Stephen Curry’s career 3-points timeline described by pop culture
Stephen Curry is already the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader, but Thursday night, he became the first player in league history to net 4,000 career 3-pointers.
The Golden State Warriors star reached the milestone in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings.
Curry’s consistency from deep is unprecedented. He has led the league in single-season 3-point field goals eight times, including a record 402 in the 2015-16 season. The records for five of the six most 3-pointers made in a single season belong to Curry.
A lot has changed since the four-time NBA champion netted his first, 1000th, 2000th and even 3000th 3-pointer. But what hasn’t changed is Curry’s proficiency from deep.
Here are some notable trends at each of Curry’s 3-point shooting milestones.
No. 1, Oct. 30, 2009
Starting lineups:
Warriors: Curry, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Anthony Randolph, Andris Biedriņš
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Amar’e Stoudemire
Curry’s first 3-pointer didn’t come until the second quarter of his second game. Biedriņš found Curry at the top of the key as he swished home a triple. Amazingly, he only attempted three shots from deep in the matchup against the Suns — a total he could potentially eclipse in a single quarter now.
None of Curry’s then-Warriors teammates play in the NBA now. Former Suns Barbosa, Jarron Collins and Jared Dudley are currently on the coaching staffs of the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
The Billboard Hot 100 was dominated by pop hits during the week of Curry’s first triple. Britney Spears’ “3” debuted at No. 1, with Jay Sean’s “Down” at No. 2. The top five was rounded out by “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo and “Run This Town” by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West.
No. 1,000, Jan. 7, 2015
Starting lineups:
Warriors: Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Marreese Speights
Indiana Pacers: C.J. Watson, CJ Miles, Solomon Hill, David West, Roy Hibbert
In the midst of Curry’s first NBA championship-winning season, he became the fastest player to reach 1,000 3-pointers in league history (369 games). Curry received a pass from Green midway through the first quarter and splashed home a three ball from the wing.
Golden State’s future NBA Finals opponent Cleveland Cavaliers played on that day. Kyrie Irving had 38 points without LeBron James in a 105-93 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Lob City-era LA Clippers played that day, too, blowing the Los Angeles Lakers out 114-89 with Blake Griffin’s 27 points, eight assists and nine rebounds.
Curry’s mark came a week before the 2015 NFL playoffs and less than one month from the New England Patriots’ memorable victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
No. 2,000, Dec. 4, 2017
Starting lineups:
Warriors: Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, JaVale McGee
New Orleans Pelicans: Rajon Rondo, Jrue Holiday, E’Twaun Moore, Dante Cunningham, DeMarcus Cousins
Aided by consecutive seasons of at least 300 3-point field goals, it took Curry less than three seasons to go from 1,000 to 2,000. This time, it was Andre Iguodala who found him for the deep trey.
The 3-pointer again made Curry the fastest to reach 2,000. It took him 597 games, easily eclipsing Ray Allen’s record (824).
Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” was coming off a monstrous month, grossing $281 million domestically to top the charts. Also released in November 2017 was Apple’s iPhone X, the company’s first smartphone to include an all-screen display. Apple referred to it as: “the future of the smartphone.” According to Forbes, the iPhone X was the world’s most sold smartphone in the first 3 months of 2018.
In the football world, the Pittsburgh Steelers came back to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on “Monday Night Football,” the same night Curry reached 2,000. The Steelers moved to 10-2 on the season with the trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown.
No. 3,000, Dec. 28, 2021
Starting lineups:
Warriors: Curry, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Kevon Looney
Denver Nuggets: Facundo Campazzo, Will Barton, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, Nikola Jokic
Two weeks after he passed Ray Allen for the most 3-pointers in NBA history, Curry became the first player to surpass 3,000 triples. The moment came late in the third quarter off of an assist by Nemanja Bjelica. Notably, it was Curry’s first 3-point milestone in the Chase Center — he reached 1,000 at Oracle Arena.
No. 3,000 came in the midst of a dominant box office run for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which grossed $572 million in December. It’s the eighth-highest grossing film of all-time at $1.9 billion worldwide.
Unsurprisingly, Christmas-themed tunes topped the Billboard Hot 100. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” sat at No. 1 with Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at No. 2, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” at No. 4 and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” at No. 5. The only non-festive track in the top five the week of Dec. 25, 2021 was Adele’s “Easy On Me.”
Source: espn.com