The 50–40–90 club is a statistical achievement used to distinguish players as excellent shooters in the National Basketball Association (NBA), NBA G League, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and men's college basketball. It requires a player to achieve the criteria of 50% field goal percentage, 40% three-point field goal percentage, and 90% free throw percentage over the course of a regular season, while meeting the minimum thresholds to qualify as a league leader in each category.[1] [2]
In NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League history, only 11 players have recorded a 50–40–90 season, with nine in the NBA and one each in the WNBA and the NBA G League. The most recent player to achieve a 50–40–90 season was Kevin Durant in 2022–23 (which was also the first 55–40–90 season in NBA history).[3] Eleven collegiate players have recorded a 50–40–90 season, with Salim Stoudamire and Matt Kennedy recording 50–50–90 seasons.
The 50–40–90 season has only been a possibility since the introduction of the three-point field goal in the 1979–80 NBA season.
Steve Nash, Larry Bird, and Kevin Durant are the only players who have had multiple 50–40–90 seasons. Bird recorded consecutive 50–40–90 seasons in 1986–87 and 1987–88, while Nash recorded four such seasons between 2005 and 2010.[4] Nash narrowly missed five consecutive 50–40–90 seasons by shooting at 89.9% from the free throw line during the 2006–07 season, one made free throw short of the 90% mark. Durant's two 50–40–90 seasons are notably separated by 10 years, having been recorded in 2012–13 and 2022–23.
Stephen Curry is the only player to record a 50–40–90 season while averaging over 30 PPG. He is also the only player in NBA history to join the club and lead the league in scoring in the same season. Curry recorded 30.1 PPG on 50–45–91 splits in the 2015–16 season.[5]
Kevin Durant (2012-13) and Mark Price (1988-89), at the age of 24, are the youngest players to join the 50–40–90 club.[6]
Quinn Cook became the first NBA G League player to record a 50–40–90 season in 2018.
Elena Delle Donne became the first WNBA player to record a 50–40–90 season in 2019.
Tony Snell became the first player in NBA history to have a 50–50–100 season (min. 100 attempts) in 2021.[7]
Similar to baseball batting averages, official NBA shooting statistics are calculated to the third decimal place (thousandths) but are referred to as percentages. While the NBA officially uses a three-digit number, it reports shooting statistics in a shortened and rounded form as a percentage, so that .899 to the third decimal place is simplified as a two digit "90%" in most of its reporting.[8] Thus, a true 50–40–90 season requires a player to achieve or exceed 50.0 percent field goal efficiency, 40.0 percent three-point field goal efficiency and 90.0 percent free-throw shooting efficiency. The NBA requires a player to make at least 300 field goals, 82 three-pointers, and 125 free throws to be a leader in the respective category. For shortened seasons, stats are prorated to an 82-game season.[9] [10]
| ^ | Active NBA player | |
| Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Player | Season | class=unsortable | Ref. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 786 | 1,497 | 53% (.525) | 90 | 225 | 40% (.400) | 414 | 455 | 91% (.910) | 2,076 | 28.1 | [11] | |||
| 76 | 881 | 1,672 | 53% (.527) | 98 | 237 | 41% (.414) | 415 | 453 | 92% (.916) | 2,275 | 29.9 | |||
| 75 | 529 | 1,006 | 53% (.526) | 93 | 211 | 44% (.441) | 263 | 292 | 90% (.901) | 1,414 | 18.9 | [12] | |||
| 79 | 524 | 1,042 | 50% (.503) | 123 | 292 | 42% (.421) | 403 | 444 | 91% (.908) | 1,574 | 19.9 | [13] | |||
| 79 | 541 | 1,056 | 51% (.512) | 150 | 342 | 44% (.439) | 257 | 279 | 92% (.921) | 1,489 | 18.8 | [14] | |||
| 78 | 673 | 1,341 | 50% (.502) | 72 | 173 | 42% (.416) | 498 | 551 | 90% (.904) | 1,916 | 24.6 | [15] | |||
| 81 | 485 | 962 | 50% (.504) | 179 | 381 | 47% (.470) | 222 | 245 | 91% (.906) | 1,371 | 16.9 | |||
| 74 | 428 | 851 | 50% (.503) | 108 | 246 | 44% (.439) | 196 | 210 | 93% (.933) | 1,160 | 15.7 | |||
| 81 | 499 | 985 | 51% (.507) | 124 | 291 | 43% (.426) | 211 | 225 | 94% (.938) | 1,333 | 16.5 | |||
| ^ | 81 | 731 | 1,433 | 51% (.510) | 139 | 334 | 42% (.416) | 679 | 750 | 91% (.905) | 2,280 | 28.1 | [16] | ||
| ^ | 79 | 805 | 1,598 | 50% (.504) | 402 | 886 | 45% (.454) | 363 | 400 | 91% (.908) | 2,375 | 30.1 | [17] | ||
| ^ | 64 | 378 | 748 | 51% (.505) | 104 | 244 | 43% (.426) | 141 | 152 | 93% (.928) | 1,001 | 15.6 | [18] | ||
| ^ | 54 | 549 | 1,086 | 51% (.506) | 152 | 378 | 40% (.402) | 201 | 218 | 92% (.922) | 1,451 | 26.9 | [19] | ||
| ^ (2) | 47 | 483 | 862 | 56% (.560) | 93 | 230 | 40% (.404) | 307 | 334 | 92% (.919) | 1,366 | 29.1 | |||
| Player | Season | class=unsortable | Ref. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 269 | 513 | 52% (.524) | 83 | 190 | 44% (.437) | 114 | 120 | 95% (.950) | 735 | 25.3 | [20] |
| Player | Season | class=unsortable | Ref. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 220 | 427 | 52% (.515) | 52 | 121 | 43% (.430) | 114 | 117 | 97% (.974) | 606 | 19.5 | [21] |
| Player | Team | Season | class=unsortable | Ref. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 31 | 194 | 366 | 53% (.530) | 44 | 100 | 44% (.440) | 104 | 113 | 92% (.920) | 536 | 17.3 | [22] | |||
| Salim Stoudamire | Arizona | 2004–05 | 36 | 210 | 417 | 50% (.504) | 120 | 238 | 50% (.504) | 122 | 134 | 91% (.910) | 662 | 18.4 | ||
| Jaycee Carroll | Utah State | 2007–08 | 34 | 251 | 502 | 50% (.500) | 42 | 101 | 42% (.416) | 137 | 149 | 92% (.919) | 785 | 22.4 | ||
| Nevada | 2009–10 | 36 | 194 | 366 | 53% (.530) | 44 | 100 | 44% (.440) | 199 | 217 | 92% (.917) | 743 | 21.9 | |||
| Levi Knutson | Colorado | 2010–11 | 38 | 158 | 312 | 51% (.506) | 81 | 171 | 47% (.474) | 47 | 52 | 90% (.904) | 444 | 11.7 | ||
| Isaiah Williams | Iona | 2013–14 | 28 | 118 | 221 | 53% (.534) | 61 | 143 | 43% (.427) | 18 | 20 | 90% (.900) | 315 | 12.8 | ||
| Matt Kennedy | Charleston Southern | 2013–14 | 31 | 135 | 264 | 51% (.511) | 49 | 98 | 50% (.500) | 69 | 76 | 91% (.908) | 388 | 12.5 | ||
| Miles Bowman | High Point | 2016–17 | 30 | 140 | 274 | 51% (.511) | 34 | 69 | 49% (.493) | 109 | 121 | 90% (.901) | 423 | 14.1 | ||
| Cassius Winston | Michigan State | 2017–18 | 35 | 143 | 282 | 51% (.507) | 73 | 169 | 49% (.497) | 81 | 90 | 90% (.900) | 442 | 12.6 | ||
| David Cohn | William & Mary | 2017–18 | 31 | 144 | 272 | 53% (.529) | 49 | 115 | 43% (.426) | 103 | 113 | 91% (.912) | 440 | 14.2 | ||
| Trey Murphy III | Virginia | 2020–21 | 25 | 96 | 191 | 50% (.503) | 52 | 120 | 43% (.433) | 38 | 41 | 93% (.927) | 282 | 11.3 |