Best shooters in NBA history

Stephen Curry is the first unanimous NBA MVP, earning the award for the second straight season Tuesday after leading the defending champion Warriors to a record-setting season. His shooting prowess is well-known. But it’s his shot selections and accuracy that has put him among the league’s all-time great shooters. The top five:

1. Stephen Curry

Curry led the league in scoring with 30.1 points per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 45.4 percent from 3-point range and 90.8 percent from the foul line. He shattered his own record for 3-pointers by making 402, becoming the first player to top 300 and 400 in a season.

2. Ray Allen

The 18-year veteran from Sumter is the league’s all-time career leader in 3-point field goals made with 2,973. LeBron James would have one less world title if not for a clutch late 3-pointer Allen hit in Game 6 of Miami’s 2013 championship series against San Antonio.

3. Reggie Miller

The longtime Indiana Pacer dominated 3-point-shooting talk until Curry came along. Miller, who played from 1987-2005, was one of the best at running defenders into screens, and then floating out and hitting an open jumper. He made 2,560 3-pointers in his career.

4. Larry Bird

He is legendary for walking into the dressing room before the 3-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend and asking who was going to finish second. During 13 years with the Celtics, Bird backed up his boldness with clutch shooting. He had a 49.6 career shooting percentage.

5. Jerry West

You don’t get to have your silhouette on the official NBA logo unless you’ve got game. And West had game. The 14-time All-Star with the Lakers (1960-74) scored 25,192 career points, but didn’t have more because there was no 3-point shot during his playing days.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Best shooters in NBA history."