Steph Curry is widely acknowledged as the best three-point shooter of all time. He crossed Ray Allen during the regular season and has made more threes than any other player in the history of the game. The way his shooting has changed the game over the last few seasons as well means that most people would agree that his legacy in terms of shooting is set in stone.
But it seems not everyone agrees, with John Salley recently making the suggestion that Curry isn’t quite the best shooter in NBA history. His argument revolved around the fact that Curry has had more of a green light than a lot of the best shooters in NBA history, with him naming a few that he thinks were as good, including Curry’s father Dell:
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“Not really, but his dad was a hell of a shooter. Reggie Miller was a hell of a shooter. Dale Ellis was a hell of shooter. Larry Bird was a hell of a shooter… and how many more shots he’s taking?” Salley said.
While there have definitely been great shooters throughout the history of the game, Curry getting as many shots as he does is also a product of the era he himself helped usher in to the NBA. To hold that against him doesn’t make too much sense, seeing as he is effectively the face of the modern three-point shooting era of the NBA.
And the effectiveness and efficiency of Curry’s shooting is also definitely a factor. His 42% career percentage considering the volume of threes he has taken is truly unbelievable. Salley may disagree, but he is most definitely in a very small minority of people that would deny Curry the crown. Steph can increase his legacy even further if he can help his Golden State Warriors win their 4th championship of this era this season.
