Honestly, it feels like just yesterday Steph Curry was that skinny kid from Davidson everyone thought would get bullied out of the NBA. Fast forward to early 2026, and we're not just talking about him being a "good shooter." We're talking about a guy who has fundamentally broken the way we look at career scoring.
So, let's get right to the number everyone is asking about. As of mid-January 2026, Stephen Curry has scored 26,284 regular-season career points.
If you include his playoff dominance—which, let's be real, is where the "Chef" truly cooks—that number jumps significantly. Adding his 4,147 playoff points into the mix brings his total combined professional scoring output to over 30,431 points. That's a massive milestone that puts him in a very exclusive club, currently sitting at 15th all-time when you combine regular season and postseason buckets.
The Milestone That Changed Everything: 26,000 and Counting
Curry hit the 26,000-point mark in spectacular fashion on Christmas Day 2025 against the Dallas Mavericks. It wasn't some flashy 35-foot bomb either. He actually navigated through traffic and finished a delicate layup off the glass. It was a poetic reminder that while his jersey is basically the logo for the three-point line, he’s got one of the most elite finishing packages at the rim the league has ever seen.
Passing 26,000 made him only the 25th player in NBA history to reach that plateau. Think about the thousands of players who have laced them up since 1946. Only 25 have done what he’s doing.
Basically, we are watching history in real time.
Why the Scoring Rank is Kinda Deceptive
Most fans look at the "All-Time Regular Season" list and see Steph around the 20th to 22nd spot (depending on the week and how hot Kevin Durant or James Harden are shooting). But here’s the thing: Curry’s "total career points" would be significantly higher if he didn't spend so many fourth quarters sitting on the bench because the Warriors were up by 30.
I’m not even joking. During those peak "Strength in Numbers" years, Steve Kerr famously pulled Steph for entire final periods. If he had played those minutes? He’d likely be closing in on the top 10 already.
Breaking Down the Scoring: Regular Season vs. Playoffs
When people ask "how many career points does curry have," they usually mean the regular season because that's how the NBA officially ranks players. But if you want to understand the true impact of the greatest shooter ever, you have to look at the full picture.
- Regular Season: 26,284 points
- NBA Playoffs: 4,147 points
- All-Star Games: 220+ points (though these don't count for the official record, they're still buckets)
Curry is currently averaging about 28.1 points per game in the 2025-26 season. At 37 years old, that’s just absurd. He’s actually shooting more efficiently now (around 58.7% effective field goal percentage) than he did during some of his championship runs. It’s like he’s aging in reverse, or at least his jumper is.
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The Chase for the Top 10
The big question for 2026 is: can he pass the legends? He’s currently chasing names like Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, and Paul Pierce. If he stays healthy and maintains this 28-point average for the rest of the season, he’s going to start knocking these guys off the list like bowling pins.
A lot of experts think if he plays until he’s 40—which seems totally doable given his conditioning—he could finish as high as the top 5 or 6 on the all-time scoring list. He’s already passed Jerry West and Reggie Miller, which would have sounded like a fever dream ten years ago.
What People Get Wrong About His Scoring
People love to say Steph is "just a shooter." Honestly, that’s the biggest myth in basketball.
If you look at how he gets his points, his free-throw shooting is actually a massive weapon. He’s a career 91% shooter from the stripe. In the 2025-26 season, he’s still hovering around 93%. He gets to the line by being a master of "gravity." Defenders are so terrified of his three-ball that they over-rotate, he blows by them, and they’re forced to foul.
Those "easy" points add up. If you took away everyone’s free throws, Steph would actually be ranked much higher on the all-time list because his "effective" scoring is so much higher than his peers.
The Three-Point Factor
You can't talk about Curry's career points without mentioning the 3,900+ made triples. He's about to hit 4,000 career threes, a number that was previously thought to be impossible. To put that in perspective, he’s currently thousands of makes ahead of the next active players.
Basically, Curry has scored over 11,700 points from the three-point line alone. That’s more than some Hall of Fame players scored in their entire careers from everywhere on the court.
The Road Ahead: 2026 and Beyond
The Warriors made a huge move in the last year, bringing in Jimmy Butler to help take the pressure off Steph. While that might sound like it would lower his scoring, it’s actually done the opposite. With another elite threat on the floor, Steph is getting cleaner looks.
You’ve seen it in the recent box scores:
- Jan 15, 2026 vs Knicks: 27 points
- Jan 11, 2026 vs Hawks: 31 points
- Jan 9, 2026 vs Kings: 27 points
He’s not slowing down. He’s actually finding new ways to manipulate the defense.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're following Steph's scoring chase, there are a few things you should keep an eye on to truly appreciate what's happening.
First, watch the "Points per 36 Minutes" stat. Even as his total minutes slightly decrease to keep him fresh for the playoffs, his production per minute is at an all-time high. Second, if you're into sports memorabilia or cards, every "milestone" game—like when he hits 27,000 (likely coming later this season)—tends to cause a spike in interest and value.
Lastly, appreciate the consistency. We're reaching the point where every single game he plays moves him closer to a spot in the top 10. We likely won't see a scorer this unique again for a generation.
Keep track of the nightly box scores through the official NBA app or Basketball-Reference, as his rank among the all-time greats is currently changing almost every three to four games. With the way the Warriors are playing in 2026, he’s not just scoring points; he’s scoring them in winning efforts, which is the ultimate "Chef Curry" stat.