Warriors' Stephen Curry Passes Ray Allen as NBA's All-Time 3-Point Leader

Stephen Curry was already recognized colloquially as the greatest shooter in NBA history.

Now the numbers back him up.

The Golden State Warriors guard hit his 2,974th career three-pointer in the first quarter of Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks, passing Ray Allen for the most in league history. Curry entered the game one three behind Allen, who needed 1,300 regular-season games to get to his mark compared to Curry's 789.

"It was thrilling to see Steph break the NBA's all-time record for three-pointers," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "He has revolutionized the way the game is played and continues to leave fans in awe with his amazing artistry and extraordinary shooting ability. We congratulate him on this historic achievement."

When Curry was 16 threes away from breaking the mark, he jokingly said he wanted to hit them all in last Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers—thereby beating teammate Klay Thompson's single-game record for threes in the process.

"What is it, 15?" Curry told reporters. "That's funny because I know what that means is Klay's record and all that, too. So we will see. ... If you've seen the way I've played, especially recently, I'm not shy about shooting the ball, so the game will dictate what that looks like. I'm not coming out with that as the true goal of how I play, but crazier things have happened."

Curry's transcendence as a shooter helped revolutionize basketball as teams increasingly allowed their players to let shots fly. It's unquestionable that his ascent puts him on the shortlist of most influential basketball players in history.

"I'm watching these little kids now, and I'm like, 'Bro, I've never seen a little kid dribble like that, shoot like.' Yes," Shaquille O'Neal said when asked if he feels Curry is the most influential player of the last 30 years.

Curry entered Tuesday's game averaging 27.0 points, 6.3 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per night as he's spearheaded the Warriors' 22-5 start.

He also entered play 60th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 19,137 points.