Warriors' Stephen Curry passes Ray Allen as NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made

Scott Rafferty

Warriors' Stephen Curry passes Ray Allen as NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made image

Stephen Curry is officially the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made.

Curry needed one 3-pointer to tie Ray Allen and two to pass him for the top spot heading into Tuesday's clash with the New York Knicks, and did just that in the first quarter to break the record.

Now that he has passed Allen, it only strengthens Curry's case as the greatest shooter in NBA history.

Ahead of his historic achievement, let's take a closer look at the NBA's all-time leaders in 3-pointers made, some of the records Curry already holds and which players are the greatest threat to catch him in the record books.

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NBA 3-pointers made record

The NBA's record for 3-pointers made hasn't changed hands much over the years.

In 2005, Reggie Miller retired with a total of 2,560 3-pointers to his name, setting the record for the most all-time. It wasn't until Feb. 10, 2011 that Allen surpassed Miller to become the NBA's leader in 3-pointers made. Allen retired in 2014 with 2,973 career 3-pointers.

Allen and Miller ranked first and second, respectively, until Curry passed Miller on Jan. 23, 2021.

Curry has now passed both of them, overtaking the crown as the NBA's all-time 3-point leader. He's also only 26 3-pointers away from 3,000 career 3s, a milestone no player has ever reached. The other active players in the top 10 in 3-pointers made are Brooklyn's James Harden and Portland's Damian Lillard.

NBA's all-time leader in 3s made
Rank Player 3PM
1 Stephen Curry 2,977
2 Ray Allen 2,973
3 Reggie Miller 2,560
4 James Harden 2,509
5 Kyle Korver 2,450
6 Vince Carter 2,290
7 Jason Terry 2,282
8 Jamal Crawford 2,221
9 Paul Pierce 2,143
10 Damian Lillard 2,109

What records does Stephen Curry hold?

Curry already holds quite a few 3-point shooting records.

In the 2012-13 season, Curry made a total of 272 3-pointers, breaking Allen's record at the time for most 3s made in a single season. He broke his own record in 2014-15 when he made 286 3-pointers. He did it again in 2015-16 when he made 402 3-pointers, which remains the most all-time.

Curry now accounts for five of the 10 most prolific 3-point shooting seasons in NBA history.

Most 3s made in single season
Rank Player 3PM Season
1 Stephen Curry 402 2015-16
2 James Harden 378 2018-19
3 Stephen Curry 354 2018-19
4 Stephen Curry 337 2020-21
5 Stephen Curry 324 2016-17
6 James Harden 299 2019-20
7 Paul George 292 2018-19
8 Stephen Curry 286 2014-15
9 Buddy Hield 282 2020-21
10 Buddy Hield 278 2018-19

For his career, Curry is making an average of 3.77 3-pointers per game. That's the most in NBA history, putting him ahead of Duncan Robinson (3.26), Buddy Hield (3.02) and Lillard (3.0).

Curry's other records include most seasons with at least 200 made 3-pointers (8), most 3-pointers made in a calendar month (96) and most games with 10-plus 3-pointers (22). Additionally, he ranks first all-time in 3-pointers made in both the playoffs (470) and Finals (121).

How many 3-pointers could Stephen Curry finish his career with?

Curry's name is already all over the record books. The crazy part? He's showing no signs of slowing down.

In 2020-21, Curry led the league in scoring for the second time in his career with an average of 32.0 points per game. He set career-highs in both 3-point makes (5.3) and attempts (12.7) per game that season while connecting on 41.6 percent of his opportunities.

Through 26 games this season, Curry is once again among the league leaders in scoring with 27.0 points per game, and he's again setting career highs in 3-point makes (5.4) and attempts (13.4) per game. He's established himself as the front-runner for MVP with his early-season play.

Curry is currently on pace to make 437 3-pointers this season, which would shatter his own record for most 3s made in a single season.

Health provided, Curry is going to create a lot of distance between him and Allen.

Having signed a four-year extension in 2021, Curry's current contract takes him through the 2025-26 season.

Most likely players to catch Stephen Curry

Among active players, Harden and Lillard are closest to Curry, but both of them are around the same age. Considering there's already a decent gap between them, it's hard to imagine either one of them catching Curry. (Of the two, Harden probably has the best shot.)

Klay Thompson is another candidate, but missing two straight seasons with injuries set him back a decent amount.

Hield (1,155) made more 3-pointers than Curry (905) did through the first five seasons of his career, but Hield was more than two years older than Curry was when he entered the NBA. Similar deal with Robinson.

Given how young they are and the volume with which they shoot 3s, Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker are perhaps the biggest threats to catch Curry.

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Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.