The greatest shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry, has etched his name atop another list, becoming the first player in the league’s history to hit 4,000 career three-pointers.
Curry entered the Golden State Warriors’ Thursday night matchup against the Sacramento Kings needing two more triples to reach the historic mark.
His first came midway through the first quarter when Jonathan Kuminga found him wide open, and Curry calmly drained the shot, bringing him to career three No. 3,999 as the Warriors jumped out to a 14-6 lead.
Less than a minute later, he launched another attempt but missed the mark.
With the Chase Center crowd buzzed with anticipation, Curry didn’t get another opportunity from beyond the arc until late in the second quarter, when his shot missed short, with less than four minutes remaining.
Prior to the game, the Warriors superstar was seen in discomfort with what the TNT broadcast described as tightness in his back. Cameras caught him on the bench during the game, with the area wrapped and a heat pad applied.
Although it didn’t come until the third quarter, Curry finally reached the historic milestone with just over eight minutes left, as the shifty guard side-stepped away from his defender before burying the deep triple, leading to loud “MVP” chants and a standing ovation from the Warriors’ faithful.
The Warriors honored Curry’s historic milestone on the next timeout, playing a tribute video that included current and former Golden State players. Curry watched on and waved at the crowd afterwards before play resumed.
Curry finished with 11 points as the Warriors blew out the Kings 130-104 to improve to 38-28 on the season.
The two-time NBA MVP called it a “special moment” to achieve the milestone in front of the home crowd.
“To do it in front of my home fans – it was a weird game, I didn’t get many attempts but to finally get it in the third (quarter), I felt the energy. It was special.” Curry told the TNT broadcast after the game.
Curry passed Ray Allen to become the NBA all-time leader in three pointers made in 2021. Since then Allen has fallen to third place behind Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden.
When asked if he thought about his 5,000th career three-pointer, Curry quickly said he was “living in the moment.”
“Blessed to keep doing this thing,” Curry added. “2,974 felt like an eternity ago. Being out here with this fresh milestone is pretty cool. Who knows? … I am going to stay in the present right now.”
Before the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he “never could’ve imagined” Curry getting to this feat but commended the four-time champion for his longevity.
“He was obviously a great three-point shooter, but something like that requires incredible longevity and here we are a decade later,” Kerr said.
The Warriors are in the midst of a hot streak since acquiring six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline.
“Right now, it’s just a matter of appreciating the challenge of trying to put together a good run down the stretch,” Curry told CNN during the All-Star break.
“We’re taking it in small increments. We haven’t been a consistent team all year, so we’re trying to put a streak of wins together, get into a playoff series, because that’s really all we want – a fighting chance to be a threat in the playoffs.”
Since the All-Star break, the Warriors have won nine of their last 10 games and are 12-1 with Butler in the lineup. Golden State have also climbed up the Western Conference standings during that time frame going from 10th to sixth place in the 14 games since acquiring the star forward.
Curry has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Butler’s addition, averaging 30.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds since his acquisition.
As the regular season comes to an end, Curry is confident his Warriors team can make a deep run in the playoffs and capture a fifth championship ring.
“Absolutely. That’s why we’re juiced to be in this position,” Curry told 95.7 The Game on Wednesday.
Curry added: “I like the idea that we can confidently say on a night-to-night that we can beat anybody.
With his 37th birthday on Friday, Curry is enjoying a season in which he most recently celebrated becoming the 26th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points, was named All-Star Game MVP in the Bay Area, and won his first career gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
