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Who Are the Current NBA Three Point Made Leaders and Their Records?

2025-11-17 11:00

As I sit here watching another incredible NBA game, I can't help but marvel at how much the three-point shot has transformed basketball. I've been following the league for over two decades now, and the evolution from post-heavy offenses to today's three-point revolution has been nothing short of remarkable. Just last night, I found myself tracking Stephen Curry's shooting performance with the same intensity I used to reserve for watching Shaquille O'Neal dominate the paint. The three-pointer has become basketball's great equalizer, changing how teams build their rosters and how coaches design their offensive schemes. This shift reminds me of how Coach Mike Saguiguit utilized all 14 players in his lineup recently, with each contributing to Caloocan's climb to 15-7 in their tournament. There's something beautiful about how modern basketball values every player's ability to contribute, whether they're starters or coming off the bench.

When we talk about three-point shooting in today's NBA, we're essentially discussing an arms race that has completely redefined offensive basketball. I remember watching Ray Allen break records and thinking nobody would ever surpass his achievements, but here we are witnessing players shatter those marks season after season. The current landscape of three-point specialists is fascinating because we're seeing different types of players master this art. You have your pure shooters like Stephen Curry, who I believe has the most beautiful shooting form I've ever seen, and then you have big men like Karl-Anthony Towns who can stretch the floor in ways that would have been unimaginable twenty years ago. The diversity in today's three-point leaders reflects how the game has evolved - it's no longer just about guards launching from deep but about every position developing this crucial skill.

Stephen Curry stands alone at the pinnacle of three-point shooting, and honestly, I don't see anyone catching him anytime soon. With over 3,500 career three-pointers and counting, he's not just breaking records - he's creating a new standard that future generations will struggle to reach. What amazes me most about Curry isn't just the volume but the degree of difficulty on so many of his shots. I've lost count of how many times I've watched him pull up from well beyond the arc with defenders in his face and still drain the shot effortlessly. His 402 three-pointers in the 2015-16 season remains one of those records that feels almost mythical, like Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. The way Curry moves without the ball, his lightning-quick release, and his unlimited range have fundamentally changed how defenses approach the game. Teams now have to defend from the moment they cross half-court, creating more space and opportunities for everyone else on the court.

While Curry dominates the conversation, the supporting cast of elite shooters has never been more impressive. James Harden's step-back three has become one of the most unstoppable moves in basketball, even if I personally find it less aesthetically pleasing than Ray Allen's classic form. Damian Lillard's deep threes have redefined what constitutes a good shot, while Klay Thompson's catch-and-shoot mastery demonstrates how specialization can elevate an entire team's offense. What's particularly interesting to me is how these shooters have adapted their games differently - Harden creates mostly off the dribble, Thompson excels moving without the ball, and Lillard does a bit of everything. This variety in approach shows that there's no single path to three-point excellence, which makes studying these players so fascinating from a technical standpoint.

The international influence on three-point shooting cannot be overlooked either. Players like Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić have brought European shooting sensibilities to the NBA, demonstrating that great shooting transcends basketball cultures. I've noticed that international players often have a more fundamentally sound shooting base, which contributes to their consistency from deep. Dončić's step-back three has become his signature move, while Jokić's ability to shoot as a center creates mismatches that most teams simply can't handle. This global infusion of shooting talent has raised the overall level of three-point proficiency across the league, making every game a potential shooting showcase.

Looking at team strategies, the emphasis on three-point shooting has never been higher. Teams are now designing their entire offensive systems around creating and converting three-point opportunities. The Houston Rockets under Mike D'Antoni took this to its logical extreme, often attempting more threes than twos in games. While some purists complain about the loss of post play, I find the strategic complexity of modern offenses incredibly compelling. The constant movement, screening, and ball rotation designed to generate open threes represents basketball at its most intellectually sophisticated. This team-wide approach to three-point shooting reminds me of how Coach Saguiguit leveraged all 14 players in his lineup - when everyone can contribute, the offensive possibilities become endless.

The records themselves tell a story of exponential growth in three-point proficiency. When Reggie Miller retired with 2,560 three-pointers, it seemed like an untouchable record. Now multiple active players have surpassed that mark, with several more likely to do so in the coming years. The single-game record of 14 three-pointers held by Klay Thompson feels particularly remarkable because of how efficiently he achieved it - needing only 24 attempts and doing it in just 27 minutes of play. What I find most impressive about today's shooting records isn't just the numbers but the efficiency with which they're achieved. Modern shooters are making more threes on better percentages than ever before, which speaks to both improved technique and smarter shot selection.

As we look to the future, I'm convinced we're only scratching the surface of what's possible with three-point shooting. The next generation of players grew up watching Curry and have been practicing deep threes since childhood. We're already seeing high school players routinely shooting from NBA range, and the development of shooting technology and analytics continues to accelerate improvement. Personally, I'm excited to see how this evolution continues, though I do worry that the mid-range game might become a lost art. The balance between three-point efficiency and offensive variety represents one of the most interesting strategic tensions in modern basketball. What's clear is that the three-point shot will continue to shape the NBA for years to come, creating new legends and rewriting the record books in ways we can't yet imagine. The beautiful game continues to evolve, and I feel privileged to witness this incredible era of shooting excellence.

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