Stephen Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history and rightly so. No player instills fear in an opponent when they cross half-court more than Curry and he has used that 3-pointer to devastating effect over the years.
Curry became the first player to hit 4,000 threes in the NBA in a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 3 and is setting records that are going to be almost impossible to break. Despite all that the Golden State Warriors guard has achieved over the years, though, Fox Sports Radio host Rob Parker doesn’t believe he is the greatest shooter ever. Parker explained why, during an episode of “The Odd Couple.”
“When you call somebody the greatest shooter, it means under any circumstance, you would want them to have the ball when you need a basket,” Parker said. “… He has had 14 looks with a chance to tie or win the game in the postseason and he hasn’t made one of them.”
Parker reckons you’ve got to hit at least some of them to be called the best shooter ever. He also pointed out that the biggest three Curry has hit came in the Olympics and that he doesn’t have those kinds of memorable moments in the NBA playoffs.
“I think he is disqualified from being considered the greatest,” Parker stated. “Is he the greatest three-point maker? Without question. I would be lying to you if I sat here and said he wasn’t. He is. But the greatest shooter? There is a difference between the two. I really believe that. I would give Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, any of those people, the ball with the game on the line than I would give it to Steph Curry.”
That’s quite the take. It’s somewhat understandable if you want Ray Allen or Reggie Miller to take a 3-pointer at the end of a game, but not Michael Jordan. Jordan might well be the greatest player in NBA history but he wasn’t a very good 3-point shooter. Regardless of what Curry’s numbers might look like, you’d pick him over Jordan in this scenario.
As for Parker’s main point here, he is unlikely to get much support. Curry has delivered in the big moments plenty of times in his career and even won Clutch Player of the Year in 2024.
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You can have real debates on a whole lot of categories in the NBA, but not for the greatest shooter. Curry is well clear of the pack at this point, even if Parker doesn’t believe that’s the case.
Related: Steve Kerr Makes Bold Steph Curry Guarantee After Warriors Star Breaches 4,000 3-Pointers