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Video: Steph Curry Talks Legacy, Reacts to Criticism About 3-Point Shooting in NBA

Zach BacharContributor IDecember 24, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 15, 2024 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry reflected on his impact surrounding the increased three-point shooting in the NBA over the past few years.

"I don't think you want me to answer that question because it's now the talk of the talk of how everybody shooting threes," Curry said during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN's NBA Today. "I love it personally, because it's if you think about just yeah, the sheer numbers of it, but how you create threes and the beauty in the game, like, everybody does it just a little bit differently. It's new, and a lot of people have a little different viewpoint on it, but for me, like, it is cool to kind of have seen the evolution of it."

The 10-time All-Star also gave his thoughts on the criticism of teams attempting more long-range shots each night.

"I mean, everybody has their opinion," Curry said. "It's not like I can go out and do a 360 windmill and, you know, drive down the lane and dunk on somebody. So for me, like, I'm never gonna fight three-point shots. That's just, you know, how I see the game, it's how I've seen the game forever. But like everybody has a different viewpoint and certain skill sets that start coming to the league. You see how many bigs are dominating, you know, down on the post and it's like a kind of either extreme. And the cool part, like defenses adjust, and it just takes time for that to happen. So, we'll see, you know, what how it goes. But I'm going to keep shooting threes, so don't worry about that."

It's no secret that the success of the Warriors during their stretch of three championship victories from the 2014-15 season through their 2017-18 campaign heavily influenced the NBA landscape.

During Golden State's 73-9 campaign in 2016, they paced the league by attempting 31.6 three-point shots every night (via NBA.com). This season, 29 of the 30 teams in the association are shooting at least 33 long-range jumpers per game.

Curry's mindset surrounding his own approach to firing away deep shots makes sense, as he's been able to maintain his efficiency despite a high volume of his shots coming from well beyond the arc.

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STEPH CURRY DAGGER. UNREAL 😱 <a href="https://t.co/fpOpnYcfVJ">pic.twitter.com/fpOpnYcfVJ</a>

The 36-year-old is already the NBA's record-holder with 3,841 threes made throughout his career, but he also ranks No. 12 on the all-time three-point percentage list (via Basketball Reference).

Curry has attempted at least 10 long-range shots per game in eight separate seasons since he was drafted by Golden State with a first-round pick in 2009, shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc in seven of those years.

In 23 games to open Curry's 2024-25 campaign, he's averaging 21.8 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point territory.

While the two-time MVP recognized his impression on the rest of the league, he doesn't plan on changing his offensive tendencies anytime soon.