Bob Ryan Calls Three-Point Shot a Game Changer with Mixed Results

Not everyone celebrates the rise of the three-point line in basketball, and certainly not Bob Ryan, former columnist for The Boston Globe. During a recent appearance on OutKick's "The Ricky Cobb Show," Ryan was candid about his disdain for the shot, calling it “the single worst thing to happen to basketball” in his lifetime.

Ryan explained the origins of the three-point line, citing Abe Saperstein’s American Basketball League in 1961, which introduced the shot as a gimmick to draw crowds. Though the league folded in just two years, the three-point shot was later adopted by the ABA (American Basketball Association) in 1966 and was characterized by its iconic red, white, and blue ball. When the NBA officially incorporated the three-point line in the 1979-1980 season, the game’s dynamics began to change rapidly. Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics made the first three-pointer on October 12, 1979, and the influence of that first shot has grown into a defining feature of modern basketball.

Fast-forward to today’s game, and the difference is stark. In a recent matchup, the Celtics took 61 three-point shots in a single game against the Knicks. Ryan believes Steph Curry has fundamentally reshaped the game, influencing young players across America who emulate his deep shots. “All over America, 8-year-olds are cranking up threes,” Ryan remarked, noting that Curry is the “single most influential player of the 21st century.” Ryan credits the Golden State Warriors with mastering the three-point shot to secure multiple championships, as well as the Celtics, who leaned heavily on the strategy to clinch a title last year.

Though he acknowledges the game won’t revert to pre-three-point era styles, Ryan laments the lack of diversity in shot selection, advocating for a balanced approach. He envisions an ideal game where two-point shots significantly outnumber threes, suggesting a ratio closer to 2-to-1. “When the stats go on air, they are wonderful, but check out the nights when somebody’s 9-for-40. It’s ugly. It’s beyond ugly. It’s disgraceful,” Ryan commented. For him, such shooting nights stray far from the game he grew up loving.

In his nearly four-decade career, Ryan witnessed major transformations in the game and covered some of the NBA’s most iconic eras. After beginning as a Celtics beat reporter in 1969, he retired in 2012. Today, he’s reconciled with the reality of the three-point era but admits it’s no longer the game he once cherished.