The proffessor... Didnt u see him hit that 3 to win the contract vs the and1 team in madison square garden? This guys amazing
Anyone mention Ray Allen? Maybe not the best of all time, but he's gotta be mentioned in any discussion. The guy has a sweet stroke. From long distance Reggie Miller immediately comes to mind... For jumpshooting inside the arc, it's gotta be the amazing Jeff Hornacek. That guy was really aggravating if you weren't a Jazz fan. You'd have to chase him all over the floor around screens, he never missed when he was open, and he did that annoying hand and hair thing at the free throw line. For all-around jump shooting proficiency? My money is on Chris Mullin or Dirk Nowitzki.
I think Ray Allen is awesome and definitely one of the better shooters in the game today but not in the elite of all time IMO.
A few more I didn't see mentioned: George "Iceman" Gervin Bernard King "Downtown" Freddie Brown Vinny "Microwave" Johnson Gail Goodrich Rick Barry Hal Greer Dave DeBusschere Jerry Lucas
I don't recall Sharman being much of a FG shooter, but he was a hell of a FT shooter. Oscar Schmidt was a hell of a player, too.
Ricky was more of a mid-range scorer than a shooter to me. He was money with the mid-range shot. He had a good jumper, but I never thought of him as much of a "shooter" as Bird, Miller, etc.
Unless I missed someone mentioning him : Michael Jordan. His turnaround fadeaway and assorted jumpers close to the end of his career were damn-near unstoppable. He went from the one of the greatest dunkers and scorers the NBA's ever seen to one of the best shooters. As a Rockets fan, I feared and hated no one more than Dale Ellis. His form on the jumper was ridiculously mechanical. No matter where or how, he would always turn around and square up for a jumper. It would never be some wild-ass shot. The closest thing I've seen to an unstoppable shooter was Mahmoud Abdul Rauf (Chris Jackson) in college. His release was so quick people couldn't even react to his jumper muchless attempt to block it. Unfortunately his NBA career was less-than-stellar. Calvin Murphy was a hell of a scorer and shooter as well. One of the guys I didn't really appreciate in his prime was Bernard King. I know Bob mentioned him, but was he a great enough shooter to be mentioned with Bird and Ellis? I honestly don't remember. I know he was almost as good a scorer as Jordan. He was as big a scoring machine as there ever was in the modern era. I just remember him being more of a baseline scorer. But like I said, I really don't remember his game much. All time best shooters that I can remember and actually watched play : 5) Calvin Murphy 4) Reggie Miller 3) Dale Ellis 2) Michael Jordan 1) Larry Bird
Ricky WAS a shooter. As you said, he was as good as anybody from mid-range. He did not have 3-point range though. I saw him play a couple of times at Rice, believe me, he can shoot a basketball. The thread title asks for "Best Pure Shooter." Ricky should be on the list.
right now it has to be PEJA S. No doubt about it but all time it's Larry Bird, and Jerry West (I've heard, not seen)
If Bernard King was left open anywhere inside the 3-point line, it was 2 points. The reason he could get his shot off against taller players was because he had a quick release. He was an awesome offensive player. I am very suprised Rudy is getting NO LOVE in this thread. Rudy could shoot as good as anyone on that list (well maybe not as consistent as Larry or Mike)
Gervin, like Alex English was a great scorer but not a great shooter. These guys knew so many different ways, other than the jumper, to score. They knew when to pull up and shoot. They knew when to go to the basket. They could post up. They were above average shooters, of course, to be great scorers, but their shot couldn't compare to the great ones mentioned. Rick Barry was a good one.
Great points Easy. Although, from 15-20, Gervin and English were pretty damn efficient. Great scorers. Great shooters. Larry Bird was both.
Where can I find a link for NBA all time shooting percentages? Of course dunkers are going to have the first 20 spots but I'd like to see how the top guards rank all time.
