Klay Thompson’s move past Damian Lillard into 4th place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list is a milestone that cements his legacy as one of the greatest shooters in league history. The achievement reflects both his elite skill and his durability across a decade of high-stakes basketball.
The milestone moment
On January 15, 2026, Thompson hit a first-quarter three-pointer against the Utah Jazz that became the 2,805th made three of his career, officially pushing him past Damian Lillard on the all-time list. The shot was a classic Thompson catch-and-shoot jumper, coming at the 1:18 mark of the opening period and celebrated immediately by his Dallas Mavericks teammates and the home crowd.
Thompson did not stop at the record-breaking triple, finishing the night 6-of-13 from beyond the arc as Dallas blew out Utah, whose entire team made only one more three-pointer than Thompson alone. The performance underscored that this was not just a statistical checkpoint but a reminder of his ongoing impact as a high-volume, high-efficiency perimeter threat.
Position among all-time leaders
With this make, Thompson moved into 4th place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list with 2,805 career threes (and counting). He now trails only Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Ray Allen, an elite group that has defined the modern era of perimeter shooting.
A recent rundown of the all-time leaders shows the current landscape at the top of the list:
Stephen Curry: 4,200+ career threes (still active).
James Harden: over 3,290 career threes (still active).
Ray Allen: 2,973 career threes.
Klay Thompson: 2,805+ career threes, now 4th all-time.
Damian Lillard: 2,804 career threes at the time Thompson passed him.
This climb is especially notable because Thompson missed significant time earlier in his career with major injuries, yet still closed the gap on and surpassed another prolific shooter in Lillard.
Comparison with Damian Lillard
Thompson and Lillard have long been linked as two of the defining shooters of their generation, but their styles and paths to this point differ. Lillard built much of his three-point résumé as a ball-dominant creator from deep, while Thompson has been the quintessential off-ball marksman, excelling at relocation, quick releases, and movement shooting within offensive systems.
Shooting styles and roles
Thompson has thrived as a complementary star, often guarding tough assignments on defense while spacing the floor and punishing defenses that overload on primary creators.
Lillard’s threes frequently come off the dribble from well beyond the line, functioning as primary offense and late-clock shotmaking rather than secondary spacing.
Those contrasting roles make Thompson’s move past Lillard especially impressive, as he accumulated his numbers with fewer touches and less on-ball control, leaning on precision, timing, and efficiency.
Legacy and historical significance
This milestone reinforces Thompson’s place as one of the pillars of the three-point revolution that reshaped NBA offenses over the past decade. His shooting helped define championship-level spacing in Golden State and now anchors Dallas’s perimeter attack as he continues to extend his total.
Passing Lillard for 4th all-time adds another line to a résumé that already includes multiple championships, All-Star appearances, and historic single-game shooting outbursts, such as his record-setting 14 three-pointers in a game earlier in his career. As he climbs further into the 2,800s and beyond, every additional make further solidifies Thompson’s standing among the most feared and accomplished long-range shooters the sport has ever seen.
