Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden passed Ray Allen for No. 2 on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list with a 3 in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz Sunday.
The make gave Harden 2,974 made 3s – second-most behind Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry who has made 3,782 3-pointers.
Harden, the 2017-18 MVP, missed his first three 3-pointers against Utah – he tied Allen in Friday’s loss to the Houston Rockets – but made his fourth attempt with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Clippers went on to beat the Jazz 116-105. Harden went 2-for-8 from beyond the arc, bringing his career total to 2,975 made 3-pointers.
A future Hall of Famer, Harden shoots 36.3% from beyond the arc for his career and led the NBA in made 3s in 2017-18 (265), 2018-19 (378) and 2019-20 (299). His 378 3-pointers in 2018-19 are second-most in a single season behind Curry’s 402 in 2015-16. Harden is one of three players to make at least 300 3s in a season.
All things Clippers: Latest Los Angeles Clippers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Allen is now No. 3, Damian Lillard is No. 4, Reggie Miller No. 5 and Klay Thompson No. 6. Thompson is expected to pass Miller this season and LeBron James is just 10 made 3s from passing Kyle Korver for No. 7.
Harden, who has played for Oklahoma City, Houston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the Clippers, is one of the game’s all-time great scorers, leading the league in points per game for three consecutive seasons, including a career-high 36.1 points per game in 2018-19.
“James has always been a dynamic scorer,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters Friday. “Once he got (to Houston) and had his own team and figured out the style he wanted to play with (former Rockets coach Mike) D’Antoni, he just took off. And 3-point shooting is a big weapon of his.”
Most 3-pointers in NBA history
(Note: Through Sunday’s games; *-active)
Steph Curry* … 3,782
James Harden* … 2,975
Ray Allen … 2,973
Damian Lillard* … 2,639
Reggie Miller … 2,560
Klay Thompson* … 2,523
Kyle Korver … 2,450
LeBron James* … 2,441
Vince Carter … 2,290
Jason Terry … 2,282
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
(This story was updated with the final score of Clippers vs. Jazz and Harden’s 3-point stats through Sunday night.)