Stephen Curry’s Birthday
On this day in 1988, Stephen Curry was born in Akron, Ohio. A nine-time All-Star, two-time MVP, four-time NBA champion, and member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Curry has career averages of 24.6 PPG and 6.5 APG in 869 games.
Curry holds the NBA records for most 3-pointers made in a season (402) and a career (3,331). There have been five seasons in NBA history in which a player made at least 300 3-pointers; Curry is responsible for four of them.
Curry has made at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 232 regular season games, the longest such streak in NBA history. He also owns the second-longest such regular season streak (157 games) and the longest such postseason streak (132).
Curry has 23 career games in which he’s made at least 10 3-pointers, by far the most such games in NBA history. Curry’s total equals that of the next five closest players combined:
23 — Stephen Curry
9 — Klay Thompson
5 — Damian Lillard
3 — JR Smith
3 — James Harden
3 — Zach LaVine
In 2015-16, Curry became the first (and still only) unanimous MVP Award winner in NBA history. He averaged 30.1 PPG that season, with shooting percentages of 50.4% from the field, 45.4% from 3-point range, and 90.8% from the free throw line. Curry is the only player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG while recording a 50/40/90 season. He’s also one of only two players to record a 50/45/90 season (Steve Nash, 2007-08).
Career High for Towns
On this day in 2022, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored a career-high and franchise-record 60 points in a 149-139 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Towns also grabbed 17 rebound in his 36 minutes of action, the second-fewest minutes played in NBA history by a player in a 60-point double-double (Karl Malone, 33).
Towns shot 19-31 from the field — including 7-11 from 3-point range — and made 15 of his 16 free throws. Towns and DeMarcus Cousins (Dec. 20, 2016) are the only centers in NBA history to make at least 15 field goals, 15 free throws, and five 3-pointers in a game.
Towns is one of only two players in NBA history to record at least 60 points, 15 rebounds, and five 3-pointers made in a game; the other is James Harden (Jan. 23, 2019).
Stephen Curry (47 points) and Trae Young (46) also recorded 45-point games on March 14, 2022. It’s the first (and still only) day in NBA history in which there have been three 45-point scorers in three different games.
Wilt Concludes Historic Season
On this day in 1962, the Philadelphia Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain closed out his regular season with 34 points and 33 rebounds in a 119-115 overtime win over the Chicago Packers. Chamberlain averaged an NBA-record 50.4 PPG and 25.7 RPG that season. Outside of Chamberlain, no player in NBA history has averaged more than 37.1 PPG in a single season. Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average at least 25 RPG in a season; this was the last of three times he did so.
Chamberlain scored at least 50 points 45 times in 1961-62, 14 more such games than any other player in NBA history has recorded in their entire career. He had four streaks of five or more 50-point games in a row that season. No other player in NBA history has recorded five straight 50-point games.
Stockton’s Record Streak
On this day in 1988, the Utah Jazz’s John Stockton scored 24 points and dished out 20 assists in a 116-115 win over the Denver Nuggets. This was the first of 12 straight games in which Stockton recorded at least 15 assists, the longest such streak in NBA history by four games:
12 — John Stockton (March 14–April 7, 1988)
8 — Stockton (April 11–23, 1988)
8 — Stockton (Nov. 3–21, 1989)
7 — Isiah Thomas (Jan. 22–Feb. 2, 1985)
7 — Russell Westbrook (May 3–14, 2021)
This was also the first of nine career games in which Stockton recorded at least 20 points and 20 assists, the second-most such games in NBA history:
13 — Magic Johnson
9 — John Stockton
8 — Oscar Robertson
7 — Russell Westbrook
6 — Kevin Johnson
Multiple Firsts for Wilt
On this day in 1960, the Philadelphia Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain scored 53 points in a 132-112 victory over the Syracuse Nationals, becoming the first rookie in NBA postseason history to record a 50-point game. Chamberlain produced another 50-point game just eight days later versus the Boston Celtics. He remains the only rookie to score at least 50 points in a playoff game.
Chamberlain also grabbed 22 rebounds, becoming the first player in NBA history to record at least 50 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. Chamberlain recorded three such games in his postseason career. Only two other players in NBA history have produced even one such game: Elgin Baylor (April 14, 1962) and Bob McAdoo (April 18, 1975).
Milestone for Malone
On this day in 2003, the Utah Jazz’s Karl Malone recorded four steals in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, becoming the 10th player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career steals. He is now one of 13 players to achieve this feat.
Malone is one of only three players to record at least 2,000 steals and 1,000 blocks since the NBA began tracking steals and blocks in 1973-74:
Hakeem Olajuwon
Karl Malone
LeBron James
Malone recorded 136 steals that season, the 13th and final time he reached the century mark. The only players with more such seasons are Jason Kidd (18), John Stockton (17), LeBron James (14), and Chris Paul (14).