(Reuters) -Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry set the NBA’s all-time 3-point record at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, making his 2,974th long-range shot in the first quarter to surpass Hall of Famer Ray Allen.
Curry, a three-time National Basketball Association champion and two-time league MVP, pounded his chest and let out a roar after hitting the 28-foot shot. He was then immediately embraced by his teammates, coaches, father and former NBA player Dell Curry, and Allen.
Curry entered Tuesday night’s contest just two 3-pointers shy of Allen’s regular-season record and the sold-out crowd remained on its feet throughout the early goings of the game in anticipation of the record being broken.
Reggie Miller, who was calling the game on TNT’s national broadcast, is third on the list with 2,560 3-pointers.
The 33-year-old Curry, who is playing in his 13th season, is widely considered the greatest shooter in the history of the league.
He was averaging 27 points per game and shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc for the NBA-best 22-5 Warriors coming into Tuesday’s matchup with the Knicks.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Hogue and Peter Cooney)