When I first started watching the NBA, the three-point shot felt exciting, but now, it feels like the center of the game. And no one shows that better than Stephen Curry. He didn’t just break records; he changed how basketball is played.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through who holds the NBA three-point record right now and why Curry is so far ahead of everyone else.
I’ll also show how big the gap is between him and other top players, and whether anyone today even has a real chance to catch him.
Along the way, I’ll go back in time to explain how the three-point shot started, how it slowly grew in importance, and which players helped shape it before Curry took it to another level.
By the end, you’ll clearly see why this record stands out in NBA history.
Who Holds the NBA Three-Point Record Right Now?
Stephen Curry is the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, and it isn’t particularly close.
In March 2025, Curry became the first player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career three-pointers made, a milestone so far ahead of the field that it may stand for decades.
Curry became the all-time leader in three-pointers made back on December 14, 2021, when he broke the mark previously held by Ray Allen. Since then, he’s kept adding to it at a pace nobody else has matched.
What makes Curry’s record even more remarkable is the consistency behind it.
He has made at least one three-pointer in 967 of his 1,010 career games, a 95.7% rate that ranks first all-time among players who have played at least 50 games.
Curry’s record may be the one NBA milestone that rivals LeBron’s scoring record, which says a lot given how many LeBron James facts are built around breaking barriers nobody thought possible.
How Far Ahead Curry Is From the Next Player
The gap between Curry and the rest of the field is enormous:
| Player | Career Three-Pointers Made (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 4,000+ |
| James Harden | 3,117 |
| Damian Lillard | 2,785+ |
| Klay Thompson | 2,657+ |
| Ray Allen | 2,973 |
Curry was the first player to reach 3,000 career three-pointers and has since been joined only by James Harden at 3,117, while Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson are still approaching 3,000. Curry is in a category entirely his own.
Active Players Who Could Challenge the Record
No active player is realistically chasing Curry’s record. Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Jayson Tatum are strong three-point shooters in their mid-20s, but they’d need to sustain high volume and accuracy for 15+ seasons to get close.
That’s a very long shot, pun intended.
History of the Three-Point Shot in the NBA
The three-point line wasn’t always part of basketball. The American Basketball Association introduced the rule change for the 1967-68 season, originally as a way for smaller players to get more involved in a game dominated by big men.
The NBA initially resisted the three-point shot, viewing it as a gimmick, but adopted the three-point line for the 1979-80 season on a one-year trial that became permanent.
Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979.
In that inaugural 1979-80 season, teams averaged just 2.8 three-point attempts per game. In the 2023-24 season, that number had climbed to 35 attempts per game.
The Players Who First Made It a Weapon
The three-pointer spent its first decade as an afterthought. A few players changed that:
- Larry Bird used it strategically in the 1980s, proving it could win games in the clutch
- Dale Ellis and Danny Ainge were among the first true volume shooters from deep
- Reggie Miller turned it into a signature weapon through the 1990s, especially in big moments
- Dell Curry, Stephen’s father, was one of the most reliable specialists of his era
These players laid the groundwork for what the shot would eventually become.
How the Game Shifted From Paint to Perimeter
The move from inside scoring to perimeter shooting evolved over time. In the early 2000s, analytics made the three-point shot mathematically appealing: a 33% shooter scores as effectively as a 50% two-point shooter.
That math changed everything. Coaches began building rosters around spacing and shooting, and the midrange jumper slowly became less common. The paint wasn’t abandoned, but the perimeter became just as valuable.
That shift changed the record books in ways nobody expected, and the NBA scoring king right now is a direct product of how the game opened up.”
Best Three-Point Shooters by Era
1. 1980s and 1990s: The Early Specialists
The early years of the three-pointer produced specialists rather than stars. Players like Dale Ellis, Craig Hodges, and Reggie Miller built careers around the shot at a time when most players still avoided it.
The “three-point specialist” became a common archetype; their sole objective was to run around, get open, and fire off threes.
Miller was the biggest name of the era. His ability to hit clutch threes in playoff situations made the shot feel dangerous in a way it hadn’t before.
2. 2000s: When Threes Became Mainstream
By the 2000s, the three-pointer was no longer a specialist’s weapon. It was everyone’s weapon.
| Era | Avg. Team Three-Point Attempts Per Game |
|---|---|
| 1979-80 | 2.8 |
| 1999-2000 | ~13 |
| 2009-10 | ~18 |
| 2023-24 | 35 |
Ray Allen and Peja Stojakovic were the gold standard of shooting in this era. Allen’s mechanics were considered close to perfect, and he eventually broke the all-time three-point record before Curry came along and shattered it entirely.
3. 2010s to Now: the Curry Revolution
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are largely credited as the pioneers of the three-point revolution.
By the end of the 2012-13 season, Curry was already considered one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history after breaking the single-season record with 272 made threes.
He kept going. Curry has led the NBA in total three-pointers made in eight of his 16 seasons, including a record 402 three-pointers in 2015-16 when he became the first unanimous MVP in league history.
The Curry era didn’t just produce records. It changed how every team in the league plays basketball.
Wrapping Up
Looking at everything, I can say this record feels almost untouchable right now. Stephen Curry didn’t just pass other players; he moved the goalpost so far that it’s hard to imagine anyone catching him soon.
The gap, the consistency, and the way the game is built around his style all make his achievement stand out even more.
What really stays with me is how the three-point shot went from a small part of the game to its biggest weapon. From early shooters to today’s stars, every era played a role, but Curry took it to a whole new level.
If you love basketball as I do, this is one record worth keeping an eye on for years to come. Who knows what the future holds?
If you enjoyed this, stick around for more simple breakdowns of NBA records and player stories.
