James Harden has passed Ray Allen for second-most threes made in NBA history as the Clippers played the Jazz on Sunday. With 6:09 left in the first quarter, Harden made his 2,794th career three-point shot as he connected with a three from the wing. Additionally, Allen needed 1,300 games to make 2,793 three-point shots while Harden did it in only 1,086 games. However, the top spot still belongs to Stephen Curry, with 3,782 career three-pointers (and counting).
Check out the moment James Harden passed Ray Allen, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, in this replay shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.
Clippers star moves up all-time ranks
Before taking hold of the No. 2 spot in threes made all-time, James Harden has also made history as one of only three players in NBA history to make 300 three-pointers in a season. One of the best shooters of the modern era made 378 three-pointers in 2018-2019, when he still played with the Rockets.
Guess who the two other players are? None other than the Splash Brothers: Klay Thompson, who made 301 threes in 2022-2023, and Curry, who did it five times, including an NBA record of 402 in the Warriors’ record-breaking 73-9 season in 2015-2016.
“Both of those guys are extraordinary shooters,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of his star shooter and Allen before the Jazz game, via the Associated Press.
On the other hand, Ray Allen had taken the top spot in threes made from NBA legend Reggie Miller during the 2010-2011 season. He has held the record for a decade, until Curry took it during the Warriors’ championship year in 2022.
Shooting and star power
The modern NBA has put a premium on three-point shooting, thanks to Curry and Harden, demanding nearly all five players on the floor to shoot threes on decent volume and percentage.
It was inevitable, then, for a player to break shooting records and take Allen’s spot as the top shooter in NBA history.
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For instance, in 2010-2011, Allen only shot 4.7 threes in 80 games. Meanwhile, in 2022, Curry took 11.7 threes per game in 64 games played, while Harden averaged 13.2 threes per game in 2019, with 78 games played.
Currently, the Clippers will need Harden to take more shots, as Paul George has departed, while Kawhi Leonard remains out with nagging injuries.
While the team lacks star power, they are not an easy out because they always play hard. Moreover, Norman Powell has had a breakout season so far, earning himself early consideration for the Most Improved Player Award at age 31.
Besides Powell, Ivica Zubac has blossomed with Harden as the point guard, but the team will need more of their other players to develop into stars (or star role players) if they want to make a splash in the postseason.
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