Capela’s first three

Clint Capela went 739 regular-season games before making his first National Basketball Association three-pointer, a shot that quickly spread across league and fan accounts. (espn.com) (x.com) Capela entered the moment with 738 career regular-season games and a career total of 0 made threes on 6 attempts, according to ESPN’s career stats page. Basketball-Reference also lists a career line of 0-for-6 from three before the make. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) That made the shot unusual even by center standards. Capela, a 6-foot-10 center drafted by Houston in 2014, built his National Basketball Association career as a rim runner, rebounder and shot blocker rather than a floor spacer. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) His career record explains why the clip traveled fast online. Capela had attempted one three in 2015-16, one in 2017-18, one in 2021-22, one in 2022-23 and one in 2024-25, then entered this season without a make. (espn.com) The play also landed late in the regular season, when unusual box-score moments often get extra attention because rotations change and veterans get different looks. The National Basketball Association’s own social account posted the highlight, helping push it beyond Atlanta fans. (x.com) (nba.com) Capela spent six seasons with the Houston Rockets, then five with the Atlanta Hawks, and he led the league in rebounding in 2020-21. Across those years, his scoring came mostly on dunks, layups and putbacks near the basket. (basketball-reference.com) (nba.com) That history is why one made three became a talking point. For most shooters, a single three-pointer is routine; for Capela, it ended a statistical line that had stayed unchanged for more than a decade. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) By the time the clip finished circulating, the shot had turned a small regular-season play into a league-wide novelty: Clint Capela, finally, from deep. (x.com)