In an exciting turn of events, Stephen Curry has officially moved up the ranks in NBA history by surpassing Paul Pierce to claim the 19th spot on the all-time scoring list. On January 25, during the fourth quarter of a game, Curry’s two successful free throws allowed him to tie with the legendary John Havlicek. Just a few days later, on January 28, he made waves by hitting a stepback 3-pointer against the Utah Jazz that pushed his total beyond Pierce's impressive 26,397 points.
This remarkable achievement follows Curry's earlier success when he passed Kevin Garnett for the 21st position back on December 29 in a match against the Brooklyn Nets. With his current momentum and if he remains injury-free, there's a real possibility that Curry could climb as high as 12th place by the end of this season. This would mean outpacing notable players such as Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, and Hakeem Olajuwon along the way.
January has been particularly fruitful for Curry, who is averaging an impressive 24.4 points per game (ppg), while also maintaining a shooting percentage of 38.8% from beyond the arc. After turning 37, he has managed to score 35 or more points in 13 regular-season games, putting him ahead of Michael Jordan, who had 12 such games. Only LeBron James holds the record with 38 instances of scoring over 35 points in his career.
This season alone marks Curry's ninth game where he has scored 35 points or more, placing him just behind James for the most such performances by a player over the age of 37, as James had 14 such games in the previous 2022-23 season.
But here's where it gets controversial: as Curry continues to break records and establish himself further in the NBA history books, questions arise about how longevity and consistency will redefine greatness in basketball. Will Curry eventually challenge for the top spots held by legends? And what does that mean for the narrative of current versus past greats? Share your thoughts below! Do you believe he can maintain this pace, or are there challenges ahead?
