OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is now third on the NBA's all-time 3-point field goals list, passing Jason Terry in Friday night's 146-109 rout of the Chicago Bulls.
Curry, 30, acknowledged before the game how much his ascension on the list means to him as he passes each name. Once Friday's action ended, he said he took the game ball with him and was hopeful he could get it signed by Reggie Miller and Ray Allen, the only two players currently in front of him on the list.
"It's just a special accomplishment," Curry said. "In terms of two guys that I know are trendsetters in stretching the imagination of the 3-point game. Doing it for many, many, many years, and people that I looked up to as a young kid playing the game. Obviously with my dad [Dell Curry] sparked a love of shooting the basketball -- to look up on the list, and obviously I want to catch them and put together many more years at this pace. Just knowing those two guys are right in front of me, it's a special moment, for sure.
"Because I respect the game, I respect what guys have done before, and those two guys -- those are guys I looked up to."
Curry passed Terry with his third 3-pointer Friday -- the 2,283rd of his career -- which came with 9 minutes, 59 seconds left in the third quarter on an assist from Draymond Green. Curry's accomplishment was announced to the crowd, and he received a loud ovation from the fans at Oracle Arena.
Curry finished with five 3s on 11 attempts as he scored 28 points in 27 minutes in the victory.
"He just brings out the best in everybody," Warriors All-Star forward Kevin Durant said of Curry. "When your best players work hard, then everybody has to follow their blueprint. When you got somebody like Steph who has a supreme skill, since we're talking about his jump shot at this point, that doesn't come by just his dad being Dell Curry and he passed those powers down. He worked on that, and he continues to work on that.
"And it's a joy to see, and to see the production out on the floor and how he ties everything together, it's just pure artistry."
Curry's teammates and coaches were happy to celebrate the accomplishment with him, but they expect him to pass Allen -- who finished his career with 2,973 treys -- at some point in the next few years for the top spot.
"Steph will obviously be at the top of that list when it's all said and done," Warriors All-Star swingman Klay Thompson said.
Thompson, who currently sits in 21st place on the list with 1,666 3s, is hopeful he will be second to Curry by the time the two of them retire.
"Probably right behind him in second, hopefully," Thompson said. "I'll take that."
Curry is hoping for that kind of endgame, as well.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Curry said of potentially finishing 1-2 on the list with Thompson. "It's kind of trending that direction what we've been able to do together. I think we both appreciate it, the longevity of what that all-time list looks like, and we are working as hard as ever to continue to be efficient, shoot the ball at a high level. So, that's something to shoot for."
The fact that Curry will eventually break the record if he stays healthy over the next few years seems like a foregone conclusion to his teammates.
"It's definitely cool," Durant said of seeing Curry reach third place. "But we all knew he was going to break the record, so him being in the third spot is like -- for him, he's set such a high standard, a high bar. It is cool, but you got what, another season or two before you get to the No. 1 spot, and then you're going to shatter that record, so I'm waiting for that."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a 45.4 percent shooter from beyond the arc during his playing career, has repeatedly praised Curry for the time and effort he puts into trying to perfect his craft.
"I think that all great shooters have a work ethic," Kerr said before Friday's game. "There is obviously a natural shooting touch that comes for all of those guys. They were probably all great shooters when they were 6 years old. There is a touch and a hand-eye coordination that's automatic, but the work ethic and the routine that each one develops, I think, Reggie and Ray were both well-known for their habits and work ethic.
"I see the same thing from Steph every day. He never misses a day. It doesn't just happen. The ball just doesn't go in; there is a lot of work that goes into it. That's the common thread."