RotoWire breaks down the best 3-point shooters of all time.
The 3-pointer was introduced to the NBA during the 1979-80 season, with Brian Taylor being the league’s first 3-point champion with 90 makes in a season. We’ve come a long way since then, with Stephen Curry leading the way in 2023-24 with 357 triples.
Below are the players who have led the league in 3-point scoring in multiple seasons.
Stephen Curry: 8 times
In addition to leading the league in three-point field goals a record eight times, Curry is the NBA leader in total made 3s for his career (3,747). He’s also the leader in career playoff 3s (618). In the postseason, Curry has averaged 4.2 made triples at 39.7%. Curry’s single-game high for made 3s is 13, set Nov. 7, 2016 in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Known as the greatest shooter of all time, Curry is also two-time Kia MVP and four-time NBA champion. He’s made 10 All-Star teams, has led the NBA in scoring twice and led the league in steals once.
During his back-to-back MVP seasons in 2015 and 2016, Curry averaged 26.9 points on 49.6 FG% while hitting 4.3 triples at 44.9% and shooting 91.0 FT%. He also averaged 7.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. He’s heading into his 16th season with the Golden State Warriors after being selected by the franchise with the No. 7 overall pick in 2009.
James Harden: 3 times
Harden’s 3-point titles came in three consecutive seasons from 2017-2020. Across that three-year span, he totaled 942 makes on 36.3 3P%. He won Kia MVP during the first season of that stretch while also leading the NBA in total made free throws in each of the three campaigns. In the latter two years, Harden led the league in total points. Those years were at the end of his nine-season stretch with the Houston Rockets in which he averaged 29.6 points on 44.3 FG% while making 3.3 3s per game at 36.3 3P% and shot 86.2 FT%. He also averaged 7.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 37.0 minutes.
Harden is also a 10-time All-Star and has led the league in assists twice. Before his time in Houston, Harden spent three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After his Houston stint, he’s spent two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, two with the Philadelphia 76ers and is heading into his second campaign with the LA Clippers. He was drafted third overall in 2009.
Ray Allen: 3 times
The Hall of Fame guard is known as one of the best pure shooters in league history, but he was also a prolific all-around scorer in his prime. Allen led the NBA in made 3s in 2002, 2003 and 2006 – split between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Seattle SuperSonics. During that stretch of seasons, Allen made four of his 10 All-Star teams and averaged 23.3 points on 44.4 FG% and made 3.0 3s per game at 39.9%. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 threes in 38.2 minutes per game. Allen boasts a career 40.0 3P% and is a two-time champion – once with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and with the Miami Heat in 2013. He shot 40.1% from distance over his 171 career playoff appearances.
Players who have led the NBA in made 3s twice
