Stephen Curry’s exceptional three-point shooting revolutionized the NBA. It has become one of the most important aspects of the game, bringing the crowd to the edge of their seats with every attempt. We can also see this influence in the WNBA with the Fever rookie Caitlin Clark forging her professional career. Recently, she hit her 100th three-pointer in her debut season, leaving fans in awe. Four decades ago, though, this wasn’t the norm. That’s why legendary scorers, like Michael Jordan, don’t have this particular accolade under their belts.

Interestingly, it’s not because they couldn’t achieve it, but because they simply didn’t focus on it. Jordan made only 9 shots from beyond the arc in his rookie year, while Clark became the first WNBA rookie to hit 100 threes in a season, with 6 more games to go in the regulation. The first-overall pick also holds the WNBA rookie record for most shots from the deep with 86. Additionally, with 77 3 PM, she also holds the franchise rookie record for Indiana. Indeed, backing the popular nickname she received in Iowa — ‘the female Stephen Curry’.

On the other hand, despite being the best scorer for many, three-point shooting wasn’t Jordan’s strongest asset. It may be surprising that the 6x NBA champion only added 9 of 52 shots from the deep in his rookie season. He averaged just 58 threes over his first five years in the NBA, shooting 20%. The difference between the two athletes isn’t in their skills but in the era they played in. Had the time been different, the gap between numbers might have been less, too.

Back in Jordan’s time, the game was vastly different. The three-pointer was still a new addition, and it wasn’t a central part of offensive strategies like it is today. Teams took far fewer attempts. Now, teams attempt over 29 shots from beyond the arc. On the contrary, teams averaged just three 3-point attempts per game in the 1985-86 season. Probably why it was not a required skill, that Jordan wanted to work on.

Michael Jordan refused to hone long-range shooting

It was much later in his career when Jordan began to improve his three-point shooting skills. And there was a reason for him not focusing on it earlier. As mentioned, the Chicago Bulls legend’s era prioritized battling for the ball inside the paint rather than shooting from long range. He intentionally avoided focusing on three-point shots because he felt it would take away from other aspects of his game. At that time, the game was much more aggressive near the basket.

“My three-point shooting is something I don’t want to excel at because it takes away from all phases of my game. My game is fake, drive to the hole, penetrate, dish-off, dunk. When you have that mentality of making threes, you don’t go to the hole as much,” Jordan said in an interview.

Jordan made 555 of his 581 career three-pointers while playing for the Chicago Bulls. While he certainly could have excelled in this part, Jordan did not believe that it was a major part of his game. While most players in that era would agree, it is a lot different today, with the players looking to create length for their teammates and also add a scoring advantage with deep shots. Something that Caitlin Clark has aced already.