Stephen Curry is widely regarded as the best sniper we’ve ever seen on a basketball court, but former Golden State Warriors star Tim Hardaway Sr. believes he played with a better one. When Curry was called the greatest shooter God ever created on the latest episode of the Crossover Podcast, Hardaway brought up his former Warriors teammate, Chris Mullin.
“Yeah, y’all never seen Chris Mullin,” Hardaway said.
As one would expect, Hardaway got some pushback. The 59-year-old was asked if he truly believes Mullin could shoot better than Curry.
“I’m going to tell you this,” Hardaway stated. “I didn’t seen Chris Mullin not miss for two and a half hours. That’s insane… I never been in the gym with Steph Curry, just like y’all never been in the gym with Chris Mullin.”
Hardaway still wasn’t quite giving a direct answer, and he was pushed to give one.
“You think Steph Curry better, but you never been in the gym with Steph Curry,” Hardaway said. “I’m tell you, I’ve been in the gym with Chris Mullin. Yes. What I saw, yes.”
Sure, most of us haven’t seen Curry and Mullin in the gym, but we do know what they did in actual NBA games. The latter was a great shooter, but he is not in the same class as the former.
Mullin shot 38.4% (815-2,120) from beyond the arc during his 16-year NBA career while averaging 2.2 attempts per game. He shot over 45.0% from three in three seasons, so he was no slouch.
Mullin was undoubtedly one of the very best shooters of his era, and he’d have been great in today’s NBA, with the emphasis on the three-pointer. He’d have taken and made a whole lot more shots from deep.
While Mullin deserves a lot of respect, Curry is still well clear. He has shot 42.2% (4,233-10,037) from beyond the arc in his career while averaging a whopping 9.4 attempts per game.
The fact that Curry is that efficient despite taking and making the most threes in NBA history is just ridiculous. There is a reason why even the most confident players like Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. rank the guard above themselves.
Chris Mullin Believes Stephen Curry Is A Better Shooter Than Him
If you’re wondering whether Mullin considers himself better than Curry, the answer is that he does not. He appeared on The Mark Jackson Show back in 2024, where he touched on this subject.
Host Mark Jackson put together a list of the best shooters he played with, played for, and coached, and, of course, it included both players in question. Mullin put Curry right at the top of that list.
“I would say this all those guys, and you mentioned with Steph, the ability to do without the basketball is what really makes it different,” Mullin said. “Because all of a sudden, just by your movement, you’re creating opportunities for your teammates. And that’s a hell of a list that you put together there, man, but I agree.
“Steph, he’s the guy that sticks out because of his ability to play with and without it,” Mullin added. “That’s just so unique these days. Guys don’t see it; they don’t know how to guard it. He’s the best, he’s the top of the list.”
There is a lot of debate when it comes to topics such as who is the greatest player ever, but there isn’t when it comes to the greatest shooter. Curry is at the top, and there’s no one even close to him.
