Legendary former Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryan thinks the implementation of the three-point shot in the NBA is the worst thing. Ever.
The three-point line was added to the NBA for the 1979–1980 season, and the first three-point shot was made by Boston Celtics player Chris Ford on October 12, 1979.
The line was originally implemented on a one-year trial basis but is now a staple of the game. It was introduced to make long-distance shots more viable and reduce the advantage of taller players.
“For me, the three-point shot is the single worst thing to happen to basketball in my lifetime,” Ryan said during a recent appearance on The Ricky Cobb Show.
“The three-point shot, as we know, it was a gimmick of a promoter. It was the gimmick of a promoter, that man being Abe Sacks, the impresario of the Harlem Globetrotters who founded a league in 1961 called the American Basketball League he hoped would be an opposition to the NBA,” he continued.
“That league lasted a year and a half. It folded in the second year, but he had a three-point shot because he needed a gimmick.”
What a pleasure to talk some hoops with Bob Ryan. The legendary Boston Globe columnist on load management, Jordan vs. LeBron, Larry Bird & the 1986 Celtics, Caitlin Clark, and why the 3-point shot is the worst thing to happen to basketball. Check it out:
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NBA Three-Point Line
The three-point line in the NBA is kind of like the extra-point situation in the NFL. Kickers eventually got so good at it that it became an irrelevant part of the game.
So they moved the XP back. Does the NBA need to move the three-point line back?
Teams are taking the long-range shot more and more each season. And it’s either one of two reasons – more players are capable of making the shot on a regular basis or, like with baseball and sabermetrics, coaches have deduced the percentages of makes, even at a lesser point value, eventually yields more points.
NBA teams are taking more 3s than ever this season
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) October 29, 2024
Based on the preseason data, this was expected
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Ryan pointed a finger of blame at Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry.
“All over America, 8-year-olds are cranking up threes. Steph Curry is the single most influential player of the 21st century…,” he said. “Every little kid wants to be Steph Curry, and it’s the game, the three-point shot.”
I mean, he hits them from outer space. It’s not Curry’s fault he shoots as well as he does.
RELATED: Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Wants NBA To Allow Fighting, Institute Power Plays Like Hockey
A Better Idea To Improve The Game?
Should the NBA do away with the three-point shot? That’s not going to happen, even if Bob Ryan seemingly would prefer they did.
We like Joe Mazzulla’s idea to improve the NBA better. The Boston Celtics head coach suggested the league started allowing fights and instituting power plays.
“I think the biggest thing that we rob people from as an entertainment standpoint is you can’t fight anymore,” he said. “I wish you could bring back fighting.”
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recently suggested the WNBA lower the hoops to allow dunking and improve the women’s game.
Baseball is likely going to implement computerized strike zones in the next couple of years.
Every league is seeking to improve their game at all times. Did the three-point line help or hurt the NBA?
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