The Towering Icon Who Made Just 2 Threes: Yao Ming‘s Outside Shooting in Context
Yao Ming will be remembered as one of the most influential and talented centers of his era. But the 7‘6" giant took just 10 three-point attempts in his NBA career, sinking 2 of them. For context, Stephen Curry once made 13 threes in a single game.
A Breakdown of Yao‘s Wayward Shooting Touch
In his rookie season, Yao went 0-2 from three-point range while focused on interior scoring. The following year he again put up two unsuccessful attempts from deep.
It wasn‘t until 2006-2007 that Yao finally made the first three-pointer of his career at the height of his powers. The very next season he nailed his second and final three out of six tries. For his career, he shot 20% from behind the arc on limited chances.
| Season | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 2003-04 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 2004-05 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-07 | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| 2007-08 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| 2008-09 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-11 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Career | 10 | 2 | 20% |
As seen in his shot charts below, Yao was clearly most comfortable operating down low, with nearly all his field goal attempts coming from the paint area.
Contrast With Other Legendary Big Men
Yao is not alone when it comes to all-time great centers with a dearth of 3-point production. Shaquille O‘Neal took just 22 threes in 19 seasons, famously making one of them. Bill Russell likely never even attempted a three.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shot an ugly 1/18 from downtown after the 3-point line debuted late in his storied career. It seems preposterous now, but draining threes simply wasn‘t an required skill for past eras of post playmakers.
The Evolution of the Stretch Five
The sport has evolved drastically regarding big men and long-range shooting. Modern centers like Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, and the Jokic brothers are expected to stretch the floor and regularly launch threes as part of their versatile offensive arsenal…
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In summary, while Yao rarely ventured out to the three-point line and shot just 20% when he did, his towering height and refined skills established him as one of the most talented and revolutionary centers the league has seen. His iconic status persists despite not adapting to the deep-ball era.
