Check out the first five players up for consideration here, and the second group here. How would you rank them? Who was the purest three point shooter of the 90s?
Ray Allen– Allen is the NBA’s all-time leader in three pointers made and attempted during the regular season and has the most made three point shots in NBA history. He won the three point shootout in 2001. He is also the career leader in three pointers made for both the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics.
Peja Stojakovic– Stojakovic lead the league in three pointers made once in 03-04. Stojakovic won the three point shootout twice and was the first European player to win it. Even after a down 2010-11 year where he played for three teams he still hit 40% of his threes. His career average is also just over 40%.
Reggie Miller– Miller was the ultimate three point shooting villain. A notorious trash talker for years, maybe the best in the NBA during his playing career, Miller’s style and ability to shoot the three were established before a nationwide audience during his 25 point fourth quarter (primarily on threes) versus the Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, maybe the single greatest shooting performance ever. A year later in the playoffs, again against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden in game one of the semifinals, he scored 8 points in 8.9 seconds, including back to back threes, to win the game. Miller led the NBA in three point makes twice and was the all-time NBA leader until Ray Allen broke his record this season. For his career he hit .395% of his three point attempts.
Larry Bird– You could write an entire article about how great “Larry Legend” was beyond the three point arc. The winner of the first three NBA three point contests, Bird probably could have won it again if he wanted to. Maybe the greatest all around shooter in NBA history, it’s interesting to note that Bird attempted roughly only one three pointer a game in his first five seasons, making just .284% in that span. In his defense, the utilization of the three pointer was still in its infancy league wide. But over the next seven seasons Larry hit .398% of his attempts and led the league in threes made in 85-86 and 86-87, popularizing it as a weapon in the process. His career three point percentage was .376%
Mark Price– Price gets most of his recognition for his prowess as the greatest free throw shooter of all-time, leading the league in percentage three separate seasons and carrying a ridiculous .904 average for his career which is the all-time high. Price won the three point contest two times and retired with a career average of .402%. He was the second player in NBA history to shoot at least 40% on threes, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line in one season, following Larry Bird. His best season shooting three’s percentage wise came in 87-88 when he hit a ridiculous .486% from deep.
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