Top 10 Best NBA Three Point Shooters

When the three-point shot was introduced into the NBA in 1979, it was thought of as a way to introduce a new element to the game to add excitement. No one could have foreseen just how much it would change the game. Today, players are taking more threes than ever, and some of the greatest shooters ever are playing today. Below, the 10 greatest three-point shooters of all time are ranked and discussed.

Who Are the Best NBA Shooters of All Time?

1. Stephen Curry
2. Ray Allen
3. Reggie Miller
4. James Harden
5. Kyle Korver
6. Damien Lillard
7. Steve Kerr
8. Klay Thompson
9. Jason Terry
10. J.J. Redick

1. Stephen Curry

• NBA record for three-pointers made (3,302)
• Career three-point field goal percentage of 42.75% (12th-best)
• Two Most Valuable Player Awards

While there have been a lot of great three-point shooters in the NBA over the years, there is little to no doubt that Stephen Curry is the greatest three-point shooter of all time. Even though his career is still ongoing, he already holds the record for most three-pointers made in NBA history. As of February 9, 2023, he had made 3,302 three-pointers. He also has been extremely efficient in his shooting, making 42.75% of his three-point attempts, good enough for the 12th-best percentage all-time. 

Drafted out of Davidson in 2009 with the seventh overall pick by the Golden State Warriors, Curry has won two MVP awards, made nine All-Star teams, and won four NBA Championships while playing his entire career for the Warriors. For the most recent NBA Championship in 2022, Curry was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals for the first time. Even though he still has plenty of career left, Curry has already cemented himself as an NBA legend.

2. Ray Allen

• Second-most threes made all-time (2,973)
• 40.02% career three-point field goal percentage
• 10 All-Star appearances

As the man who held the record for most three-pointers until Curry broke it, Ray Allen is a three-point legend in his own right. Allen’s 2,973 three-pointers made him second all-time, and he held the three-point record for nearly 11 years. His career three-point percentage is elite as well, at 40.02%. In 1996, Ray was drafted out of UConn by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in the draft before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Allen spent his 18-year career playing for Milwaukee (1996-2003), the Seattle SuperSonics (2003-2007), the Boston Celtics (2007-2012), and the Miami Heat (2012-2014). During that time, he made the 1997 All-Rookie team, was voted into 10 All-Star games, made two All-NBA teams, and won two NBA Championships. He won his first title with Boston in 2008 before winning one with Miami in 2013. Before Curry came onto the scene, Ray Allen certainly had a case as the greatest three-point shooter of all time.  

3. Reggie Miller

• 2,560 career threes made (fourth-most)
• 39.47 career three-point percentage
• Five All-Star teams made

For much of the 1980s and 1990s, Reggie Miller was the greatest three-point shooter of all time. Prior to Allen breaking his record, Reggie Miller held the three-point record for 13 seasons, and his 2,560 career three-pointers currently rank him fourth all-time. At 39.47%, his three-point percentage is also nothing to scoff at. Reggie was a member of the 1987 draft class, taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 11th pick in that draft out of UCLA. 

Miller would go on to play his entire 18-year career with the Pacers from 1987-2005. He accumulated five All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections, and led the league in total three-pointers made on two occasions. Additionally, his #31 jersey was retired by the Pacers, and he was recently voted onto the NBA’s All-75th Anniversary team, as were Curry and Ray Allen. 

4. James Harden

• 2,697 career threes made (third all-time)
• 36.2% career three-point field goal percentage
• 2018 NBA MVP

Though he only joined the NBA about a decade ago, James Harden has already established himself as one the best three-point shooters of all time. As of February 2023, Harden has made 2,697 three-pointers in his career, good enough for third all-time. He likely will pass Ray Allen in the next few seasons for second all-time if his career continues on a similar path. In 2009, Harden was drafted from Arizona State by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the third overall pick in the draft. 

So far in his career, Harden has spent time with the Thunder (2009-2012), the Houston Rockets (2012-2021), and the Brooklyn Nets (2021-2022) before joining his current team, the Philadelphia 76ers, last season. The 2018 NBA MVP Award winner, Harden has also made it to 10 All-Star teams, seven All-NBA teams, and was a member of the 2010 All-Rookie team. Like the previous three members on this list, Harden is a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team as well.

5. Kyle Korver

• Fifth-most threes all-time (2,450)
• 42.87% career three-point field goal percentage (10th-best all-time)
• One All-Star appearance

Kyle Korver currently sits fifth all-time in three-pointers made (2,450) and 10th all-time in career three-point field goal percentage (42.87%). He is the only player in NBA history in the top 10 of both of those lists. The first player on this list not drafted in the first round, Korver was taken in the second round with the 51st overall pick by the New Jersey Nets out of Creighton in 2003. He never, in fact, played for the Nets, and instead played his 17-year career for the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-2008), the Utah Jazz (2008-2010, 2019), the Chicago Bulls (2010-2012), the Atlanta Hawks (2012-2017), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-2019), and the Milwaukee Bucks (2019-2020). In 2015, Kyle Korver made his lone All-Star appearance while playing for the Hawks. 

6. Damien Lillard

• 2,315 career threes made (sixth all-time)
• 37.21% career three-point field goal percentage
• Seven All-Star appearances

Another still-active player, Damien Lillard is already a legend in the three-point shooting world. As of February 2023, Damien Lillard sits in sixth all-time in three-pointers made, with 2,315. He has done that while making 37.21% of his three-point attempts. Another top 10 pick in the draft, Lillard was taken sixth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012 out of Weber State. 

Lillard has since played his entire 11-year career with the Trail Blazers thus far. In that time, he has made seven All-Star teams, six All-NBA teams, and was the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, he is yet another member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. Like Harden, Lillard has a great chance to climb even higher on the all-time three-pointers list before his career is over.

7. Steve Kerr

• Highest career three-point field goal percentage in NBA history (45.4%)
• 726 career three-pointers made
• Five NBA championships won

Kerr’s career three-point field goal percentage mark of 45.4% is the highest in NBA history, sitting over a full percentage point above the second-place mark of 44.1%. He did so while making 726 three-pointers, so he still attempted and made plenty of threes throughout his career. Like Korver, Kerr was a second-round pick in the NBA Draft, taken with the 50th overall pick in 1988 out of Arizona by the Phoenix Suns. 

Kerr would play one season in Phoenix before playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (1989-1993), the Orlando Magic (1993), the Chicago Bulls (1993-1998), the San Antonio Spurs (1998-2001, 2002-2003), and the Sacramento Kings (2001-2002). While he never received any major individual awards, Kerr was a member of five NBA Championship teams with the Bulls, so he certainly had an impact on winning.

8. Klay Thompson

• 2,095 career threes made (12th-most all-time)
• 41.56% career three-point field goal percentage (18th-highest all-time)
• Five All-Star appearances

Steph Curry’s legendary teammate, Klay Thompson, formed one of the best three-point shooting duos in NBA history with Curry while they played together. The two have rightfully earned the joint nickname of the “Splash Brothers” for their three-point prowess. When it comes to Thompson specifically, he currently has 2,095 career three-pointers made, which is good enough for 12th most all-time. He also has made 41.56% of his three-point attempts, which is in the top 20 in league history. 

In 2011, Klay was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall pick in the draft out of Washington State. He has since played 10 seasons for the Warriors, not including the two seasons he missed from 2019-2021 due to injury. In that time, he has made five All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams, and won four NBA titles in the last nine seasons alongside Steph Curry and with Steve Kerr as their head coach.

9. Jason Terry

• 2,282 career threes made (eighth-most)
• 37.97% career three-point field goal percentage
• 2011 NBA Champion

A terrific three-point shooter from the early 2000s, Jason Terry is the ninth best three-point shooter in NBA history . Terry still sits in the top 10 all-time with 2,282 career threes made, and he made 37.97% of his attempts to do so. A member of the last draft of the 20th century, Terry was drafted in 1999 out of Arizona by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick in the draft. 

A journeyman, Terry went on to play for six NBA teams in 19 seasons: the Hawks (1999-2004), the Dallas Mavericks (2004-2012), the Boston Celtics (2012-13), the Brooklyn Nets (2013-2014), the Houston Rockets (2014-2016), and the Milwaukee Bucks (2016-2018). He was a member of the 2000 All-Rookie team, won the 2009 Sixth Man of the Year Award, and won the 2011 NBA Championship with the Mavericks.

10. J.J. Redick

• 1,950 three-pointers made (18th-most all-time)
• 41.45% career three-point field goal percentage (19th-most all-time)
• Led NBA in three-point percentage in 2016

As the tenth best NBA three-point shooter, J.J. Redick is in the top 20 all-time in both three-point field goal percentage (41.45%) and three-pointers made (1,950). A college basketball legend coming out of Duke in 2006, Redick was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 11th pick in that year’s draft. In 15 NBA seasons, he played most of that time for the Magic (2006-2013) while also playing for the Milwaukee Bucks (2013), the Los Angeles Clippers (2013-2017), the Philadelphia 76ers (2017-2019), the New Orleans Pelicans (2019-2021), and the Dallas Mavericks (2021). Redick never won any major awards throughout his career, but he did manage to lead the NBA in three-point field goal percentage in 2016 while playing for the Clippers, shooting an incredible 47.5% that season from three.

Honorable Mentions

• Vince Carter
• Jamal Crawford
• Seth Curry
• Joe Harris
• LeBron James
• Jason Kidd
• Tim Legler
• Kyle Lowry
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Paul Pierce

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