Who Truly Holds the Crown as the Greatest 3 Point Shooter in NBA History?

I remember sitting in a barbershop back in 2015, listening to old-timers argue about whether Ray Allen or Reggie Miller was the greatest three-point shooter ever. The debate felt settled back then - Allen had just surpassed Miller's record, and his clutch shot in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals was still fresh in everyone's memory. But today, walking through that same barbershop, the conversation has completely transformed. We're now living in what I like to call the "three-point revolution," where the question of who truly deserves the crown has become wonderfully complicated.

Let me take you back to when three-point shooting was more art than science. Growing up watching Reggie Miller, what struck me wasn't just his percentage (39.5% for his career) but his sheer audacity. I'll never forget Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks - down 105-99 with 18 seconds left, Miller scores eight points, including two three-pointers, to steal the game. That's the thing about greatness - it's not just about numbers, but about moments that define eras. Miller made 2,560 threes in an era where teams averaged maybe 15 attempts per game compared to today's 35+ attempts. The degree of difficulty was insane - defenders could hand-check, and the offensive schemes weren't designed to generate open looks from deep the way they are today.

Then came Ray Allen, whose picture-perfect form I tried to emulate in my driveway for years. Allen brought a new level of athleticism and movement to three-point shooting. His career 40% from deep becomes even more impressive when you consider he often created his own shots rather than waiting in the corner. I remember watching his record-breaking 2,973rd three-pointer in person - the anticipation in the building was electric, and when that ball swished through the net, it felt like witnessing history. But what truly separates Allen in my book is his 385 three-pointers made in the playoffs - the most in NBA history. Big players make big shots when it matters, and Allen's shot against the Spurs with 5.2 seconds left in Game 6 might be the most important three-pointer ever taken.

But then Stephen Curry happened, and the entire conversation shifted. I've never seen anything like what Curry does on the basketball court. He's not just breaking records - he's rewriting what we thought was physically possible from beyond the arc. The man has seasons where he made over 400 threes - something nobody had ever done before him, and he's done it multiple times. His 2015-16 season where he made 402 threes at 45.4% is arguably the greatest shooting performance in basketball history. What gets me about Curry isn't just the volume or percentage - it's the degree of difficulty. He'll pull up from 30 feet without hesitation, sometimes with a hand in his face, and you genuinely expect it to go in. That's insane when you think about it.

The international game gives us interesting perspectives too. Watching the Philippines' recent back-to-back wins against Chinese Taipei in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup reminded me how the three-point revolution has gone global. The way teams everywhere are embracing the long ball shows how Curry's influence has transcended the NBA. When I see international players launching from deep with confidence, it makes me appreciate how the game has evolved from the days when big men dominated the paint.

Now, here's where I might ruffle some feathers - I don't think this is even a debate anymore. While I have immense respect for the pioneers like Miller and the clutch performers like Allen, Curry exists in a different dimension. The numbers tell part of the story - he has the top three seasons for three-pointers made in NBA history, the highest career percentage among high-volume shooters at 42.8%, and he did all this while defenses were specifically designed to stop him. But beyond statistics, Curry changed how basketball is played at every level. Go to any park today, and you'll see kids launching from well beyond the three-point line - that's Curry's legacy.

What often gets overlooked in these discussions is how different the defensive attention is for Curry compared to previous generations. Teams will literally run double teams at him as soon as he crosses half-court - something that rarely happened to Allen or Miller. The defensive schemes designed specifically to limit Curry are more complex than anything I've seen in basketball. Yet he still finds ways to get his shots off and maintain incredible efficiency.

Still, part of me wonders if we're too quick to crown the modern player. There's something to be said for what Miller and Allen accomplished with less sophisticated training methods and without the analytical revolution that informs today's shot selection. Allen in particular maintained remarkable consistency across different eras - he was elite before and after the three-point revolution. I sometimes imagine what Miller could have done in today's pace-and-space game with 10+ attempts per game instead of his career average of 4.7.

But when I step back and look at the complete picture - the stats, the eye test, the impact on the game, the championship pedigree - I have to give the crown to Curry. He didn't just join the conversation about great shooters; he fundamentally changed what it means to be a great shooter. The distance, the difficulty, the consistency - it's a perfect storm of shooting excellence that we may not see again for generations. Though knowing how basketball evolves, someone will probably come along in 20 years and make this entire debate start all over again.