“You are an inspiration to many little ones like mine,” were the words of encouragement from Reggie Miller, when Stephen Curry surpassed him in 2021. At the time, the Golden State Warriors star was number two on the list for 3-pointers made behind Celtics legend Ray Allen. Over the years, Miller and Curry have praised each other, and Curry even called Miller one of his idols. And a former teammate of Indiana Pacers legend explained why many players have modeled their game after Miller.

Appearing on the Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson show, Jonathan Bender spoke about his rookie year with the Pacers. He was part of the draft class in 1999, alongside Lamar Odom, Baron Davis Ron Artest, and Manu Ginobili. Picked by Toronto, Bender was quickly traded to the Pacers, where on his debut he scored 10 points off the bench. “I learned a lot from Reggie out the gate.”

The 43-year-old recalled that he would work out with Reggie Miller in Malibu. “So learning those stopping goals coming off those screens tight in the way he, uh kind of, used his uh, off-ball skills and movement to get itself open.” Bender credited Miller for the work, as he feels Curry and others have also taken inspiration from the Pacers star. “A lot of guys model that nowadays you look how Steph Curry moves, you look how Rich Hamilton used to move. They all kind of model that off-ball movement of Reggie,” Bender said, via Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.

Even LeBron James pointed out the same off-the-ball movement as a problem. “The ball is not the problem with Steph Curry. He’s the f**king problem. Steph is most dangerous when he doesn’t have the ball. It’s not many guys in our league that’s most dangerous without the ball… Guarding Steph is uncomfortable.”

LeBron highlighted Curry’s greatness on his podcast. Interestingly, the podcast on YouTube aired on the same date that the GSW beat the Lakers 134-120. Curry had scored 6 out of 6 from beyond the arc in the game. Reggie Miller’s teammate Bender pointed out the game of Warriors #30 was modeled on Miller and even Curry agreed on the influence.

Reggie Miller’s impact on Stephen Curry

Last year, while eating hot spicy wings on the Hot Ones episode, Curry listed Reggie Miller and Ray Allen as role models. “Reggie, because he was a master at creating space without the ball.” He continued, “Find a way to get separation to go out and get a pass and quick release. I never could emulate his form because he does it like this when he shoots. You never teach that. But the movement without the ball. So, I try to blend those two guys together.”

At the time of his retirement in 2005, Reggie Miller ranked first in the all-time list of three-pointer shots made. Boston Celtics’ Ray Allen managed to surpass Miller only in 2013. In January 2021, Curry overtook Miller for the second spot on this list, and in September 2022, he became the undisputed #1.

The Warriors guard broke the record over the course of 789 games — 511 fewer than it took Allen (1,300) to reach the milestone. For the three-pointers made in playoffs, Miller occupies the number eight spot with 320, while Curry is sitting in the first place with nearly double of Miller’s numbers. Currently, being at the top with 618 three-pointers made. Miller was at the top of the all-time 3-pointers made list for a long time. From 1989 to 1998, Miller averaged 21.2 points per game while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.

When Miller started his dominance beyond the arc, it was frowned upon in the league. But, Curry got attached to it and even wore the Pacers’ legend jersey while growing up. Similarly, Curry took the shooting to a different level and impacted young hoopers just like Miller did.