In the modern NBA, three-point shooting has become arguably the most important trait on the basketball court. But shooting is much more than just connecting on shots from deep.
Great shooters have been in the NBA forever, and mid-range and free throw shooting are also vital aspects of playing basketball. There are a number of different ways to be a great shooter. Some players thrive in catch-and-shoot situations, while others are effective at creating their own jump shots off the dribble.
Regardless of how they did it, here are the 2o best shooters in the history of the NBA.
20. Drazen Petrovic
Shooters tend to have long careers because they don't see as significant of a drop-off in production as players who rely on their athleticism do. That fact makes Drazen Petrovic one of the biggest what-if stories in NBA history.
Petrovic was late getting to the NBA, not coming stateside until his age 25 season due to his obligations in European leagues. When he did get to the NBA, the Croatian star quickly took the league by storm because of his expertise as a shooter. Tragically, Petrovic's career and life were cut short when he was involved in a car crash at age 28. The accident led to Petrovic only having a four-year NBA career.
He was on the brink of stardom and had already displayed his shooting ability, shooting 44.4% and 44.9% from deep in his final two seasons while averaging 21.4 points per game.
19. Kyrie Irving
When you think of Kyrie Irving, shooting might not be the first trait that comes to mind, but that is more so because Irving is so talented at other aspects of basketball. His ball handling and finishing ability make fans forget the fact that he is also an elite shooter.
Irving is one of only nine players to shoot over 50% from the field, 40% from three-point land and 90% from the free throw line in a single season, otherwise known as the 50-40-90 club. Many players with efficiency as impressive as Irving are limited to a spot-up role, but Irving shoots efficiently while creating his own shot and shooting at a high degree of difficulty.
18. Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce was so versatile that some may forget that he was an elite jump shooter. He ranks 12th in league with 2,143 three-pointers made, and he scored in the mid-range as well. Pierce could get into a shootout with anybody and come out on top. He was known for his ability to hit tough shots, especially with the clock winding down.
17. Mark Price
A member of 50-40-90 club , Mark Price is one of the forgotten great shooters of the NBA. En route to leading the league in free throw percentage three times, Price twice shot over 94% from the charity stripe—each of which rank in the top-10 all-time. He is one of three players with a career free throw percentage above 90%, making him one of the best free throw shooters ever. On top of that, Price shot over 40% from deep during his career.
16. Peja Stojakovic
Peja Stojakovic was ahead of his time as a stretch forward. Tall shooters are now one of the most valuable player archetypes in the NBA, but few were as prolific from deep as the 6'10 Stojakovic before his rise to prominence with the Sacramento Kings in the early 2000s. A three-time All-Star, Stojakovic shot over 40% from deep while collecting 1,787 makes from long range.
15. Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr was only a role player during his playing days, but he provided elite-level three-point shooting wherever he was. The Golden State Warriors coach is the NBA's all-time leader in three-point percentage.
Kerr shot 45.4% from deep during his career, hitting countless big shots en route to winning five championships alongside the likes of Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan. In an era where not many players shot threes at a high volume, he twice led the league in three-point percentage and shot over 50% from behind the arc four times.
14. Pete Maravich
Pistol Pete Maravich was ahead of his time. Maravich would shoot from well beyond the arc before the three-pointer was even brought to the NBA. The three-point line wasn't implemented in the NBA until Maravich's final season. In a year that he struggled with injuries and only played in 43 games, Maravich was still able to display his immense shooting talent while going 10-of-15 on triples.
Maravich's shooting touch was advanced all over the floor, too. He was a great mid-range shooter and acrobatic finisher who could create his own shot and score even when he was the defense's primary focus point. Pistol was one of the game's first truly great shooters.
13. Dirk Nowitzki
Arguably the greatest shooting big man ever, Dirk Nowitzki's signature shot was the one-legged fadeaway jumper. The lifelong Maverick is one of two power forwards to rank in the top-40 in three-point makes, at 16th with 1,982 splashes from deep.
The German superstar thrived in the pick-and-pop, but he could also take you off the dribble, leveraging the threat of his jumper for quick attacks from the nail and pinch post. His signature shot was one of the most unguardable moves in basketball. Fittingly, Nowitzki is the only big man in the 50-40-90 club.
12. Chris Mullin
Chris Mullin had a smooth lefty stroke and was incredibly productive at every level as a shooter. He had a career effective field goal percentage of 53.97%, and led the league in that category in 1996-97 (60.5%). Mullin also led the league in free throw percentage the following season after shooting 93.9% from the charity stripe. His shooting touch was a big factor in helping the ‘Run TMC' Warriors become one of the most devastating offensive trios of their era.
11. James Harden
Harden might not be as pure a shooter as some of the other guys on this list, exemplified by him only shooting 36.3% from deep for his career, but he has always had a knack for getting the ball in the hoop from range. Weirdly, Harden isn't all that impressive as a catch-and-shoot or standstill shooter, but he has always been incredible at creating his own shot. He not only popularized, but mastered the step-back three-pointer, a move that has propelled him to rank third all-time in three-point makes.
Harden has also thrived when it comes to free throw shooting. He gets to the line at one of the highest rates in league history and has had success creating three and even four-point plays. Harden's methodical approach to getting his shots off is unorthodox, but it has certainly made him one of the best shooters ever.
10. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers ever, and his elite shooting is a big reason why. Standing over 6'10, Durant is able to shoot over the top of defenders with a high, virtually unblockable release on his jumper. No one his size has been such a gifted, versatile shooter.
Durant is able to hit three-point jump shots and take the ball off the bounce and pull up in the mid-range. He has the highest field goal percentage ever among all 50-40-90 seasons, shooting 56% last season while joining the exclusive club for the second time time in his illustrious career.
9. JJ Redick
JJ Redick wasn't an elite athlete, didn't have great physical traits and couldn't do much scoring inside of the three-point arc, but he made a career for himself by being one of the game's elite movement shooters.
Few, if any, players have been as successful shooting while on the move, a trait that allowed Redick to get open and bend defenses by sprinting off screens and never staying stationary. His constant energy and uncanny ability to hit tough jump shots on the move made him one of the best shooters during his 15-year-long NBA career and an annoying player to defend.
8. Kyle Korver
Now a member of the Atlanta Hawks front office, Kyle Korver was a three-point specialist of the highest order. He didn't do much else on the basketball court, but he was one of the best long-range jump shooters ever.
Most players on the all-time three-point make list rank so high because their stardom and longevity allowed them to get up a lot of shots. Despite Korver only being a role player, he is fifth in three-point makes (2,450) because he was so lethal from deep. His 42.9% rate on long balls is the best shooting percentage of anyone in the top50 for career three-point makes. Korver led the league in three-point percentage four times, and his 53.64% accuracy from 2009-10 is the best mark in NBA history.
7. Damian Lillard
Nicknamed Logo Lillard because of his ability to hit shots from near halfcourt, Damian Lillard is also one of the most clutch jump shooters ever. He has multiple walk-off jumpers from well past 24 feet in the playoffs, including game-winners against the Houston Rockets in 2014 and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. Lillard has played his entire career with the Portland Trailblazers, but his recent trade to the Milwaukee Bucks may open things up for him to be even more lethal as a shooter, whether off the bounce or off the catch.
6. Steve Nash
Only three players have multiple 50-40-90 seasons, while Steve Nash accomplished that feat four separate times. Nash led the famed ‘Seven Seconds or Less' sPhoenix Suns teams that were runners and gunners and incredibly productive on offense. Nash's primary role was as a facilitator, but he was also one of the most efficient shooters ever. The only thing preventing the two-time MVP from being higher on this list was his lower volume of shooting because when he did shoot, the ball tended to go in.
5. Reggie Miller
The league's first star who truly relied on the long ball, Reggie Miller ranks fourth all-time in threes despite spending the vast majority of his career in the '90s. Known for his three-point shooting (and the big moments that game with that), Miller was also incredible in other aspects of shooting. His mid-range jumper was impressive, and he shot over 90% from the free throw line eight times.
4. Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson's pure shooting ability is flawless. He has a picture-perfect form that should be taught to all beginners learning the sport of basketball. His quick release and repeatable mechanics make him arguably the best spot-up shooter of all time.
As one-half of the “Splash Brothers,” Thompson has tons of legendary moments that highlight his shooting prowess. He once scored 37 points in one quarter. The Warriors icon also held the record for most three-pointers in a playoff game with 11 until Lillard broke it a couple years ago. Perhaps most impressively, Thompson once scored 60 points while only dribbling the ball 11 times.
3. Ray Allen
Prior to the emergence of Steph Curry, it looked like no one would ever catch Ray Allen when it came to three-point shooting. He still ranks second all-time with 2,973 makes from beyond the arc.
Allen had a high-release point that was tough to contest, and he was the league's premier jump shooter during his time on the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Supersonics and Boston Celtics. However, his most legendary shooting moment came during the tail end of his career with the Miami Heat. Allen hit a game-tying corner three to send Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals to overtime. The signature moment is one of the most remembered moments in basketball history.
2. Larry Bird
Larry Bird is one of the greatest players ever greatest small forwards ever, boasting a versatile game that allowed him to impact winning as a scorer, passer and defender. However, his best trait was his shooting.
Bird was the first player to shoot 50-40-90, and he did it in back-to-back seasons. He also won the first three Three-Point Shootout and remains tied for the lead in career wins in that contest. Bird's most incredible display of shooting was when he played a game with his left hand. Saving his primary hand for the rival Los Angeles Lakers, Bird scored 47 points while shooting a chunk of his shots with his off hand.
1. Steph Curry
It should come as no surprise that Steph Curry is our choice for the best shooter of all time. No one has changed the game as much as Curry, and his emphasis on the three-point shot will affect the NBA—and basketball at all levels—forever.
Curry's 3,390 three-point makes are the most ever, a number highly unlikely to be caught by any active player. Still, he is much more than just a three-point shooter. Someone his size has never before been so efficient at all levels of scoring the basketball. He is the only player in the 50-40-90 club to score over 30 points per game in that season, while Curry is one of only two guards in the top-20 all-time of effective field goal percentage (58.32%) and is the all-time leader in free throw percentage (90.87%).
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