NBA History: The Greatest 3-Point Shooters Ever

The three-point shot was added to the NBA in the 1979-80 season, and the result was a high scoring and exciting decade through the 1980s.

In its earlier days, the three-point shot was used more to break a game open, or cripple a team late in the fourth quarter.

Today however, it's one of the most common shots in basketball, with many players shooting at least 100 of them in a season.

The best three-point shooters in the history of the game don't just hit them when they're wide open, or in the three-point shootout on All-Star Saturday, they hit them in big game situations.

Let's look at the best three-point shooters in the history of the NBA.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA and Oklahoma City Thunder featured columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter for NBA news and analysis. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Steve Nash has a beautiful shot and is one of the best three-point shooters of the last 10 years.

Nash is a career .429 shooter from long distance, and has hit 1,565 three-pointers in his career.

Nash has only averaged 3.3 three-point shots per game during his career, so his percentage is a bit misleading, but he's an amazing shooter nonetheless.

Mitch Richmond was one of the best shooting guards of the 1990s, and is a borderline Hall of Famer.

Richmond was one of the strongest guards of his era, but still managed to be an excellent three-point shooter.

His .388 three-point percentage while hitting 1,326 threes is quite impressive when he was the primary scoring option for the Sacramento Kings during the prime of is career.

Richmond was also one of Michael Jordan's toughest defensive assignments in the 1990s.

As far as pure long distance shooters go, Tim Legler is as efficient and fluid as they come.

The 1995-96 three-point shootout champion shot a career .431 percent from the outside, including an amazing .522 percentage in the 1995-96 season.

Steve Kerr was an amazing three-point shooter, and a very important piece of Chicago Bulls three championships from 1996-98.

Kerr hit them in the regular season at a career .454 percent rate, but also had some memorable playoff threes.

Kerr is actually the all-time leader in three-point percentage, and also won the 1997 three-point shootout in Cleveland.

Yes he benefited from being open while Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were driving the lane, but he still knocked down the shots, no matter how much pressure there was.

Dale Ellis played for eight teams during his stellar career, and his amazing outside shooting always made sure he had an important role no matter what team he playing for.

Ellis made 1,720 three-pointers in his career, and shot .401 percent from the outside.

Ellis had one of the most fluid shooting strokes, and was one of most respected shooters of his era.

Peja Stojakovic is the best shooter of any international player in NBA history, and is one of the most deadly three-point shooters of the last decade.

He's made over 1,700 threes in his career, while doing so at a .400 percent rate.

Stojakovic was a big part of the Sacramento Kings' success in the early 2000s, and finally got his first championship ring this past season with the Dallas Mavericks.

Glen Rice is one of the smoothest shooters ever, and was one of the best three-point shooters of the 1990s.

During his 16-year great career with the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Los Angeles Lakers, and others, Rice hit 1,559 threes with a .400 percentage.

How good was Rice's shooting? In the 1997 NBA All-Star game Rice's three-point exhibition earned him the All-Star record for most points in a quarter and a half. 

He won the game's MVP award, which you'd think would have been obvious with the records, but some guy named Michael Jordan had the first ever All-Star triple-double that night too.

Reggie Miller is one of the greatest shooters ever, and one of the most clutch playoff shooters of all time.

Miller is second all-time with 2,560 three-pointers made, and shot a solid .395 percent in his career.

Miller was not only a spot up outside shooter, he could shoot them all off-balance, fading away, and in big playoff games, like in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.

Miller will soon get his invitation to join the basketball Hall of Fame.

Larry Bird is the best three-point shooter of the 1980s, and would routinely break teams' backs with a big three-point shot late in the fourth quarter.

Bird made 649 threes in his career at a .376 rate, but stats don't tell the whole story.

Bird would hit three-pointers with guys all over him, fading away, and off balance.

He won the first three three-point shootouts ever, and even would walk into the locker room before the contests and ask the other contestants who was going to finish second.

With countless clutch playoff three-pointers, Bird's ability to shoot well on the game's biggest stage, the NBA Finals, puts him ahead of Miller.

Also, don't call me a homer, watch some old-time videos of Bird shooting and tell me if Reggie is better than him.

Ray Allen is the all-time leader in three-pointers made with 2,600 of them and counting, with a .398 percentage.

Allen has the best shooting form in NBA history, and gets to the gym hours before anyone, and is the last one to leave.

His work ethic and ability to stay confident when he's having an off night helps make him the greatest shooter ever.

Not only is the greatest regular season shooter, he's hit countless big shots in the playoffs.

Here are some of his big time playoff three-pointers and records:

Record 8 threes in one NBA Finals game, 2010 Game 2.

Game winner in 2011 1st round vs. Knicks, Game 1.

Game winner in 2009 1st round vs. Bulls, Game 2.

2008 NBA Finals mix.