This Long Time Michigan Basketball Player Was The First To Score A NBA 3-Point Basket

Did you know that the first three-pointer in NBA history was made by a longtime Detroit Piston? The weird thing about it was that he did not make the shot as a Piston. It was a year after he left Detroit to go to the Celtics, which is when he made the shot.

Nicknamed "The Mad Bomber," Chris Ford spent the first half of his career in Detroit, from 72-78 which are years we do not like to talk about as Pistons basketball fans. He left to go to the Celtics which was ultimately the right career move, not only hitting the first three-pointer in NBA history in the 79'-80' season, but eventually winning a championship with them a year before he retired.

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The legendary first three-point shot happened on October 12, 1979, in a game against the Houston Rockets. Rick Barry from the Rockets also made one that night as well, but Ford was the most notable for technically making the first one. But the three-pointer has origins that go much farther back.

History of The Three-Point Shot In Basketball

When looking at the origins of the three-point shot, you have to go back to the collegiate level in 1945, when a 21-foot line was first tested in a game between Columbia and Fordham.

The game didn't prove to make it a rule and another test game wasn't played until 1958, this time with a 23-foot line.

Up until the 70s, the NBA hadn't adopted three-pointers nor did they have anyone who performed a slam dunk, but the American Basketball Association embraced both while they competed with the NBA.

3 years after the ABA closed, the NBA temporarily adopted the three-pointer for one season, which is when Ford made the shot. After the 79' season, the NBA decided to keep the three-pointer, and the rest is history.

Below you can watch the first three-pointer ever

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