Former columnist says 3-point shot is 'the worst thing to happen to basketball'

Not everyone likes the 3-point line in the NBA.

Indeed, former Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan recently expressed his displeasure with 3-point shooting during an appearance on Outkick's “The Ricky Cobb Show.''

“For me, the 3-point shot is the worst thing to happen to basketball in my lifetime. And let's look back at history a little bit. The ABA didn't introduce the 3-point shot. The ABA absorbed the 3-point shot. As we know, that 3-point shot was a promoter gimmick,” Ryan said. “It was a promoter's trick. The man was Abe Sachs, the promoter of the Harlem Globetrotters and the founder of a league called the American Basketball League in 1961 that he hoped would be a rival to the NBA. Ta.

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“That league lasted a year and a half and ended after the second year, but he needed a gimmick so he shot 3-pointers. The Eastern League was a league that I was familiar with having grown up in Trenton. I'm a big fan of the Eastern League, and when the ABA started in 1966, there was clearly a need for a gimmick, and they had one. : 3-point shot and red, white, and blue basketball, but remember it's a derivative of the 3-point shot. ”

The NBA introduced the three-point line during the 1979-1980 season. Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics made the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979.

The flow of the game has changed dramatically since then, with the Celtics attempting 61 3-pointers in the season opener against the New York Knicks.

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Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryan takes a photo at home. (Barry Chin/Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Ryan believes Stephen Curry is the most influential player of the 21st century because of his shooting talent.

“Across America, 8-year-old players are moving up to three. The most influential player of the 21st century is Stephen Curry…Right now, it's Steph Curry. Every little kid wants to be Steph Curry. And that's the game, it's the three-man game.'' The Warriors have mastered that with multiple championships, the Celtics mastered it last year on their way to a championship, and there they are. It seems like we use the same techniques to get there,” Ryan said.

Ryan knows the game won't go back to how it was before the 3-point line was introduced in the NBA, but he's pushing for more balance in shot selection in today's game.

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Stephen Curry (4) of the United States reacts during the men's basketball gold medal game at Bercy Arena during the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday, August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

“All I want is balance. All I want is balance. Balance does not mean that 50% 3 is equal to 50% 2. A 2:3 ratio would probably be better.Statistics are broadcast, which is great, but someone should watch the 9-40 nights. It’s ugly,” Ryan said.

“And that's not the basketball I've come to know. I've accepted myself to the point where it's not going anywhere. There's nothing I can do about it, so I try to enjoy the game as much as I can.” But let me tell you, it's not as fun as it used to be.

Ryan began reporting for the Boston Globe in 1969 as a beat reporter for the Celtics until 1982. He later became a general sports columnist, retiring in 2012.

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