It’s not every day we witness history in real time, but that’s exactly what happened when Stephen Curry drained his 4,000th career three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings on March 13th. For a moment, Chase Center felt like it might burst at the seams. 

The pass from Moses Moody was on point, Curry gave a little pump fake, and then let it fly from 28 feet out on the right wing. Cue the eruption of cheers and a well-deserved standing ovation. 

There’s a reason he’s called the greatest shooter of all time, and this milestone just added another exclamation mark to his legendary resume.

The Milestone Moment

It almost felt surreal watching Curry, just shy of his 37th birthday, add yet another chapter to his ridiculous career. He started the night needing just two threes to hit 4,000. Knocked down the first one with ease in the opening quarter, and you could feel the tension rising every time he touched the ball after that. When the big shot finally dropped midway through the third, the place went wild. 

The tribute video that followed, featuring a shoutout from Andris Biedrins (the guy who assisted on Curry’s first NBA triple), was a really touching throwback. After the game, Curry talked about what it meant to do it in front of his home crowd:

To do it in front of my home, fans... It was a weird game because I didn't get many attempts up but to finally get it in the third, I felt the energy. It was special.

Putting it in 4K Perspective

Let’s be real: 4,000 made threes is an insane number. When Curry broke into the league in 2009, nobody had even hit 3,000. He’s not just pushing the boundaries; he’s obliterating them. 

It wasn’t that long ago he overtook Ray Allen for the all-time lead with 2,973. Since then, he’s tacked on over a thousand more treys. For perspective, back in 2009-10, four NBA rosters as a whole failed to make even 400 threes over an entire season. Fast forward to today, and Curry himself has knocked down 402 in a single season. Oh, and he owns seven of the top 12 single-season three-point records. 

Just absurd.

The Journey

What makes this achievement even sweeter is recalling those early doubts about Curry’s durability and size. The Sacramento Kings (among other teams) whiffed on him in the 2009 draft. Then came the ankle injuries that threatened to derail everything. But in true Curry fashion, he brushed off the setbacks. He got that ankle sorted out in 2012, and it felt like he never stopped climbing from there. 

Draymond Green loves talking about how Steph defies logic, launching from distances you’d swear are out of range. Steve Kerr once admitted that, early on, he was stunned by Curry’s shot selection — until he realized that most of these "impossible" looks just kept going in.

In an interview with PBS, where Curry was discussing his documentary 'Underrated' on Apple TV+, he mentioned his motivation early on and what kept him going despite the lack of confidence in him:

I was undersized kind of the scrawny skinny kid and even going through the middle school and high school ranks and starting like recruiting, quickly we found out that those big time schools weren't going to knock on my door and offer me scholarship offers. I had to really try to find out what my identity was, proving, you know, people wrong.

The Curry Effect

We can’t talk about Curry’s 4,000th three without mentioning how he completely changed the league’s offensive playbook. When he was a rookie, teams averaged around 18 threes a game. Now, league-wide attempts are pushing close to 40 a night. 

His success convinced coaches and players alike that the three-ball wasn’t just a novelty — it was a game-changer. Curry routinely puts up double-digit attempts from behind the arc, but it’s not just the volume that’s impressive; it’s the efficiency, the quick release, and the way he moves without the ball to constantly create space.

The Road to 5,000

Yep, 5,000 threes is the new pipe dream. At 36 going on 37, Curry is still piling up 275-plus threes every year like clockwork — plus or minus an injury or two. If his knees hold up and his shot doesn’t falter, the 5,000 mark is on the horizon. 

Even he admits he’s taking things day by day, but with the way he’s leading the league in makes per game yet again, nobody would be shocked if he hits that next milestone a few seasons down the line.

At this point, Curry breaking records isn’t a surprise—it’s just what he does. But being more than 1,000 clear of second place? That’s a number that sounds more like a video game stat than something a real player could pull off. And yet, here we are, watching him continue to redefine what’s possible from behind the arc.

What makes it even better is that he’s still going. There’s no farewell tour, no slowing down, just Curry being Curry — warping defenses, draining shots with limitless range, and making the impossible look routine. 

Maybe he gets to 5,000, maybe he doesn’t. Either way, he’s already changed the game forever. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s this: as long as Steph Curry has the ball in his hands, history is always just one shot away.