Ray Allen
Ray Allen used to be the reigning three-point champ
before Stephen Curry overtook him. Allen is best known for his career
2,973 three-pointers out of 7,429 attempts. That’s a percentage of 40%,
which isn’t too bad for somebody who played 18 seasons with the NBA.
Allen was a merc who played for some of the most successful franchises
in the NBA, from the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics to the
Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. He got around, contributing to his
growing three-pointer count. At his best (which was when he was with
the Sonics) he was averaging 26 points every game.
Having played between 1996 and 2014, Allen made NBA All-Star 10 times
and competed at the 2000 Olympics as part of the US men’s basketball
team. Now he turns his talents to coaching. Maybe he’ll train the
athlete who will make this list in the future?
3. Reggie Miller
While Reggie Miller may be tall, he wasn’t quite
tall enough to top the three-point-scorers list. Out of 6,486 attempts
throughout his 18-year career, Miller made 2,560 three-pointers for a
percentage of 39%. Like Curry right now, Miller was loyal to one team –
the Indiana Pacers.
It may be a surprise to some that Miller is here at all. During his
heyday, many commentators ridiculed the giant’s awkward shooting
stances. Evidently, he got results. One of his best three-pointer
moments came in 1995 when Miller hit 8 points in 9 seconds. How did he
do it? He hit two three-pointers one after the other and then sank the
throws that were given to him.
4. James Harden
James Harden is known to be one of the NBA’s best
shooting guards, so it makes sense that he’s here. Everybody knows him
for his time with the Houston Rockets but he’s still out there, now
shooting hoops for the Philadelphia 96ers instead. From 7,035 attempts,
he sank 2,546 of them for a percentage of 36%.
As the other active player on this list, Harden fiercely pursues
three-pointers. He racks up a lot of misses and fouls, however, so he
doesn’t seem to have the accuracy that Curry does. He shouldn’t be
discounted; he looks like he could overtake Miller sometime soon.
5. Kyle Korver
The next NBA three-point scorer is Kyle Korver, who
is responsible for an NBA single-season three-pointer accuracy record
at 53.6% during his 2009-10 season. He was with the Utah Jazz at the
time but, like Allen, Korver has played for many teams in the NBA. From
the Philly 76ers to the Jazz and the Chicago Bulls, along with the
Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
From 5,715 attempts, he made 2,450 three-pointers to establish one of
the best percentages – 42.9%. That’s even better than Curry, for
reference. While he hasn’t announced his retirement, he’s with the
Brooklyn Nets as a player development coach. He’ll likely stay in those
positions and not test Harden’s record.
Conclusion
Across these five players, you have the most
prolific three-pointer scorers in NBA history. As Curry and Harden
climb, only time will tell if some new blood will make its way into the
top five soon.
