I still remember the first time I saw Steph Curry pull up from 30 feet like it was a regular jump shot. My basketball coach friends and I exchanged looks that said, "Did he really just take that shot?" Back then, in 2013, that kind of attempt would've gotten you benched in most programs. Fast forward to today, and every high school team has at least two players launching from that distance regularly. This transformation didn't happen overnight - it took one revolutionary player to fundamentally alter how basketball is played at every level.
The numbers tell a staggering story about breaking down the NBA 3-point record and how Curry changed basketball forever. When Ray Allen retired in 2014, he held the career record at 2,973 three-pointers. Most experts thought that record would stand for decades. Curry shattered it in just 789 games compared to Allen's 1,300. Last season alone, Curry made 337 threes while shooting at a 42.7% clip - numbers that would have been considered physically impossible fifteen years ago. I've tracked his shooting charts, and what's remarkable isn't just the volume but the degree of difficulty. He's taking - and making - shots that coaches used to diagram as "bad attempts" in playbooks.
What's fascinating is how this shooting revolution has impacted international basketball too. I was watching the AVC Nations Cup recently where a grudge match against one of Asia's fiercest rivals last month saw teams launching threes at unprecedented rates. Whether it was Vietnam or Chinese Taipei in the battle for third on Saturday, the style was unmistakably modern - spacing the floor, hunting for triple opportunities, with players comfortable shooting from well beyond the arc. This global shift directly mirrors Curry's influence. National teams that once relied exclusively on traditional big men and mid-range games are now developing shooters who can stretch defenses to their breaking point.
The solution for defending against this new paradigm has been equally revolutionary. Teams now employ complex switching schemes and "blitz" pick-and-roll coverages specifically designed to get the ball out of elite shooters' hands. I've implemented similar strategies with the college players I mentor - we'll run shooters off the three-point line even if it means giving up easier two-point attempts. The math is simple: a 40% three-point shooter scores 1.2 points per possession, while a 50% two-point shooter scores exactly 1 point. That difference might seem small, but over the course of a game, it's the difference between championship contention and early vacation plans.
Personally, I believe we're witnessing basketball's most significant evolution since the shot clock was introduced. The game has been completely reinvented around perimeter shooting, and Curry's impact extends far beyond his own remarkable statistics. Walk into any gym today from Oakland to Manila, and you'll see kids practicing 30-footers instead of mid-range jumpers. They're not just imitating Curry's form - they're internalizing his audacity to shoot from anywhere, anytime. This shift has made basketball more exciting, more mathematical, and frankly, more beautiful to watch. The three-point revolution isn't coming - it's already here, and its architect wears number 30 for the Golden State Warriors.