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Crawford Sets NBA Record for Career 4-Point Plays

Jamal Crawford set a new NBA record* Wednesday night when he netted his 24th career 4-point play during the Hawks win over the Clippers. Crawford entered the game tied with Pacers legend Reggie Miller for the record.

“That’s huge,” Crawford noted, “hopefully I will continue to add to it.”
While Miller’s resume indicates that he would be a prime candidate to hold the record, Crawford’s takeover of the record seems more out of place. Reggie holds the NBA record for career 3-point baskets and 3-point attempts, so any records involving shots from behind the arc are likely to include his name among the leaders. Throw in the fact that Miller’s signature “leg-kick” drew a large number of fouls (and criticism) throughout his 18-year career, and his ownership of the record makes perfect sense.

As for Crawford, he has passed Miller while having played 744 fewer games. He has played over 26,000 less minutes and has attempted about 3300 less shots from behind the arc… AND he doesn’t use the “leg kick”. Jamal credits his ability to elevate and shoot with defenders in close proximity.

“I shoot when people don't expect it,” Crawford said. “So when I do they try to react and by that time I am already in my shooting motion.”

Indeed, the key to Crawford’s success stems from the fact that the fouls almost always occur after the ball is released and he is returning to the ground.

For additional perspective on how rare 4-point plays are in the NBA, consider the following:

  • There is limited statistical information for 4-point plays, creating confusion about whether Reggie Miller’s career total was 23 or 24.
  • The Celtics have only converted a 4-point play 17 times in the history of their franchise.
  • There is only one recorded instance of an NBA player converting a 4-point play twice in one game. (Ironically it was against the Hawks in last year’s playoffs when Miami’s James Jones did it twice in 11 seconds.)

With the 32-year old Crawford converting five 4-point plays already this season, he is showing no signs of slowing down. For now he is excited to know that each one he converts sets a new NBA record.

> Jamal Crawford Bio

*According to Harvey Pollack's NBA Statistical Yearbook.