Ray Allen recently broke Reggie Miller’s NBA record for most 3-pointers in a career. Allen now has more than 2,600 3-pointers in his illustrious and soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career. However, despite having the distinction of being the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, is Ray Allen the best pure shooter in the game today? Moreover, where does Allen rank among the all-time great pure shooters in NBA history? Let the debate begin.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best pure shooters in NBA history. Editor’s note: As much as we’d like to include Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant or even Dirk Nowitzki on this list, they’re more pure scorers than pure shooters. A pure shooter is someone who relies on screens to score, and they rarely go for the spectacular dunks or the isolation dribble drives. Pure shooters, or basketball snipers, can also stretch a defense with their ability to make jump shots from beyond 23 feet.

10. Dale Ellis
Remember the flat-top haircut? Ellis’ Kid-n-Play haircut is just as impressive as his jump shot. Ellis was a big guard (6-7) who took advantage of his great size when he was shooting from distance. He may not have won an NBA title, but Ellis was a 3-point shooting king during All-Star Weekend.  He also ranks in the top five in 3-point field goals made (1,719).

9. Drazen Petrovic
It is unfortunate that Petrovic died at 28. The basketball world only saw a short trailer of the Croatian sensation’s made-for-TV career. Petrovic was a natural-born shooter and his impact in the NBA, even though it was shortlived, was undeniable. His game blossomed after he was traded from Portland to New Jersey, instantly becoming the Nets best scorer. His range was unlimited, and he oozed with remarkable confidence for someone who was totally out of his element. During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Petrovic was the only player who stood up to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the U.S. Dream Team.

8. Danny Ainge
The Boston Celtics during the 1980s had arguably the best starting five in the league. They had an All-Star center in Robert Parish, a great power forward in Kevin McHale,  the quintessential small forward in Larry Bird, a Hall-of-Fame point guard in Dennis Johnson and one of the deadliest shooting guards in the game in Danny Ainge. He complemented the Celtics’ Big Four extremely well because he was a tremendous spot-up shooter. He was fearless and unafraid to take (and make) the big shots. He was also a pest on the court, and sometimes his cocky persona got him in trouble. (See his fights with Sedale Threatt and Tree Rollins). But Ainge was a winner, helping the Celtics reach the NBA Finals three times in the ’80s, and a key contributor for the Portland Trail Blazers (1992) and the Phoenix Suns (1993) when they each reached the Finals.

7. Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic was drafted in the first round in the 1996 draft by the Sacramento Kings, one of Geoff Petrie’s major draft gems. His 1,760 3-pointers ranks in the top five all-time and is a 40% shooter from behind the arc for his career. Peja’s incredible shooting was one of the reasons the Kings were one of the best scoring teams in the NBA from 2001-05. He’s made more than 100 threes 10 times in his career – 240 in 2003-04 with the Kings, 231 in 2007-08 with the Hornets. He’s currently a key contributor to the Dallas Mavericks as a sniper off the bench. At 6-foot-9, Stojakovic is a shooting guard in a forward’s body, which allowed him to shoot over any defender. He loved to drift to his left side to set up his jump shot, a step-back move that became his signature shot.

6. Mark Price
The pride of Oklahoma and Georgia Tech, Mark Price is basketball’s Baby Face Assassin. Price offers that choir-boy appearance at first but then you realize this guy is a true sniper who can knock down cold-blooded shots. Price was a 40% 3-point shooter and 90% free throw shooter in his 12-year NBA career, nine of which were spent with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He shot 94% from the line during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.

5. Glen Rice
You want “Minute Rice” or “Instant Rice?” That was the question posed by Glen Rice to teammate John Salley before the start of the 2000 NBA Finals. It’s not boasting when you own one of the sport’s deadliest jump shots. The man used to be known as G-Money was a pure gunner who never took a shot he didn’t like. Once Rice got off the team bus, he was open. He was an absolute sniper. His range was unlimited and his form was almost perfect. It was a stunner whenever he missed because it seemed like every shot he took looked good coming out of his fingertips. Rice averaged more than 20 points per game six times during his career, and drained 1,559 3-pointers.

4. Chris Mullin
The former collegiate star from St. John’s University wasn’t fast nor flashy and wasn’t blessed with great athleticism. But he made his living by perfecting a deadly baseline jump shot, a smooth left-handed stroke that would enable him to last 16 years in the NBA and amassed almost 18,00 points. A member of Golden State’s formidable trio “Run TMC,” Mullin averaged more than 20 points six times in his career and shot 86% from the free throw line. When the 1992 Dream Team was being constructed, Mullin was called to provide the greatest team in basketball history some much-needed outside shooting. He averaged 12.9 points, which was fourth on the Dream Team.

3. Reggie Miller
Most Indiana Pacers fans were scratching their heads when Miller was chosen by the team in the 1987 NBA draft, especially when Indiana’s favorite son, Steve Alford, was still on the board. Well, more than 25,000 points and 2,560 3-point shots later, the Pacers were left satisfied with their pick. Miller basically invented the art of running off defenders on screens. To do so, you had to be in tremendous physical condition, which he was. Miller worked extremely hard at his craft. He was always one of the first players in the gym shooting jump shots. He also was one of the league’s best trash talkers, and he backed up his big talk more often than not (see Reggie Miller v. Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden, 1994 NBA playoffs).

2. Ray Allen
In terms off work ethic, very few in the game has worked harder than Ray Allen. Even though he’s in mid-30s, Allen continues to amaze with his incredible endurance and leg strength. Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton were incredibly fit during their primes, but Ray Allen blows both of them away because he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Allen has taken the art of running off screens from Miller and enhanced it with his own style. Allen also has a unique shooting stroke because his release is uncanny and hard to teach. He may have one of the quickest shots in the sport, a shot so smooth and compact that it is almost perfect.

1. Larry Bird
In terms of technique or statistical achievement, Bird is not on par with his constituents. For his career, Bird was only a 37% shooter from 3-pointer range and never made more than 98 in one season. His career total of 649 doesn’t even crack the NBA’s top 100. Heck, J.R. Rider (667), Rodney Rogers (690) and George McCloud (920) made more threes than Bird. However, when the stakes are at its highest and the lights are at its brightest, very few can compare with Bird. Larry Legend saved some of his best shots during the postseason, helping the Celtics win three titles in 1980s. Adding to his legendary legacy, Bird was also unbeatable during All-Star Weekend. He entered the 3-point contest three times and won it three times. One time he didn’t bother to take off his warm-up jacket. That’s Larry Bird for you. He won’t wow you with stats or amazing highlight plays, but he is a pure assassin when it’s money time.

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Vlade Divac played 16 productive seasons in the NBA, six with the Sacramento Kings. His jersey No. 21 now hangs in the rafters in Arco Arena. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Vlade Divac’s No. 21 jersey was recently retired by the Sacramento Kings in honor of the groundbreaking Serbian center’s six successful seasons with the club.
Divac was the emotional leader and most popular player on the best teams in the franchise’s history, including the Kings’ back-to-back Pacific Division champions and the 2002 Western Conference finalists. He is the second-leading rebounder in Kings history, and he endeared himself to California’s capital city with extensive charity work.
Divac played 16 NBA seasons, including eight with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the Charlotte Hornets, and enjoyed six solid seasons with the Kings.
Even though he was not the first European player drafted by an NBA team, Divac’s successful run in the Association paved the way for a new wave of European ballers such as Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker.

OneManFastbreak.net rates the top 10 European-born players who have played in the NBA:

10) Šarunas Marčiulionis – At 6-5, 200 pounds and left-handed, he was the original Manu Ginobili. He was incredibly strong for a guard, and was fearless when he drove to the basket. He led the Soviet Union to a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Games, prompting a change to Olympic basketball and launching the development of the 1992 Dream Team. Marciulionis was drafted by Don Nelson in 1987, but did not play for the Golden State Warriors until 1989 when he entered the NBA as a 25-year-old rookie. His best season came in the 1991-92 season when he averaged 18 points per game off the bench.

9) Vlade Divac – A very skilled 7-footer who thrived in the Princeton Offense, where it showcased his ability to shoot or pass the ball near the free-throw line. Divac was more finesse than power. Considered the ambassador of Yugoslavian basketball to the United States. He was a good NBA player, but an even better person off the court. Divac, a Serb, and Drazen Petrovic of Croatia made it possible for NBA scouts to believe in the European player. Although he started and ended his career with the L.A. Lakers, Divac’s best seasons were spent in Sacramento where he served as the team leader of the run-and-gun Kings and took young Euros such as Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu under his wing.

8) Andrei Kirilenko – Owns one of the best nicknames in sports. The man they call “AK47″ is one of the most versatile players in the world and can definitely fill a stat sheet. AK47 is always among the league leaders in blocks and steals. He was the 24th player taken in the 1999 NBA draft and has played his entire career with the Utah Jazz. The 6-9 forward has been a member of the all-defense team three times (he made first-team all-defense during 2005-06 season).
7) Arvydas Sabonis – NBA fans never got to see the real Sabonis because multiple knee surgeries robbed him of his mobility when he got to Portland. He was still very effective for the Blazers, helping Portland become a Western Conference power from 1999 to 2001. But if the Blazers had gotten the 7-foot-3, 290-pound Lithuanian center when he was in his prime, the Blazers could have won a championship or two. Just ask David Robinson how good Sabonis was back in the 1988 Olympics when Sabonis schooled Mr. Robinson, who at the time was the reigning college player of the year.
6(t) Peja Stojakovic – At one point of his young professional life, he was considered the best pure shooter in the world. The native of Serbia and Montenegro was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, at the suggestion of Vlade Divac, and began making his mark during the 2000-01 season when he averaged 20.4 points as the starting small forward for the Kings. For the next five season, Stojakovic averaged more than 20 points per game and always among the league leaders in 3-point shooting. After a brief stint in Indiana, Stojakovic has been a member of the New Orleans Hornets for the past three seasons and has become Chris Paul’s favorite basketball sniper.
6(t) Detlef Schrempf – The native of Luverkusen was the pioneer of German basketball players. After a successful stint at the University of Washington, Schrempf was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1985 and went on to play 16 seasons in the NBA. His best years were spent in Indiana and Seattle. He was named sixth man of the year in 1990-91 and again in 1991-92. He was named to the all-star team in 1993, 1995 and 1997. In 1996, he was a part of the Sonics team that played lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals. Detlef would be a lot higher on this list if he didn’t have such a bad reputation for being surly.

5) Dražen Petrović – He died in a car accident on July 7, 1993, on the highway in the vicinity of the German town of Ingolstadt, one day after his last game in a Croatian national team jersey at the qualifications tournament for the European championship in Wroclaw. Though his career was cut short by his untimely death, Petrovic left enough of an impact in the game that he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. His last two seasons was spent in New Jersey, averaging 20.6 in 1991-92 and 22.3 in 1992-93. He made third team All-NBA in his fourth and final season in the NBA.
4) Toni Kukoć – Enjoyed a legendary career in Europe that earned him nicknames such as “The Croatian Sensation,” “White Magic,” and “The Waiter” for his ability to serve and dish the ball to teammates. The 6-10 forward starred for Benetton Treviso from 1991-93. He joined the Chicago Bulls in 1993 as a 25-year-old rookie, shortly after Michael Jordan’s first retirement from the NBA. In 13 NBA seasons, the six with the Bulls, Kukoc was regarded as one of the best sixth men, winning the award in 1996. Kukoc has three championship rings and a reputation for making clutch shots.
3) Pau Gasol – If there was a player influenced by the 1992 Dream Team, it was Pau Gasol. He was 12 years old when he saw firsthand the greatest collection of basketball stars all under one flag playing in his backyard in Barcelona. Now, Gasol is the face of Spanish basketball. He is easily the greatest basketball player to come out of Spain and we now just realizing his true talents as the perfect complement to Kobe Byrant. Gasol is a big reason for the popularity of the sport in his country and for the influx of Spanish players in the NBA, such as Jose Calderon, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez and his brother Marc.

2) Tony Parker – When San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich handed the keys to the franchise to this ultra-quick point guard when he was only 19 years old, you knew he was special. With Parker, who was born in Belgium but grew up in France, at the controls, the Spurs just took off. Parker was on championship teams in 2003, 2005 and 2007. He became the first European-born player to win the MVP of the NBA Finals. He is enjoying his best season in 2008-09, averaging career highs in points (21.8) and assists (6.9). Parker’s success opened the doors for other Frenchmen such as Boris Diaw and Mikael Pietrus. The three-time NBA all-star is also married to actress Eva Longoria, which gives him bonus points.

Dirk Nowitzki won the NBA MVP award in 2007.

1) Dirk Nowitzki – The first and only European-born player to win the NBA’s regular-season MVP when he took home the Maurice Podoloff trophy during the 2006-07 season. After a slow start to his rookie season in 1998, the 7-footer from Wurzburg, Germany, showed he belonged in the league when he raised his scoring average from 8.2 to 17.5 during his second season with the Dallas Mavericks. For then on, he has become a fixture in all-star games and on the All-NBA teams. He is an eight-time NBA all-star and has been named to the All-NBA first team three times. Nowitzki increased his scoring average to 21.8 points during his third season, and his scoring has never dipped below that number since. He averaged a career-best 26.6 points in the 2005-06 season when he led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. For the 2008-09 season, Nowitzki ranks in the top 10 in points per game (25.7), field goals made, field goal attempts, minutes played and free throw percentage. Nowitzki owns one of the purest shots in the game, a big man with an accurate jumper.

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