The 3-point shot has become a staple of modern NBA basketball. Nowadays, teams are looking to have multiple players on the court who can shoot from deep at all times.
This is because it spaces the floor and opens up driving lanes for others, and teams need threats from beyond the arc in order to win at a high level in the modern NBA. Let's take a look at some of the deadliest 3-point marksmen to ever grace the hardwood.
4. Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller's stellar shooting from beyond the arc has undoubtedly inspired many of the best shooters in the game today. He played 18 seasons in the NBA, and is second all-time in 3-pointers made at 2,560. Miller held the top spot for a handful of years until Ray Allen beat his record while playing for the Boston Celtics in 2011.
The former Indiana Pacers guard not only made a lot of triples, he made them when it mattered most. Miller certainly had the clutch gene, as shown by the time he scored eight points and made back-to-back 3-pointers in a matter of seconds to seal a victory against the New York Knicks in a 1995 playoff game.
3. Ray Allen
The current all-time leader in 3-point field goals made, Ray Allen unquestionably deserves a spot on this list. The 10-time all-star made 2,973 triples and shot 40 percent from deep for his career.
His best season as a long range shooter came during the 2005-06 campaign as a member of the Seattle Supersonics, in which Allen made 3.4 treys a night on a 41.2 percent clip.
Maybe the most impactful 3-pointer of his career came against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. With the game on the line, and the Miami Heat down by three with just seconds remaining, Allen buried a shot to send the game into overtime. Miami ended up winning the game and the series in seven games.
2. Klay Thompson
With 1,798 3-pointers made so far in his career, Klay Thompson is not at the top of the list of players with the most threes made in NBA history. That being said, he is well on his way to ranking among the best long distance shooters ever.
He is 29 years old and has only played eight seasons in the NBA. Assuming he can make a full recovery from a torn ACL he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals, it is safe to say that he will be at the top of the most 3-pointers made list within a few seasons.
Thompson owns the NBA record for most triples made in a single game with 14, a feat that he accomplished during a game that was played on Oct. 29, 2018 against the Chicago Bulls in the United Center.
1. Stephen Curry
Thought of by many as the best shooter in the history of the sport, it seems to only be a matter of time until Stephen Curry eclipses Allen's 3-point record. Curry is a career 43.6 percent 3-point shooter, ranking as the third best percentage of all time.
The former MVP has the record for the most 3-pointers made in a season, nailing 402 of them in 2015-16. That campaign saw Curry making 5.1 triples a game on 45.4 percent shooting from long range, averaging 30.1 points per game en route to being the first player ever to be named regular season MVP with a unanimous vote.
The Baby-Faced Assassin will own numerous 3-point records by the time he retires.
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