The three-point line was not introduced to the NBA until the 1979-80 season. For decades, it was utilized, but not at the level that the NBA today uses it. It wasn’t until the last 10 years that we saw the NBA transition from pounding the ball inside to teams taking just as many three-point field goals as two-pointers. Players like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and James Harden changed the game forever when they started draining shots from far away.
- 20. Eric Bledsoe – 33.6% (854-2,545 3PM-3PA)
- 19. Matt Barnes – 33.5% (982-2,931 3PM-3PA)
- 18. Darrell Armstrong – 33.4% (923-2,763 3PM-3PA)
- 17. Stephen Jackson – 33.3% (1,252-3,763 3PM-3PA)
- 16. Michael Adams – 33.2% (949-2,857 3PM-3PA)
- 15. Andre Iguodala – 33.0% (1,080-3,269 3PM-3PA)
- 14. Kobe Bryant – 32.9% (1,827-5,546 3PM-3PA)
- 13. Raymond Felton – 32.9% (925-2,813 3PM-3PA)
- 12. Jason Williams – 32.7% (1,238-3,784 3PM-3PA)
- 11. Scottie Pippen – 32.6% (978-3,002 3PM-3PA)
- 10. Devin Harris – 32.5% (832-2,558 3PM-3PA)
- 9. Stephon Marbury – 32.5% (991-3,048 3PM-3PA)
- 8. Antoine Walker – 32.5% (1,386-4,264 3PM-3PA)
- 7. Baron Davis – 32.0% (1,332-4,159 3PM-3PA)
- 6. Vernon Maxwell – 32.0% (1,256-3,931 3PM-3PA)
- 5. Clyde Drexler – 31.8% (827-2,603 3PM-3PA)
- 4. Gary Payton – 31.7% (1,132-3,570 3PM-3PA)
- 3. Allen Iverson – 31.3% (1,059-3,383 3PM-3PA)
- 2. Jerry Stackhouse – 30.9% (988-3,202 3PM-3PA)
- 1. Russell Westbrook – 30.5% (1,142-3,746 3PM-3PA)
There were some players, such as Reggie Miller and Ray Allen, who were ahead of their time. They were outliers during these times, but there were plenty of other players looking to shoot their shots as well. Not all of these players were very good at it, though. While some teams were fortunate to get a player like Kyle Korver, others received a player that made one out of three shots from outside.
When looking at the numbers, 20 players are considered the worst. We calculated their percentage based on members that took at least 2,500 three-point field goal attempts. You will not see any Shaquille O’Neals or Wilt Chamberlains on this list. Instead, we are looking at true shooters that might have averaged 20 points per game sometime in their career but did it while finishing with a terrible three-point field goal shooting percentage.
With 2,500 attempts minimum, these are the worst three-point shooters in NBA history.
20. Eric Bledsoe – 33.6% (854-2,545 3PM-3PA)
There was a time when one might have believed that Bledsoe might have been decent from the outside. The 2012-13 season was his third season in the league. With the Clippers, he connected on 39.7% of his three-point field goals. However, he would shoot over 35% from outside just two more times in his career. This past season, Bledsoe shot 31.3% from outside, which was his worst overall outside shooting season since he shot 20.0% during the 2011-12 season.
19. Matt Barnes – 33.5% (982-2,931 3PM-3PA)
Barnes never could muster up a shooting stroke. That was evident when he shot 15.4% and 22.7% in his first two seasons. Then he shot 25.0% with the Knicks and 18.2% from outside in a combined season in his third year. His career high of 36.6% came with the Warriors in 2006-07, but he dropped back to under 30% the following season.
18. Darrell Armstrong – 33.4% (923-2,763 3PM-3PA)
Armstrong once shot 50.0% from three-point range, but he played 13 games and averaged 3.2 minutes per game, so there is not a whole lot to see here. When he played for a long season, he was right around the mid-30s. He once shot 36.5% in 50 games and 36.8% in 48 games, but ultimately he was right around his career average for most of his career.
17. Stephen Jackson – 33.3% (1,252-3,763 3PM-3PA)
Jackson was a player that averaged over 20.0 points per game three times in his career. He won a championship in 2003 with the Spurs in a reserve role, but most of those points did not come from outside shooting. The best season Jackson had was 2007-08 when he averaged 36.3% shooting from outside. Other than that, his stats support he was purely a player that would make one out of three attempts.
16. Michael Adams – 33.2% (949-2,857 3PM-3PA)
Adams is one of the few players on this list that comes from the early parts of the three-point line. In his rookie season, he missed every shot he took from deep. That percentage grew to 27.5% in his second season and then he shot his career-high 36.7% from three-point range in his third year. After that, he struggled to maintain a percentage that was over 30%. If he did, it was right around his career average.
15. Andre Iguodala – 33.0% (1,080-3,269 3PM-3PA)
When Iguodala spent time with the Warriors, he was not a part of the shooting core that grew into the Splash Bros. His defense and midrange shooting were ample enough. During those years, Iguodala shot his career-high 52.8% field goal percentage during the team’s second title run. In his last season with the 76ers, Iguodala averaged 39.5% shooting from outside, but that was his one-hit-wonder. He has shot less than 30% just one time as most of his percentages are in the low 30s.
14. Kobe Bryant – 32.9% (1,827-5,546 3PM-3PA)
Out of all the players on this list, Bryant made the most three-point field goals and took the most shots as well. Outside shooting was not his strong suit, but it was Kobe Bryant. If he was open, he was going to shoot it and it didn’t matter where he was on the court. He shot a career-high 38.3% from outside during the 2002-03 season, but there were other times when he didn’t shoot over 32% during the team’s three-peat seasons. That percentage grew to 35.1% and 32.9% during the team’s other two title runs, but for the most part, those shots were not falling.
13. Raymond Felton – 32.9% (925-2,813 3PM-3PA)
Felton shot 35.8% from three-point range during his first season in the league and once eclipsed 38.5% in 2009-10. Outside of those two years, Felton hovered around a lower shooting percentage. That included 2007-08 when he shot 28.0% and followed that season with a percentage of 28.5%. There was another season in 2015-16 when he shot 28.2% from outside.
12. Jason Williams – 32.7% (1,238-3,784 3PM-3PA)
Two seasons saw Williams shoot well. He once shot 37.2% from outside as the Heat’s starting point guard for the championship season. He shot 38.0% in his first season with the Magic in 2009-10. Outside of those few years, getting over 30% was often a struggle. There were three instances where he shot under 30%, while there were six times where he failed to reach 32%. Altogether, Williams had a stronger talent for getting other shooters the ball instead of shooting it himself.
11. Scottie Pippen – 32.6% (978-3,002 3PM-3PA)
Pippen didn’t need to be a great outside shooter. That’s what Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr were for. Pippen spent the first seven years of his career failing to shoot over 34% from three-point range. His best season came when the Bulls won 72 games during the regular season when he shot 37.4%. That was his one outlier year because he failed to surpass 32% from the outside 10 times in his career.
10. Devin Harris – 32.5% (832-2,558 3PM-3PA)
When Harris was an All-Star in 2009, he did it by finishing the season shooting 29.1% from outside. Harris was never a true outside shooting threat. Getting to 34% was a struggle, something he missed doing 12 times in his career. His best shooting year came when he played for the Jazz in 2001-12 when he shot 36.2%. Altogether, Harris often sat around 32% from three-point range.
9. Stephon Marbury – 32.5% (991-3,048 3PM-3PA)
Marbury began his career shooting 35.4% from three-point range. He didn’t reach a higher percentage until 11 years later. After a 31.3% shooting clip his second season, Marbury shot a dismal 20.5% from outside in 18 games for the Timberwolves. He rebounded with 36.7% when he was traded to the Nets, but then dipped back to under 30%. Marbury’s best shooting season came when he played 24 games for the Knicks in 2007-08. When Marbury went international, he once shot 50.8% with the CBA but was unable to shoot that well in the NBA.
8. Antoine Walker – 32.5% (1,386-4,264 3PM-3PA)
Walker had no problem taking the shot. The issue was the ball going into the hoop. His best shooting season came during 1998-99 with the Celtics when he shot 36.9% from outside. He followed that season up with a 25.6% clip in 82 appearances. The inconsistency from Walker is what pops out the most. Once a year he would reach 36% and the other it would drop to 26.9%. He never could put together a string of seasons where he shot well.
7. Baron Davis – 32.0% (1,332-4,159 3PM-3PA)
A lot was going on for Davis to focus on, so three-point shooting wasn’t his niche. He was often leading the league in assists and he led the league in steals two times. He was still sufficient enough to reach 20.0 points per game three times in his career and hover around 18 points a night with his other teams. For the most part, Davis was someone that hovered around 31% shooting from deep. He reached over 32% seven times in his career, but two of those times came with a percentage of 32.1%.
6. Vernon Maxwell – 32.0% (1,256-3,931 3PM-3PA)
The first three years of Maxwell’s career saw him unable to shoot over 30% from outside. That percentage never reached over 35% in the following eight seasons. His best year of outside shooting was with the Hornets in 31 games during the 1997-98 season. It was the only time he shot over 35% from outside. That was a part of a career that saw Maxwell fail to shoot over 31% eight times.
5. Clyde Drexler – 31.8% (827-2,603 3PM-3PA)
Drexler is a Hall of Famer who once averaged over 27.0 points per game in this league back-to-back seasons. He finished his career as the all-time leading scorer for the Trail Blazers. This is not a slouch that we are talking about here. Then again, he had his strengths, and he had his weaknesses. Outside shooting was one of those. He began his career failing to shoot over 30% from three-point range in the first seven seasons of his career. There were just two times where he shot better than 35% from outside. Luckily, one of those seasons came when he won a championship with the Rockets.
4. Gary Payton – 31.7% (1,132-3,570 3PM-3PA)
Speaking of another great scorer in this league, Payton could get to the basket. He didn’t have the outside shooting stroke. This former Defensive Player of the Year made it up on the other side of the court, but when looking at his outside shooting numbers, this was his greatest weakness. His rookie season saw him shoot 7.7% from three-point range. That was followed by 13.0% in 81 games. He shot less than 30% from outside nine times in his career. His best season of 37.5% shooting came during the 2000-01 season with the SuperSonics.
3. Allen Iverson – 31.3% (1,059-3,383 3PM-3PA)
Iverson is a former MVP in the NBA that led the league in scoring four times. Iverson did it with quick maneuvers to the basket. This is a man that averaged more than 30 points per game four times. It wasn’t because of his outside shooting, though. Iverson failed to shoot over 30% eight times in his career. His best season came when he played for the Nuggets in 2007-08 when he shot 34.5%. With speed and quickness, Iverson was often running to the basket instead of waiting for someone to pass him an open shot.
2. Jerry Stackhouse – 30.9% (988-3,202 3PM-3PA)
The same season Iverson led the league in scoring, Stackhouse was right behind him by averaging 29.8 points per game. Stackhouse had his moments in the league when he looked like one of the best scorers in the league. Outside shooting was a tough skill for him. There were 10 seasons where Stackhouse failed to shoot over 30% from deep. That included a horrific 15.8% in 10 appearances with the Mavericks in 2008-09. For a longer season, he shot 20.8% with the Mavericks in 1997-98, while other times saw him around 28%-29%. His best season came during the 2006-07 season with the mavericks when he averaged 38.2% shooting from outside.
1. Russell Westbrook – 30.5% (1,142-3,746 3PM-3PA)
With his strength, size, and speed of Westbrook, he didn’t ever settle for an outside shot. Over the years, Westbrook has tried taking those shots, but he has been the worst at it. He has consistently been terrible at outside shooting. His rookie season saw him shoot 27.1% and this past season we saw him shoot 29.8%. For the course of his career, the three-point field goal has been the worst skill of Westbrook’s game. Eight times, Westbrook has failed to reach 30% or better. His career high was 34.3% when he won the MVP Award for averaging a triple-double in 2016-17. While Westbrook is a future Hall of Famer, there will be nothing in that speech about his three-point shooting.
