LaMelo Ball Reaches 1,000 Threes in 311 Games, the Fastest in NBA History by 32 Games

Photo: NBA.com. LaMelo Ball, guard, Minnesota Timberwolves.

LaMelo Ball made his 1,000th career 3-pointer in the first four minutes of Minnesota's home game against Milwaukee on Monday night, in the 311th game of his NBA career. That is the fastest anyone has reached 1,000 threes, 32 games quicker than Duncan Robinson's record of 343, set with Miami on March 17, 2024.

Ball entered the night at 997, per Basketball-Reference, and needed three. He hit all three in the opening four minutes, scoring 11 of Minnesota's first 15 points, per ClutchPoints. Minnesota won 112-100. Ball finished with 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, 6-of-13 from three and 4-of-5 at the line, with six rebounds, three assists, a steal and three turnovers in 33 minutes, per the NBA.com box score.

The record had already moved once

Robinson took the mark from Buddy Hield, who needed 350 games, per ClutchPoints. That was a seven-game cut. Ball just took 32 off Robinson's number.

By the per-game math, Ball came into Monday averaging 3.2 made threes per game for his career, per Basketball-Reference. Robinson's 1,000 in 343 games works out to about 2.9, by our count.

How the shot grew

The volume did not arrive all at once. Ball took 5.1 threes a game as a 19-year-old rookie in Charlotte, per Basketball-Reference. The attempts by season since then:

| Season | Team | Games | 3PM | 3PA per game | Share of shots from three | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2020-21 | Charlotte | 51 | 92 | 5.1 | 38.8% | | 2021-22 | Charlotte | 75 | 220 | 7.5 | 45.1% | | 2022-23 | Charlotte | 36 | 144 | 10.6 | 53.1% | | 2023-24 | Charlotte | 22 | 70 | 9.0 | 46.6% | | 2024-25 | Charlotte | 47 | 179 | 11.2 | 52.6% | | 2025-26 | Charlotte | 72 | 272 | 10.3 | 59.5% | | 2026-27 | Minnesota | 7 | 20 | 8.3 | 65.2% |

All numbers per Basketball-Reference, through Oct. 31.

The 2025-26 season did the heavy lifting: 272 makes in 72 games, the most of his career, at 36.8%. His career mark entering Monday sat at 36.5%.

The table also shows the games that never happened. Ball played 36 games in 2022-23 and 22 in 2023-24.

Eighth game in Minnesota

The milestone came in his eighth game as a Timberwolf, after Minnesota acquired him from Charlotte in a four-team trade on July 10, per NBA.com. Charlotte got 977 of the 1,000 across 303 games, per Basketball-Reference.

Before Monday he was averaging 14.4 points on 39.3% shooting and 34.5% from three, per Basketball-Reference, and he went 0-for-4 from deep in Saturday's loss at San Antonio. He was listed questionable with a right wrist contusion on the afternoon injury report before the team confirmed he would start, per Heavy.

Anthony Edwards is out after right knee arthroscopy and is expected to miss about two months, per NBA.com's game preview. The Wolves scored 29 in the first quarter, per NBA.com.

Brandon Miller's projected pace

Screwball lists 17 active players on pace to reach 1,000 within four seasons, and only one projects inside the top 10: Brandon Miller, Ball's former Charlotte teammate, at 518 threes and a projected 336 games, a projection per Screwball. That would rank second all time, 25 games behind Ball.

Ball has been chasing Robinson's marks for a while. He became the fastest to 900 threes in 287 games, beating Robinson's 305, per ClutchPoints. The gap at 900 was 18 games. At 1,000 it is 32.

Ball is the 188th player in NBA history to reach 1,000 made threes, per ClutchPoints. None of the first 187 got there in fewer games.

Sources:

• ClutchPoints: LaMelo Ball makes personal history with 1,000th made career 3-pointer: three threes in the first four minutes, 11 of the first 15 points, 188th player to 1,000, Hield's 350-game mark.
• Screwball: Fastest players to 1,000 made 3-pointers: Ball 311 games on Nov. 2, 2026; active-player projections.
• ClutchPoints: LaMelo Ball fastest to 900 threes: 287 games, past Robinson's 305.
• Basketball-Reference: LaMelo Ball career stats: 997 threes in 310 games entering Monday and season-by-season shooting.
• NBA.com: Bucks vs. Timberwolves, Nov. 2, 2026: box score and game preview, Edwards expected out about two months.
• On3: Duncan Robinson fastest player to 1,000 threes: 343 games, March 17, 2024, at Detroit.
• NBA.com: LaMelo Ball trade to the Timberwolves: four-team trade official July 10, 2026.
• Heavy: LaMelo Ball questionable vs. Bucks: right wrist contusion, cleared to start.

Photo credit: LaMelo Ball, NBA.com player page. Official NBA headshot.