Three-pointers made: 1,326 (40th all-time) Three-pointers attempted: 3,419 Three-point percentage: 38.8% Another Rookie of the Year recipient. Mitch Richmond was an excellent three-point scorer, but he was also the number one scoring option for his team. He was just good at scoring, no matter where he was on the court, and when the opposing team tried to keep him away from the basket, he had no trouble shooting from the outside.
Richmond was able to create for himself, come off screens, or fire away in transition. In the prime of his career, he could do it all. No wonder he was considered one of the best three-point bombers in the NBA.
Dirk Nowitzki
Three-pointers made: 1,918 (11th all-time) Three-pointers attempted: 4,668 Three-point percentage: 38.3% At roughly 7-feet tall, Dirk Nowitzki is believed by many to be the best big man shooter to ever step onto a basketball court. His high release point and deep range have had defenders up in arms since his first days in the NBA.
Although most of his playing takes place from the mid-range, what really makes him unique and sets him apart from other power forwards in the league is his impressive three-point shot.
Jeff Hornacek
Three-pointers made: 828 Three-pointers attempted: 2,055 Three-point percentage: 40.3% This former head coach for the New York Knicks was also an expert shooter during his 14 season career. In his playing days, Jeff Hornacek was always amongst the league leaders in three-point percentage and came close to joining the 50-40-90 club on more than once occasion.
Basketball greats like John Stockton, Karl Malone, Tom Chambers, and Kevin Johnson may have given him open looks, but it was up to Hornacek to sink the ball, which he just kept on doing.
Chris Mullin
Three-pointers made: 815 Three-pointers attempted: 2,120 Three-point percentage: 38.4% No one can dispute Richmond’s talents, but he was not even believed to be the best shooter in the renowned Run-TMC trio. That honor goes to Chris Mullin and a left-handed shooting machine that was known for getting his shot off whenever he wanted.
Mullin’s lightning-quick release and deep range made guarding him an extremely tough task. Due to his numerous other talents, Mullin didn’t usually focus on three-pointers, but when he did shoot from the outside, he could rack up points with the best of them.
Mark Price
Three-pointers made: 976 Three-pointers attempted: 2,428 Three-point percentage: 40.2% Legendary Cleveland point guard Mark Price lit up plenty of scoreboards in his impressive career. He paved the way for guards that could fill up stat sheets in more than one way, and that was due to the threat of his outside shot.
The numbers may not look as impressive as what we are used to today, but for those days, Price was hoisting a high-volume of three-point shots and converting on a comparably efficient clip. In addition, Price was one of the greatest free-throw shooters in NBA history and could sink the ball from any spot on the court.