Steph Curry’s impact on the game of basketball is undeniable. Over his 12-year career, he led a basketball revolution that saw the explosion of the 3-point jumper.
Still, just because Curry is the best doesn’t mean he was the first.
There were many great shooters who came before the star guard, including Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Ray Allen. While most of JJ Redick’s career overlapped with Curry’s, he didn’t have Steph’s influence growing up like many young stars do today.
On Twitter, he was quick to remind one fan of that fact after it was suggested that the Baby Faced assassin helped make it easier for Redick to master his shooting ability.
Steph Curry made it easier for you to do https://t.co/FvHfPwMFMW
— ✨God_First_✨ (@D_Fresh2004) January 15, 2022
I’m older than Steph
— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) January 15, 2022
Basically, Redick was talking about the worst advice he ever received from a coach. According to him, it’s the time he was told not to shoot transition threes.
Since shooting has always come so naturally for J.J., telling him not to shoot is never (and has never) been a very good idea.
Of course, Redick never became an All-Star or anything, but his shooting was crucial for many of the teams he played for. Most impressively is that he was lighting his opponents up from deep before it was really even cool or accepted.
Interestingly, while Curry may not be able to take credit for developing JJs jumper, the former Clippers guard did recognize Steph as the greatest shooter ever.
JJ Redick said that Steph Curry is number one on the list, which is unsurprising, given that most people consider him the greatest shooter of all time. As for the rest of the list, Redick didn’t give an order but named Klay Thompson, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and Kyle Korver in his top 5.
Redick, 37, retired in 2021 after 15 years in the league, over which time he knocked down over 1,900 three-pointers. With stints in Orlando, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, he proved himself valuable over the years and accomplished much as one of the NBA’s premier role players.
While he doesn’t have the impact or gravitas of Steph Curry, he stands out as one of the first products of the new-age NBA. He was a sign of what was to follow, and he’s making sure nobody forgets it.
