From a rarely-used gimmick shot to the centerpiece of modern offense, the list of most three-pointers in NBA history tells the story of basketball’s biggest tactical shift
When the NBA introduced the three-point line in 1979, few people inside the league believed it would ever become anything more than a marginal, occasionally useful wrinkle in the offense. Coaches openly dismissed it, some star players refused to shoot from that distance at all, and for the better part of a decade it remained one of the least-used weapons in professional basketball. Today, the list of most three-pointers in NBA history reads like a roadmap of the single biggest tactical revolution the sport has ever undergone, and understanding how that list came together says as much about the modern game’s identity as it does about any individual player’s shooting talent.
This piece goes deep into the full all-time ranking, the eras that shaped it, the single-season and single-game records nested inside the larger career list, and where the active players still climbing the rankings are likely headed next.
A Brief History of the Three-Point Shot
Before diving into the most three-pointers in NBA history list itself, it’s worth understanding just how recent this obsession with three-point volume actually is. The shot was introduced in the 1979-80 season, largely as a response to a rival league, the American Basketball Association, which had used the three-point line since its founding in 1967 as a way to differentiate its product and create more exciting offensive spacing. In its first several NBA seasons, the three-pointer was attempted so rarely that entire teams sometimes averaged fewer than five attempts per game across a full season, a volume that would be considered almost unthinkable for a single starting player in today’s league.
The shot’s slow adoption continued through the 1980s and much of the 1990s, even as pioneering shooters began to demonstrate its value. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s, and especially the 2010s, that front offices, analytics departments, and coaching staffs collectively recognized that a made three-pointer produces more expected points per possession than a long two-point jump shot, triggering the volume explosion that defines the modern game and has directly shaped who appears at the top of the most three-pointers in NBA history list today.
The Complete All-Time Rankings
1. Stephen Curry — All-Time Leader
Stephen Curry holds the record for most three-pointers made in NBA history by a significant margin, and he is also the only player in league history to have made more than 300 three-pointers in a single season, a mark he has now cleared on multiple separate occasions. Curry’s shooting gravity — his ability to pull defenders away from the basket purely through the threat of his range — has been credited with reshaping how modern NBA offenses are designed, and his continued active career means his all-time total keeps extending with every game he plays.
2. James Harden
James Harden’s step-back three-point shot became one of the most efficient and difficult-to-defend individual moves in modern NBA history, helping him climb to second on the most three-pointers in NBA history list. Harden’s shot volume during his peak seasons with the Houston Rockets, playing under a coaching staff that fully embraced three-point-heavy, analytics-driven offense, produced some of the highest single-season three-point attempt totals ever recorded.
3. Ray Allen
Before Stephen Curry redefined the record, Ray Allen held the career three-point mark for years, built on one of the smoothest, most technically flawless shooting strokes the league has ever seen. Allen’s game-tying three-pointer in the 2013 Finals for the Miami Heat remains one of the most iconic clutch shots in NBA history, and his career total reflects nearly two decades of remarkably consistent, high-volume shooting.
4. Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson’s rise alongside Stephen Curry in Golden State’s “Splash Brothers” backcourt produced one of the most prolific shooting duos in NBA history, and Thompson’s own three-point volume places him firmly among the top names on the all-time list. Thompson once made 14 three-pointers in a single game, a record at the time, and his catch-and-shoot efficiency off movement remains among the best the league has ever seen at that specific skill.
5. Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard’s deep, well beyond the arc shooting range has made him one of the most feared clutch shooters of his generation, contributing to a career three-point total that places him among the top five all-time. Lillard’s habit of pulling up from 30 feet or further in late-game situations, often successfully, has become a signature part of his individual scoring identity and a significant driver of his overall three-point volume.
6. Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry’s steady, high-volume three-point shooting across a lengthy career, particularly during his years anchoring the Toronto Raptors’ offense, has quietly pushed him into the top ten on the most three-pointers in NBA history list, a testament to consistency over highlight-reel flash.
7. Paul George
Paul George’s combination of size, shot-creation ability, and reliable perimeter shooting has made him one of the most productive high-volume three-point shooters among modern wing players, helping him climb steadily up the all-time rankings across a career split between Indiana, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, and Philadelphia.
8. LeBron James
While not primarily known as a three-point specialist relative to the names above him, LeBron James’s remarkable career longevity has allowed him to accumulate enough three-point volume to rank among the top ten all-time, an underrated dimension of a résumé more commonly discussed in terms of scoring, assists, and championships.
9. J.J. Redick
J.J. Redick built an entire NBA career around elite, high-volume catch-and-shoot three-point shooting, becoming one of the most reliable movement shooters of his generation and climbing into the top ten on the most three-pointers in NBA history list despite never being the primary offensive option on any of his teams.
10. Reggie Miller
Before the modern three-point boom, Reggie Miller was one of the sport’s true pioneers of high-volume perimeter shooting, and his career total remained the standard bearer for the record for years before later generations of shooters, benefiting from a league-wide strategic shift toward three-point volume, eventually surpassed him.
Most Three-Pointers in NBA History — Top 10 Table
| Rank | Player | Approx. Career Threes Made | Primary Team(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 3,700+ (active, climbing) | Golden State Warriors |
| 2 | James Harden | 2,900+ | Houston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, LA Clippers |
| 3 | Ray Allen | 2,973 | Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, Miami |
| 4 | Klay Thompson | 2,700+ | Golden State Warriors |
| 5 | Damian Lillard | 2,700+ | Portland, Milwaukee |
| 6 | Kyle Lowry | 2,200+ | Toronto Raptors |
| 7 | Paul George | 2,200+ | Indiana, Oklahoma City, Clippers, Philadelphia |
| 8 | LeBron James | 2,300+ | Cleveland, Miami, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 9 | J.J. Redick | 1,950+ | Orlando, Clippers, Philadelphia, others |
| 10 | Reggie Miller | 2,560 | Indiana Pacers |
Single-Season and Single-Game Records Within the List
Beyond the career total rankings, the most three-pointers in NBA history conversation also includes several notable single-season and single-game marks. Stephen Curry holds the single-season record, having become the first player to surpass both 300 and 400 made three-pointers in a season, a level of volume that was considered essentially impossible under the league’s shooting patterns just a decade earlier. On a single-game basis, several players have made 13 or more three-pointers in one contest, with Klay Thompson’s 14-three-pointer outburst against the Chicago Bulls in 2018 standing as one of the most memorable individual shooting performances in modern league history.
These single-game and single-season marks matter because they illustrate just how dramatically shooting volume has changed even within the careers of players still active today. A total that once represented a historically dominant full season now sometimes represents a single exceptional month for the league’s highest-volume shooters.
Why Stephen Curry’s Impact Goes Beyond the Numbers
While Stephen Curry’s placement atop the most three-pointers in NBA history list is impressive on its own statistical merits, his broader impact on the sport arguably matters even more. Curry’s shooting range effectively forced opposing defenses to guard him tightly well beyond the traditional three-point arc, creating driving lanes and passing angles for teammates that simply didn’t exist in earlier eras of NBA basketball. Front offices around the league responded by prioritizing shooting and floor spacing in roster construction decisions to a degree that had been previously undervalued, a shift in team-building philosophy directly traceable to the tactical problems Curry’s shooting created for opposing coaching staffs.
Youth and high school basketball have followed a similar trajectory, with measurable increases in three-point attempt rates at nearly every level of organized basketball over the past decade, a shift most coaches and analysts trace directly back to Curry’s stylistic influence on how the game is taught and played below the professional level.
The Analytics Revolution Behind the Numbers
The explosion in three-point volume reflected across the most three-pointers in NBA history list didn’t happen purely because of individual shooting talent — it was accelerated significantly by the broader analytics movement that swept through NBA front offices during the 2010s. Statistical models consistently demonstrated that a made three-pointer, worth one additional point compared to a two-point shot, produced a higher expected value per possession than long two-point jump shots, a category of shot that has since become increasingly rare in modern NBA offenses. This data-driven shift in shot selection philosophy compounded with individual shooting talent to produce the volume totals seen at the top of today’s rankings, meaning the list reflects both individual skill and a league-wide strategic transformation happening simultaneously.
Active Players Still Climbing the List
Beyond the established names above, several currently active players continue climbing the most three-pointers in NBA history list with each passing season. Trae Young’s high-volume, deep-range shooting has positioned him for a potential top-ten finish if he sustains his current career trajectory, while younger stars like Anthony Edwards have shown flashes of the kind of shooting volume that could eventually push them into the broader all-time conversation as their careers progress. Buddy Hield has also quietly built one of the more efficient high-volume three-point profiles among role players in recent seasons, climbing steadily up the rankings without ever being his team’s primary offensive option.
How the Record Might Look a Decade From Now
Given how dramatically three-point volume has increased even within the last ten years, some analysts expect the list of most three-pointers in NBA history to look significantly different a decade from now. Young players entering the league today have grown up in a basketball culture where high-volume three-point shooting is simply the expected norm, rather than a specialized skill some players developed later in their careers. Combined with continued advances in shooting mechanics training, biomechanical analysis, and player development technology, it’s plausible that future volume shooters could challenge Curry’s record with career trajectories built around three-point shooting from the very start, rather than adapting to it partway through their careers as many of today’s top names did.
Final Thoughts
The list of most three-pointers in NBA history is more than a simple shooting leaderboard — it’s a detailed record of one of the most significant tactical revolutions professional basketball has ever undergone. Stephen Curry’s position atop that list reflects both extraordinary individual shooting talent and a broader transformation in how the sport itself is played, coached, and analyzed. As younger generations of players continue entering the league already fluent in high-volume three-point shooting, expect this particular record to remain one of the most actively contested and rapidly evolving statistical categories in all of professional sports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who holds the record for most three-pointers in NBA history? Stephen Curry holds the career record by a significant margin and also holds the single-season record, having been the first player to surpass both 300 and 400 made three-pointers in a single season.
Who held the three-point record before Stephen Curry? Ray Allen held the career three-point record for years before Curry surpassed him, built on one of the most technically consistent shooting strokes in NBA history.
How many three-pointers did Klay Thompson make in a single game? Klay Thompson made 14 three-pointers in a single game against the Chicago Bulls in 2018, a mark that stood as the single-game record at the time.
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