The three-point shot is one of the most important changes in basketball history. The basketball section from the 1x Bet platform has lots of bets on players who excel in scoring 3-pointers too.
Today, long-range shooting is a central part of the game, but when the NBA introduced the three-point line in the 1979-80 season, many players and coaches considered it a gimmick. The first three-pointer in NBA history was made by Boston Celtics guard Chris Ford on October 12, 1979. When it comes to betting on the NBA, there is no better place than 1xBet to place bets on it.
The idea itself was not new. The American Basketball League introduced the three-point shot in 1961, and the American Basketball Association later adopted it in 1967. After the ABA-NBA merger, the NBA eventually decided to add the shot to its own game.
At first, teams barely used it. During the 1979-80 season, NBA teams averaged only about 2.8 three-point attempts per game. Players were accustomed to attacking the basket or taking mid-range shots, so coaches did not immediately build their offenses around the new rule.
Modifying strategies
Over time, however, coaches discovered that the 3-pointer was much more than a bonus for making difficult shots. It changed the geometry of the court. A player standing behind the 3-point line forces defenders to move farther away from the basket, creating more space for drives, passes and post plays. Teams also realized that 3 points from one successful shot could be more valuable than two points from a closer attempt.
The evolution accelerated in the 21st century. Players such as Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and later Stephen Curry demonstrated that elite shooters could make large numbers of 3-pointers while maintaining high efficiency. Curry, in particular, helped redefine how far players could shoot and how frequently they could attempt threes. In recent seasons, leading shooters have averaged more than 10 3-point attempts per game, a remarkable contrast with the early NBA years.
The 3-point revolution has also changed what players are expected to do. Centers and power forwards are increasingly expected to shoot from outside, while smaller players use three-point shooting to create space and attack closeouts. Modern offenses often prioritize 3-point attempts, shots near the basket and free throws because these areas can produce greater scoring efficiency.
Ultimately, the 3-point shot changed many aspects about the sport:
- its strategy;
- player development;
- spacing;
- and the way basketball is watched.
What began as a controversial experiment became a fundamental part of the sport, and permanently transformed the way the game is played.