Best Three-Point Shooters of the 2000s

After two decades of three-point shooting in the

NBA

, the 2000s ushered in a thrilling era of basketball. This decade witnessed a dramatic increase in the frequency of long-range shooting, with players from all positions launching the ball from deep.

As the frequency of three-pointers taken increased in the 2000s, so did the efficiency with which the players shot from three. In the 1980s, the league-wide three-point percentage was 28.9 percent. In the 1990s, it increased to 34.7 percent. However, in the 2000s, it hit a high of 35.6 percent.

The three-point shot, once a tactic favored by smaller guards to avoid the physicality of the paint, underwent a transformation in the 2000s. The league witnessed the emergence of ‘stretch fours’, power forwards who could efficiently shoot from the outside, adding a new dimension to the game. This versatility in player skills further enriched the basketball experience in the 2000s.

We also saw many bigs (centers) shoot the three at a decent clip, more than ever before. Centers like Raef LaFrentz, Mehmet Okur,

Dirk Nowitzki

, and Rasheed Wallace began to set the tone for the current NBA by being some of the best three-point shooting bigs who knocked down multiple threes a game at a high percentage.

While these players were all exceptional shooters from beyond the arc, this article focuses on the best three-point shooters of the 2000s. These players were not just good, they were lights out from long range, arguably among the best of all time.

5

Chauncey Billups

Big shot taker and big shot maker

Chauncey Billups was drafted as the third overall pick by the

Boston Celtics

in 1997. By the 1999-2000 season, he was on his third team. He was considered a player with a tremendous possible upside but never looked like a viable three-point threat. It wasn’t until he joined the

Detroit Pistons

in the 2002-03 season that Billups became a Most Improved Player candidate and elevated his three-point shot on the offensive end.

Throughout the 2000s, Billups shot over 40 percent four times. In the 2005-06 season, he shot a career-best 43.3 percent from distance. He is currently in the top 25 in career three-pointers made (1830) and 15th in career three-pointers made in the playoffs (267).

In the decade, Billups hit seven threes in a game three times during regular season play and a playoff career-best eight threes in 2009 against

New Orleans Pelicans

(he would eventually hit a career-high of nine threes in a game in 2010).

Billups, “Mr. Big Shot,” was not only a big shot taker but also a clutch shot maker, especially from three, and one of the most consistent shooters of the 2000s.

4

Steve Nash

2x MVP, an excellent floor general, and a deadly shooter

Steve Nash was drafted by the

Phoenix Suns

as the 15th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Though he didn’t get many minutes in the league to start, he was always considered a threat from beyond the arc, and this perception carried on throughout his 18-year Hall of Fame career.

By the 1999-2000 season, Nash was a 40 percent three-point shooter and never shot below that for the entirety of the decade. In the 2001-02 season, Nash shot threes at a 45.5 percent clip, something he accomplished once more in the 2006-07 season before shooting a career-best 47 percent from three in 2007-08. In the 2002-03 and 2006-07 postseasons, Nash shot a career-best 48.7 percent from distance.

On March 31, 2008, Nash drained a career-best eight threes in a game in a 36-point outing against

Denver Nuggets

.

Nash is 11th all-time in career three-point percentage (42.8 percent). He was in the top ten eight times throughout the 2000s. He was prolific all-around as a shooter. Nash was in the 50-40-90 club (50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 90 percent from the foul line) four times throughout the 2000s. In two other seasons in the decade, Nash was only less than a percent away.

He led all players on this list in three-point percentage for the decade but will forever be remembered as one of the best players to ever play the game.

3

Rashard Lewis

2x All-Star and a phenomenal catch and shooter

Rashard Lewis was a second-round draft pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. Though he didn’t play much in his rookie season with the Seattle Supersonics, it was evident that the 6-10 forward was a talented player who could light up the scoreboard.

By the 2000-01 season, Lewis had worked his way into the starting lineup and shot a career-best 43.2 percent from beyond the arc that season. He would shoot over 40 percent in three seasons throughout the 2000s and establish himself as a threat and one of the best-shooting stretch fours in league history.

Throughout the decade, Lewis made six three-pointers in 15 games and seven threes in four games, which was a career-best for that time.

In the 2008-09 season, Lewis led the league in three-pointers taken (554) and made (220), for an efficient 39.7 percent from distance. He also made the third most in the 2000s decade. Lewis finished his career in the top 30 for career three-pointers made (1787).

2

Peja Stojakovic

Three-time All-Star, three-point champion, and all-time great marksman

Peja Stojakovic was a 6-10 Serbian forward drafted as the 14th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the

Sacramento Kings

. After two DNP (did not play) seasons where he played in Greece after the draft, Stojakovic came back as a solid backup small forward for the Kings.

In the next two seasons, Stojakovic would establish himself as a solid contributor in the league, a serious Sixth Man of the Year Candidate in the 1999-2000 season, and a Most Improved Player Finalist in 2000-01.

By the 2001-02 season, Stojakovic was a first-time All-Star, averaging 21.2 points per game while shooting an incredible 41.6 percent from downtown. He would shoot over 40 percent eight times throughout the 2000s, knocking down a career-best 44.1 percent from distance in the 2007-08 season while playing for

New Orleans Pelicans

. In that same postseason, Peja would shoot lights out from three, knocking down 54.9 percent of them in the playoffs.

On November 6, 2007, in a game against the

L.A. Lakers

, Stojakovic made a career-best 10 three-pointers in 13 attempts.

Stojakovic won two consecutive Three-Point Shootouts during All-Star Weekends (2002 and 2003), putting the world on notice that he was one of the biggest threats from beyond the arc. He led the league in three-pointers made in the 2003-04 season with 240 made threes. Moreover, he is ranked in the top 30 overall in career three-pointers made (1760).

There is no doubt that if he played today, he could possibly average 30 and be in the same league as

Stephen Curry

when it comes to made threes in a season.

1

Ray Allen

Hall of Famer who could do it all, but mostly known as a sharpshooter

Ray Allen

was selected by the

Minnesota Timberwolves

as the 5th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. However, he was later traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks

. Allen was immediately a starter in the league and established himself as a slasher and finisher who was also deadly efficient from beyond the arc. You could say Ray was the total package.

By the 1999-2000 season, he was an NBA All-Star and a 42.3 percent three-point shooter. He would shoot over 40 percent five times throughout the decade, making him among the league’s most efficient three-point shooters. Not to mention, he made more shots from distance than anyone in the league that decade, 460 more than Peja Stojakovic, who is second for threes made in the 2000s.

In the 2000-01 season, Allen won the Three-Point Shootout during the All-Star break.

Allen made a playoff career-best nine three-pointers in a game versus the

Philadelphia 76ers

in the 2000-01 postseason and in 2008-09 in a 51-point effort against the

Chicago Bulls

. His overall career best beyond the arc was in the 2001-02 regular season, where he made 10 threes out of 14 tries against the

Charlotte Hornets

.

Allen would lead the league in three-pointers made three times throughout the decade. Currently, he is second all-time in career three-pointers made (2973) and third all-time in three-pointers attempted (7429). That is a highly efficient 40 percent from downtown.

​​​​​​​

He is the most excellent three-point shooter of the decade and one of the greatest from a distance we have ever seen.

Related

Ranking the 5 Best 3-Point Shooters of the 1990s

The 1990s featured some shooters who were ahead of their time.