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Stephen Curry added yet another milestone to his legendary résumé on Thursday night, becoming the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 career 3-pointers. The Golden State Warriors superstar hit the mark against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center, further cementing his status as one of the greatest shooters of all time.
Curry has been in a league of his own from deep since he became the all-time leader in made 3s on Dec. 14, 2021, eclipsing Ray Allen’s 2,974. LA Clippers guard James Harden is the closest active player with 3,127, and Allen now sits third on the list.
That got us thinking: What are some other sports records that might be unbreakable? Whether it’s the evolution of the game or just the sheer greatness of those who set them, some marks feel downright untouchable. Here’s a short list of records you’ll probably never see broken — at least not in our lifetimes.
LeBron James: 50,000-plus combined points (active)
play 0:29 LeBron reaches 50,000-point mark LeBron James eclipses 50,000 total points from the regular season and playoffs combined.
James became the first player in NBA history to total 50,000 points in the regular season and postseason on March 4.
James, who turned 40 in December, now sits with 50,086 career points — regular season and playoffs combined. By comparison, Kevin Durant — the next-highest active player — is nearly 15,000 behind James’ mark. Durant is also only four years younger than James, giving him a nearly impossible mountain to climb to make up that deficit.
Emmitt Smith: 18,355 rushing yards
Active leader: Derrick Henry (11,423)
Smith broke Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record of 16,726 yards in 2002. Of course, Smith wasn’t quite finished yet; he played for 2½ more seasons, winding up with 18,355 rushing yards.
This is a milestone that is unlikely to ever be broken. For one thing, it’s Emmitt Smith we’re talking about. The man rushed for 1,000-yard seasons like clockwork basically forever. But the NFL also has changed quite a bit since then. Offenses don’t focus on running backs like they used to, and playing as long as Smith did as a ball carrier is seemingly impossible.
It’s hard to see how anyone could break Emmitt Smith’s career rushing yards record. TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Jerry Rice: 22,895 receiving yards
Active leader: DeAndre Hopkins (12,965)
Rice had an incredible 14 seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards, including three with more than 1,500. A big part of this was his incredible durability; he only played fewer than 16 games two out of his 21 years. Rice also had the good fortune of going from one Hall of Fame quarterback (Joe Montana) to another (Steve Young). But let’s be real: Rice was more or less uncoverable for two straight decades all on his own. It also explains why no one is ever going to catch his receiving touchdown record: He has 197, and the next-highest receiver, Randy Moss, has 41 fewer scores.
Wayne Gretzky: 1,963 career assists
Active leader: Sidney Crosby (1,051)
The old saying about
Stephen Curry’s 4,000 career 3-pointers tops list of sports’ most unbreakable records
