Since the Golden State Warriors changed the NBA’s landscape with their shooting prowess from beyond the arc, three-point shots have become the league’s marquee attraction. The Three-Point Contest has replaced the Dunk Contest as the most-anticipated event during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
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Three-point shooting in the All-Star game has also ballooned exponentially. Before 2014, no team in the game’s history attempted 40 three-pointers but in the 2020 All-Star game, Team Giannis attempted 40 three-pointers. They are the only team since the 2015 All-Star game to not attempt at least 55 shots from beyond the arc.
While launching three-pointers has become the norm in the All-Star game, few players have done it better than most. Here are the five best three-point shooting performances in the All-Star game history:
Stephen Curry – 16 (2022)
Unsurprisingly, the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history also holds the record for most three-pointers in the All-Star game. In 2022, Stephen Curry banked 16 shots from beyond the arc. The Warriors superstar attempted a jaw-dropping 27 three-pointers, shattering Paul George’s record of 19, which he set in 2016.
The highlights of Curry’s 50-point explosion were his two no-look three-pointers from the All-Star game logo. His 16 three-pointers are the most in any NBA game by a player. His teammate Klay Thompson holds the regular season record with 14, while Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard owns the playoff record with 12.
Jayson Tatum – 10 (2023)
Curry’s 50-point outing was the second-best performance in an All-Star game, trailing only Anthony Davis‘ 52-point performance in 2017. However, in 2023, Jayson Tatum usurped both and scored 55 points, setting the new All-Star game record.
Tatum attempted 18 three-pointers, the fourth-most in an All-Star game. He buried ten shots from beyond the arc to take second place in the all-time list for most three-pointers in an All-Star game.
Paul George – 9 (2016)
Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George was the first player to go berserk and rack up shot after shot from beyond the arc in an All-Star game. The then-Indiana Pacers forward attempted 19 three-pointers in the 2016 edition of the marquee contest, surpassing Kevin Durant’s mark of 14, which he set in 2014.
George banked nine of his 19 three-point attempts, breaking Carmelo Anthony‘s all-time record of eight, which he set in 2014. He finished the game with 41 points. Despite the exponential rise in three-point attempts in the All-Star game, only two players have surpassed George’s mark.
Carmelo Anthony, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard x2, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell – 8
Five players have scored eight three-pointers in an All-Star game. Carmelo Anthony was the first to do it in 2014. He broke LeBron James‘ record of six, which he set in the 2012 All-Star game. Of the five players to score eight three-pointers, Anthony needed the fewest shots, achieving the feat in only 13 attempts. He finished the game with 30 points.
Kawhi Leonard was the second player to finish an All-Star game with eight three-pointers. He needed only 14 attempts to achieve the feat. Leonard’s impressive 30-point performance helped Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 157-155 in a game widely recognized as the best All-Star game in NBA history. The Clippers superstar was named the game’s MVP.
Curry and Damian Lillard went 8-for-16 in the 2021 All-Star game. The Warriors icon finished the game with 28 points, while the then-Portland Trail Blazers superstar scored 32. Lillard hit eight three-pointers for the second time in the 2023 All-Star game. He and Curry are the only players to have multiple All-Star games with at least eight three-pointers.
Donovan Mitchell became the latest entrant in the exclusive club of players with eight three-pointers in the NBA All-Star game. He went 8-of-17 from beyond the arc in the 2023 All-Star game. He finished the game with 40 points and helped Team Giannis end Team LeBron’s five-year unbeaten run in the All-Star game.
The 2024 All-Star game will likely see more players break three-point scoring records. It remains to be seen whether Curry will continue to rein supreme or if a new challenger will break his record.
