There is no shortage of arguments about who belongs on the NBA’s all-time greatest list.
Michael Jordan.
LeBron James.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Magic Johnson.
Bill Russell.
Wilt Chamberlain.
And then there is Stephen Curry.
For some basketball fans, Curry is already firmly inside that group.
For others, he is one of the greatest shooters ever, but that does not automatically make him one of the greatest players ever.
That distinction is where the debate gets interesting.
Because Curry’s numbers are not simply impressive.
They are historic.
At 38 years old and entering his 18th NBA season, Curry has already accumulated four championships, two MVP awards, one Finals MVP, 12 All-Star selections and 11 All-NBA selections.
But does that résumé make him one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history?
The numbers say yes — and there is a bigger argument for Curry than simply counting his three-pointers.
The Three-Point Record Is Almost Too Easy to Mention
Let’s get the obvious part out of the way.
Curry is the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.
That is not just an opinion anymore.
As of 2026, Curry has made 4,248 regular-season three-pointers, more than any player in NBA history. He has also made 650 playoff threes, another all-time record.
He has led the NBA in made three-pointers in a record eight seasons.
And he has done it while shooting 42.2% from three-point range for his career.
Think about what that means.
Curry is not simply a player who shoots a ridiculous number of threes.
He has combined enormous volume with elite efficiency.
That combination is what separates him from almost everybody else.
In the 2025-26 season, at age 38, Curry still averaged 26.6 points per game while shooting 39.3% from three and 92.3% from the free-throw line.
That is not the statistical profile of a player hanging around simply because of his reputation.
He is still producing.
But Being the Greatest Shooter Isn’t the Same as Being the Greatest Player
This is where Curry’s critics have a legitimate argument.
Basketball is more than shooting.
Jordan was an elite scorer and defender.
LeBron became an all-time scorer, passer and rebounder.
Magic Johnson controlled games as a scorer, passer and leader.
Kareem dominated with scoring, rebounding and defense.
Curry doesn’t have the same physical profile.
He is listed at 6-foot-2.
He is not an all-time rebounder.
He isn’t known as one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history.
And he doesn’t dominate games through physical strength the way some of the other names on the greatest-ever list did.
So if somebody says, “Curry is the greatest shooter ever, but that doesn’t automatically make him a top-five player ever,” that is a fair argument.
But there is one thing that argument sometimes overlooks.
Curry didn’t just shoot the basketball differently. He changed how basketball is played.
His Impact Cannot Be Fully Captured by the Box Score
This may be the strongest argument for Curry.
Look at what happens when he doesn’t have the basketball.
Defenders chase him around screens.
Teams pick him up far beyond the three-point line.
Opposing players constantly worry about losing sight of him.
And that creates opportunities for everyone else.
Curry’s greatest offensive weapon isn’t always the shot he takes.
Sometimes it is the shot his presence creates for another player.
That is why his impact goes beyond his 24.8 career points per game and 6.3 career assists.
His movement forces defenses to make decisions before he even receives the ball.
That helped turn Golden State’s offense into one of the defining systems of the modern NBA.
And eventually, the rest of the league followed.
More teams began emphasizing three-point shooting.
More players started pulling up from distances that previously would have been considered unreasonable.
Young players grew up trying to shoot like Curry.
That kind of influence is difficult to measure with a traditional stat.
Two MVPs — Including the One That Changed Everything
Curry has won two regular-season MVP awards.
One of them, however, carries special historical weight.
In 2015-16, Curry became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.
That season was ridiculous.
He averaged 30.1 points per game, led the league in scoring and three-pointers, and helped Golden State win a then-record 73 regular-season games.
The Warriors did not simply have a good offense.
They were revolutionizing the sport.
And Curry was at the center of it.
The unanimous MVP award matters because it demonstrates something important:
For at least one season, the NBA’s voters weren’t simply saying Curry was great.
They were saying there wasn’t another player even close to him.
Four Championships Make the Argument Much Stronger
This is where Curry’s résumé separates itself from many modern stars.
He has four NBA championships.
That means his greatness isn’t based entirely on regular-season statistics.
He has also been the centerpiece of a dynasty.
Golden State won championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
And the 2022 title is especially important to Curry’s legacy.
By then, many people had already started asking whether Golden State’s dynasty was finished.
Instead, Curry led the Warriors back to the top and won his first Finals MVP.
That championship helped silence one of the biggest criticisms of his career:
Could Curry win another championship without the version of the Warriors that dominated the league earlier in his career?
He answered that question himself.
The Playoff Numbers Are Where Curry Gets Really Interesting
If we’re discussing the greatest players ever, postseason performance matters.
Curry’s playoff résumé is extraordinary.
He has played 155 playoff games and has scored more than 4,100 playoff points.
More importantly, he has made 650 playoff three-pointers — the most in NBA postseason history.
And he’s done it while shooting nearly 40% from three in the postseason.
That matters because Curry’s greatest skill didn’t disappear when defenses became tougher.
If anything, the biggest stages made it more valuable.
His career is filled with enormous playoff moments.
The 2015 championship.
The 2016 73-win season.
The 2017 and 2018 championships.
The 2022 comeback.
The Finals performances.
The impossible threes.
The off-ball movement.
The celebrations.
Curry hasn’t simply accumulated numbers.
He has accumulated moments.
And all-time greatness requires both.
What About Longevity?
This is another category where Curry has quietly built a powerful case.
Curry entered the NBA in 2009.
Seventeen seasons later, he was still averaging 26.6 points per game during the 2025-26 regular season.
His career regular-season averages currently stand at:
24.8 points
6.3 assists
4.7 rebounds
42.2% from three
91.2% from the free-throw line
Those numbers become even more impressive when you remember the era in which he played.
Curry didn’t spend his career benefiting from the three-point revolution.
He helped create it.
So Where Should Curry Actually Rank?
This is where the debate gets uncomfortable.
Is Curry the greatest basketball player ever?
Probably not.
Jordan’s combination of championships, individual dominance, defense and cultural impact gives him a very strong claim to No. 1.
LeBron’s longevity, all-around production and statistical résumé make his case equally difficult to ignore.
Kareem’s six MVPs and six championships put him in another category.
But does Curry belong in the conversation immediately behind those names?
Absolutely.
The exact ranking is debatable.
Top five?
Reasonable.
Top 10?
Extremely difficult to argue against.
Top 15?
Almost impossible to deny.
The biggest mistake would be judging Curry only by his scoring average or three-point record.
His greatness comes from the combination.
Four championships.
Two MVPs.
A Finals MVP.
11 All-NBA selections.
12 All-Star appearances.
The greatest three-point résumé ever.
Elite scoring efficiency.
Historic playoff production.
And perhaps most importantly, a direct influence on how modern basketball is played.
The Number That Might Matter Most Isn’t a Number
Here’s the biggest reason I believe Curry belongs among the greatest players ever.
Before Curry, there were plenty of great three-point shooters.
After Curry, the entire league changed.
Players started taking deeper threes.
Big men started stretching defenses.
Young players started practicing shots from the logo.
Coaches changed offensive systems.
Defenders had to change how they defended.
Curry didn’t just become great within the NBA.
He helped change the NBA around him.
That is something only the truly influential players accomplish.
SportsLoud’s Verdict: Yes, Curry Is One of the Greatest Ever
So, does Stephen Curry’s statistical résumé prove that he is one of the greatest NBA players ever?
Yes.
But not because he has made the most three-pointers.
Not because he has four championships.
Not because he has two MVP awards.
It is the combination of everything.
Curry is one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in NBA history. He is the greatest three-point shooter the sport has ever seen. He has dominated the regular season, produced in the playoffs, won championships and remained elite deep into his career.
And then there is the part statistics cannot completely capture.
He changed basketball.
That is why the argument has moved beyond whether Curry is one of the greatest shooters ever.
That debate is already finished.
The more interesting question now is where he belongs on the all-time player list.
And for SportsLoud?
Stephen Curry is not just one of the greatest shooters ever. He is one of the greatest basketball players ever — and a legitimate top-10 candidate.
You don’t have to put him above Jordan.
You don’t have to put him above LeBron.
You don’t even have to put him in your top five.
But if your all-time list gets to 10 names and Stephen Curry isn’t there, the numbers — and the history of the game — give you a very difficult argument to make.
