NBA's best shooter ever?

[rikhardur]

After an original idea in a Portuguese forum, I thought it should be interesting to discuss the issue here on IBN too. I took the poll options from the original thread and added some as replies were posted.

[elaj]

I was between Miller, Stojaković and Petrović. Picked Petrović.

[Test]

Hardest poll ever don't know what to pick

[RickyRicardo1989]

It's definitely a tough one.
I haven't seen all of them at their peak, but I'd probably have to go with either Reggie Miller or Peja Stojakovic.

[Straight forward]

"Shooter" is not only shooting guard as I understand than Kukoč is the one I choose.

[rikhardur]

"Shooter" is not only shooting guard as I understand than Kukoč is the one I choose.

Surely not. Even a centre can be a shooter.

My pick is Reggie Miller.

[the_black_planet]

Strange,I don't see anyone agree but I believe it's MJ.From middle range his shot was the most unstopable weapon to ever be in the game,he didn't have the range but probably didn't need it.

[Saskibaloia]

My Choice: LARRY BIRD

Though I actually never grew up watching Larry, I have his DVD: A Basketball Legend, I was purely amazed at the shooting ability of this guy. He could shoot the ball from anywhere, anytime and in any situation. In addition, his shooting was the core of why the Celtics won those 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS in the 1980s.

A quick question to all you fans of shooters out there: If the Great Oscar of Brazil played in the NBA, would he have been in the top 3 or top 5 shooters of All time?

[Levenspiel]

Not intended to imply anything, just some stats below. Ok, I had to mark Nash's outstanding line there.

Career 3-pointers (reg. season only):

2560, 39.5% - R. Miller
2395, 39.6% - R. Allen
1719, 40.3% - D. Ellis
1699, 40.1% - P. Stojakovic
1609, 34.7% - J. Kidd
1559, 40.0% - G. Rice
1548, 39.1% - C. Billups
1546, 37.3% - E. Jones
1542, 35.5% - T. Hardaway
1537, 39.1% - R. Lewis
1528, 35.8% - N. Van Exel
1489, 38.2% - J. Terry
1459, 43.1% - S. Nash
1435, 37.4% - M. Finley
1395, 40.5% - B. Barry
1386, 32.5% - A. Walker
1360, 35.8% - D. Majerle
....
1305, 40.2% - A. Houston
1277, 34.1% - K. Bryant
1211, 37.3% - M. Bibby
1112, 37.8% - D. Nowitzki
....
837, 40.4% - K. Korver
828, 40.3% - J. Hornacek
726, 45.4% - S. Kerr
385, 45.4% - J. Kapono
....
255, 43.7% - D. Petrovic

[LordOfLeyte]

It was tough choosing between Reggie Miller and Larry Bird so it was my personal preference that I had to go with.

Larry Bird was far the best shooter I have seen. Purely textbook and can really shoot at any angle given the permitted shooting range and the pressure coinciding on his games where he would drain shots that are nerve-wrecking.

[usausa]

Larry Bird. He could shoot from anywhere on the floor at anytime. He was the first one to arrive to practice and the arena gameday and the last to leave. Perhaps the most clutch as well and had great hustle. One my favorite Bird moments was in the three point contest (believe in was 1987 in Dallas) where in the final round, Larry was falling off the pace to win. But on the last 2 racks, he started draining everything. On the last rack, he needed the money ball to win. When he released it, he walked away holding 1 finger in the air before the shot went in! Well lucky the shot fell in or else it wouldve looked bad!

[KrisPen]

ehm.. Where is Mark Price?

Reggie Miller for me!

[Lewis]

no offence Rik, but any poll like this without Chris Mullin, Rick Barry, Dale Ellis, Mark Price, Mitch Richmond, and Glen Rice on it is a big absurd disrespectful JOKE

Mark Price

was known as one of the league's most consistent shooters. He finished his career with a 90.4% free throw shooting percentage, placing him as the league's all-time leader in this statistical area,[2] and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage.[3] During the 1988–89 season, Price became the third player, along with Larry Bird and Reggie Miller, to shoot at least 40% from three-point range, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line.

He played for the US national team also known as Dream Team II, in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal

Mark Price - league's all-time free throw percentage leader and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage

Glen Rice

was well known for his pinpoint shooting accuracy with one of the smoothest shots in the game, ranking 5th in NBA history with 1,559 three-point field goals made

Rice played college basketball for the University of Michigan where he became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,442 points. In the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, scoring an NCAA-record 184 points in tournament play, a record that still stands, Rice was also voted the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 25.6 points for the season, while shooting 58% from the floor and 52% from three-point range. After Rice's junior year, he join the 1988 Olympic basketball Dream team, but was cut before reaching the group of 48.
He finished with 18,336 career points.
In 1995, Glen Rice won the NBA All-Star Long Distance Shootout at the 1995 All-Star game in Phoenix, edging out another sharp-shooter Reggie Miller.

In 1997 he led the league in 3-point field goal percentage (47.0%).
Glen Rice is one of only two players to rank among the NBA's alltime top 10 in both three-point field goals made (1,353, third) and three-point field goal percentage (40.5%, seventh). Pacers guard Reggie Miller is the other. [8]

Rice is also 5th all time in three pointers made in the NBA

Chris Mullin

He was a dead-eye outside shooter and could go to either his left or right and shoot with either hand, despite being naturally left-handed.he was compared to NBA legend Larry Bird because both players lacked speed, had a great outside shot and had the innate ability to put their defender off guard
Mullin teamed with Mitch Richmond to form the highest-scoring duo in the NBA, with a combined average of 48.6 points per game. They were also the youngest teammates to lead the league in scoring since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971-72.Mullin was also at the peak of his career. At the end of that season, he played with the 1992 Olympic Team known as the "Dream Team," led by NBA all-time greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Bird. He played three seasons with the Pacers and led the NBA in 1997-98 in free-throw percentage (.939) and ranked third in three-point percentage (.440). In 1999-2000, Mullin led the Pacers in three-point percentage (.465) which was second in the NBA

Mitch Richmond

Richmond is one of only six players in NBA history to average at least 21 points per game for his first 10 seasons – along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.[citation needed] He was also one of the most accurate long-range shooters in league history, making 1,326 three-pointers in his career, which places him 13th all-time in career three-point field goals made. He finished his career with 20,497 points, which ranks #30 all-time among total points scored in an NBA career.
Richmond is the Kings' franchise's third leading scorer.

Rick Barry

consider one of the best 50 players of all time
NBA leading scorer in 1967 (35.6 ppg)
ABA leading scorer in 1969 (34.0 ppg)
NBA highest free-throw percentage 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980
ABA highest free-throw percentage 1969, 1971, 1972

Dale Ellis

Ellis had career averages of 15.7 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, a .479 field goal percentage, and a .403 three point field goal percentage. He is third all-time in three-point shots made with 1,719, and is 12th all-time in three point field goal percentage. He scored 53 points for the SuperSonics on November 9, 1989. Ellis put up a .595 field goal percentage in 118 games with the Tennessee Volunteers, and as a senior he averaged 22.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. in the NCAA
Ellis played in all 82 games that season and averaged 24.9 points to lead the Sonics. He shot .516 from the floor, posted a .358 three-point field goal percentage, and finished second to Larry Bird in the NBA long distance shootout during All-Star Weekend. His best season of his career came in 1988-89, when he finished third in the league in scoring (27.5 ppg) and second in three-point shooting (.478). He ranked fifth in the NBA in three-point shooting at .433, the eighth time in his career he has surpassed .400. He finished the season ranked second in the NBA in career three-pointers made (1,682) and attempted (4,166), trailing Reggie Miller in both categories, and 34th on the all-time NBA scoring list (18,826 points)
Ellis is remembered for his accurate 'catch and shoot' rhythm coming off the low post and baseline screens. He has remained one of the league leaders in three-point shooting, topping the NBA with a .464 mark for Seattle in 1997-98 at the age of 38. He ranked fifth with a .433 mark in 1998-99.

Kevin Johnson

is one of six players to have averaged at least 15.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.
Johnson is one of only two players (the other is Magic Johnson) to have twice averaged at least 20.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.
Johnson was the first player in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, a .500 field goal percentage, and 2.0 steals in a season (in '90-'91); he has since been joined in that regard by Chris Paul (in '08-'09). He is Phoenix Suns all time leader in free throws made, free throws attempted.

nuff said, here's my list of the bets shooters of all time:

1. Reggie Miller: 2,217 career 3-point FGs made
2. Larry Bird
3. Chris Mullin
4. Drazen Petrovic
5. Mark Price: league's all-time free throw percentage leader and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage
6. Steve Nash: is the best active player by percentage: .4256
7. Steve Kerr: has the best all time percentage in 3pt.: .4540
8. Ray Allen
9. Glen Rice
10. Dennis Scott: 267 three-pointers in a single season (1995-96)
11. Tim Legler: single season 3-point FG % - .5224 (128/245) (Washington, 1995-96 )
12. Dale Ellis
13. Mitch Richmond
14. Peja Stojakovic



now if be talk about scorers (no shooter), it's be like this:

1 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The greatest scorer of all time in the NBA, with 38,387 points, playing 1560 games.
Kareem scored more than 20 points per game in his first 17 seasons, and had 4 seasons with 30 plus points per game. He won two scoring titles

2 – Michael Jordan
no need to say anything

3 – Wilt Chamberlain
Mr. 100 points. The only player to average over 50 points in one season He was league leading scorer 7 times. He is only one of two players that has scored 3000 points in a season, Michael Jordan is the other, but Mr. 100 points did 3 times
Chamberlain averaged 20 plus points in his first 12 seasons and 30 plus in his first seven. He finished with 31,419 points, and is 2nd all time in points per game with an averaging of 30.1

4 – Karl Malone
36,928 points in 1476 games, averaging 25 points per game, 11th best all time. Malone only scored less than 20 points in his first and his last (had to share the ball with Kobe, Shaq, Fox, and Payton) seasons

5 – Shaquille O’Neal
He averaged 23.4 points in his rookie year, He never averaged below 26.2 until being trade to The Heat. He also has three seasons with 29 plus and has averaged more than 20 points in his first 14 seasons. He won the scoring title twice.

6 – Moses Malone
Straight out of high school, Malone scored 27,409 points in 1329 games, averaging 20.6 points per game in the NBA. He played 21 seasons.
He scored 31.1 points per game in his last season with Houston. never scored below 20 points.

7 – Oscar Robertson
26,710 points in a 1040 games, averaging 25.7 points per game, and averaging a triple double in the 1961-1962 seasons – 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game. Robertson won nothing with the Royals and was traded to the Milwaukee bucks before the 1970-71 season began.
Robertson never averaged below 12.7 points per game in his career, and averaged over 30 six times, his best being 31.4 points per game in the 1963-64 season.

8 - Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon is the best center of all time, he scored 26,946 points in 1238 games, averaging 21.8 points per game or more in his first 13 seasons


9 – Elvin Hayes
He won the scoring title in his first season, averaging 28.4 points per game in the 1968-1969 season. Only rookie to ever do so.

In 16 seasons in the league he scored 27,313 points in 1303 games, averaging 21 points per game. His best scoring season was 28.7 points. He scored over 20 points in 10 seasons, including his first seven.

10 - Kobe




Best Active Shooters:

Pull Up: Kobe

Set Shooter: Durant

Off Screens-:Rip Hamilton

3 Pointer - Steve Nash (I Know, I know, Allen is the best, but right NOW, Allen is not as good as he used to be)




Other players missing: Chauncey Billups (they don't call him Mr. Big Shot for nothing), Jason Terry, Kapono, Carmelo Anthony (anybody who says Carmelo is not a shooter but a scorer, better stop watching the Euroleague for a while and start paying more attention to the NBA) and Michael Redd (when healthy at least). Come on Now, there are more way better shooter left out than those on the list.

Best big Man shooter of all time: Bob McAdoo (sorry Dirk, but there's not comparison here)


Top 10 NBA 3 Point Shooters of All Time

1. Reggie Miller
the all time NBA record holder for 3 pointers made with 2,560 and attempted with 6,486 while shooting an amazing 39.5%. He hit over 100 three pointers in 15 consecutive seasons, another NBA record. He led the NBA twice in 3’s made, Miller placed in the top ten in 3 point percentage 5 times

2. Ray Allen
Allen has hit the second most 3 pointers in NBA history with 2,299 while shooting 39.8% Allen set the NBA record for 3’s made in a season in the 05-06 season when he hit 269. He has been in the top ten in 3’s made and attempted 10 times, being also 1st in three seasons, (an NBA record) he has also been 2nd in three time.Allen set the NBA record for most 3’s made in a NBA Finals series with 22 in the 2008 series. Allen led the league in play-off 3’s made in the 00-01 and 07-08 seasons.

3. Dale Ellis
the first NBA player to hit 1,000 3 pointers in a career. Ellis placed in the top ten in 3 pointers made 11 times during his career 8 times in the top ten for attempts, and 7 in the top ten in three point percentage with 47.8% in 1988. He also leading the league in with a 46.4% in 1997. When he retired he was leader in 3 points made with 1,719 and is currently 3rd all time.He was 40.3% shooter behind the 3 pt line. and was the first player ever to hit at least 9 3s in a single game in 1990.

4. Larry Bird
was in the top ten for 3’s made in a season 6 times, he was number one in 85-86 season and also in 86-87. As Well as, being in the top ten in 3 point percentage 8 times,though he is only 122nd in 3 pts made in the NBA with a career 3 point percentage of 37.6%

5. Glen Rice
Rice was a 40% career shooter beyond the 3 point line. In the 96-97 season Rice led the league in 3 point percentage with 47% and 207 three pointers. Rice was in the top ten 6 times in made 3 pointers and 3 in the top ten in 3 point percentage. Rice was 5th in NBA history with 1,559 3’s made when he retired and 11th in attempts with 3,896.

6. Steve Nash
He is 5th all time in 3 point percentage with 43.2% among active players Nash is 2nd behind Jason Kapono, (yes Kapono not Allen). He has been in the top ten in percentage 7 times in his career. In 07-08 he was 2nd in percentage with a 47% and hitting 179 three pointers.

Over the past seasons Nash has averaged better than 50% from the field, 90% from the free throw line, and 40% behind the three point line, a NBA record. Nash has 1,360 three pointers so far, and is placed 16th all time.

7. Peja Stojakovic
was one of the best best shooter of the early 2000s. He is 4th all time and 2nd among active players behind Ray Allen in 3s made. He has been a top ten in both 3 pointers made and attempted 4 times, leading the league in makes in the 03-04 season when he hit his career best 240.His career percentage is 40.2%, 9th among active players

8. Dan Majerle
Thunder Dan was probably the most recognized 3 point shooter in the 90’s. Majerle ranks 16th all time in three pointers made with 1,360. He led the league in three pointers made and attempted in the 92-93 and 93-94 seasons and was second in 3pts. makes and third in attempts in the 94-95 season with his personal best 199 made and 548 attempts. From 92 to 1994 He hit 558 three pointers the most in the NBA during such period. Majerle led the league in playoff 3’s made and attempted in the 92-93 season.

9. Dell Curry

He had one of the quickest shots in the NBA. He put up 8 straight seasons shooting over 40% behind the three point line. Curry finished in the top ten in three point percentage 7 times, and lead the league in the 98-99 season with his career best 47.6%. He ended up his career shooting 40.2% from the three point line and 25th all time in three pointers made with 1,245.

10. Chuck Person

The “Rifleman”
He placed in the top ten in three point attempts 6 times and three pointers made 4 times. He finished his career with 1,220 three pointers made, currently 29th all time, and hit a personal best 190 in the 95-96 season.
Though his career three point percentage is only 36.2%, He hit them when them really really counted the most.

[rikhardur]

no offence Rik, but any poll like this without Chris Mullin, Rick Barry, Dale Ellis, Mark Price, Mitch Richmond, and Glen Rice on it is a big absurd disrespectful JOKE

Mark Price has been there all along... And the poll just allows 15 options, many had to be left out obviously. I'm even kicking myself for not putting an "Other" option.

[rocketstar47]

for me the best shooter is rip hamilton