It is without question that Stephen Curry’s 3-point prowess changed basketball forever, but one NBA legend says it’s for the worse.
The NBA has seen a decline in viewership early in the 2024-25 season, and Shaquille O’Neal thinks it’s because everyone plays the same style of basketball, shooting the 3-pointer.
“It’s down because we’re looking at the same thing. Everybody is running the same plays,” Shaq said on his podcast recently.
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry shoots during warmups before a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center in San Francisco Jan. 22, 2023. (John Hefti/USA Today Sports)
O’Neal then mentioned Curry specifically.
“Steph Curry and those guys messed it up. I don’t mind Golden State back in the day shooting threes, but every team isn’t a 3-point shooter. So, why everybody has the same strategy? I think it makes the game boring,” O’Neal said.
“The game has already been perfect ever since Naismith created it,” Shaq added. “This new era of humans f—-d it up. … Golden State came in and changed it.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors shoots a 3-point basket during a game against the LA Clippers Oct. 27, 2024, at Chase Center in San Francisco. (Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty Images)
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“Everybody wants to be Steph Curry, but everybody’s not Steph Curry. And that’s why viewership is down. But these dudes, they need to wake up because if viewership is down, the money is gonna come down.”
Curry could become the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 3-pointers. Ray Allen, second all-time, made 2,973.
One glance at the all-time 3-pointers made list will show lots of active players and many who have retired within the last 10 years. For example, Buddy Hield, who joined the league in 2016, already ranks 20th all-time.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. (Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports)
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On the first night of the season, the Boston Celtics tied the NBA record by making 29 3-pointers in a game.
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