Curry’s History in the Three-Point Contest
Dub Nation has relished the opportunity to watch Stephen Curry grow up in front of their eyes. He joined the team in 2009 as a baby-faced rookie with a high basketball IQ and unlimited range. And as he has blossomed into a superstar, two-time NBA MVP, and three-time NBA Champion, his smooth shooting stroke is at the heart of his success.
Curry has set the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season three times, splashing 272 treys in 2012-13, 286 in 2014-15 and 402 in 2015-16. He’s had more than three times as many games with at least 10 made 3-pointers (17) than anyone else in league history, and he is the NBA’s all-time leader in career postseason 3-pointers (470).
With all that splashing success, it’s only fitting that Curry will have a history, and a decorated one at that, in the NBA Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend. Sunday will mark the seventh time the seven-time All-Star participates in the event, and in true Curry fashion, he has turned in some of the most memorable performances of all time. Keep reading to get caught up on his past performances in the event.
February 13, 2010 | Dallas
A 21-year-old NBA rookie, Stephen Curry’s debut at at All-Star Weekend as a competitor — he attended as a youngster in 1992 — was a splashing success. He made the first four shots of each of the first two racks in the first round, and although he went just 1-for-5 on the two-point “money balls,” he shot 17-for-25 for a score of 18 points. That was enough to get him into the finals of the competition. The last competitor to compete in the second round, he once again started off strong, hitting four of his first five shots. But Curry struggled in the middle of the round, and needed to make make his final seven shots to force a tie-breaker, but he missed his first shot on the final rack and finished with a score of 17, three behind contest winner Paul Pierce.
First Round: 18
Second Round: 17
February 16, 2013 | Houston
The first shooter to take the court, Stephen Curry got off to a slow start before finishing strong. He made nine of his last 10 shots for a score of 17, but ultimately didn’t advance to the final. Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving would win the competition with a final round score of 23.
First Round: 17
February 15, 2014 | New Orleans
A first-time NBA All-Star in 2014, Stephen Curry shot it well on the wings (8-for-10), but struggled on his money-ball rack, which he reserved for his fifth and final shooting station. He made just one of his last five shots, scoring a 16 for the round, which wasn’t enough to reach the final. Former Warriors guard Marco Belinelli would win the shootout, as he knocked off Bradley Beal in the final in a tie-breaking bonus round.
First Round: 16
February 14, 2015 | Brooklyn
After struggling with the money ball over the previous two years, Stephen Curry took advantage of the extra points, hitting 8-of-9 of his 2-point shots to finish with a first round score of 23. Curry advanced to the final to take on fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who led all competitors in the first round with a score of 24 points, and 2013 event champion Kyrie Irving.
In the second round, Curry made history. He made seven straight shots early in the final and then finished strong with 13-straight makes bridging the third, fourth and fifth racks. That was the second longest streak of made shots in event history, behind only Craig Hodges' legendary performance in 1991 (19 straight makes). Add it all up and Curry finished with a final round score of 27, which at the time was the highest single round total in the event’s history, and that proved to be more than enough to earn him his first victory in the event.
First Round: 24
Second Round: 27 (Won Event)
February 13, 2016 | Toronto
He was the last competitor to take his turn and he needed to beat a first round score of 20 to guarantee a spot in the Three-Point Contest finals. And because Stephen Curry has a flare for the dramatic, he needed to make his last two money balls on the last rack to join his fellow Splash Brother in the finals. Well, Splash and Splash, and he made it to the final with a first round score of 21.
Curry was eyeing a second straight three-point contest title with a final round score of 23, but teammate Klay Thompson had other ideas. After falling to Curry in the finals in 2015, Thompson rallied late and ended the competition by making five straight money balls to finish with 27, matching Curry’s event record score from the year prior.
With Curry winning the Three-Point Contest in 2015 and Thompson taking it in 2016, the Splash Brothers became the first pair of teammates in NBA All-Star history to win consecutive Three-Point Contests.
First Round: 21
Second Round: 23
February 16, 2019 | Charlotte
Competing in his hometown, Stephen Curry put on a show to remember. He made the final 10 shots of the first round for a score of 27, a single-round event-high for the night. Curry advanced to the finals and in the process won a bet with his brother Seth, a Trail Blazers guard who also competed in the competition, and the younger brother was to pay for all of their family tickets for all future head-to-head matchups in their careers.
The last competitor in the final round, Curry started out as hot as he ended the first. He made his first nine shots, but was chasing Joe Harris’ 26. Curry needed to make his final eight shots to match Harris, but his third shot of the final rack, went in and out, and he fell one money-ball short of the Nets’ sharpshooter.
First Round: 27
Second Round: 24
March 7, 2021 | Atlanta
Talk about clutch shooting! Curry come out with a huge first round to lead the field with 31 points. But when it came to the lat three contestants in the final round, Curry needed to make his last two shots -- corner threes, including his last money ball -- to win the competition. Splash and splash, Curry walked away with his second 3-Point Contest crown.
First Round: 31
Second Round: 28