As the 66th NBA All-Star Game gets set to tip off Sunday, eyes will be beyond the arc.
The 3-point shot has taken over the NBA game. All-Star Saturday's 3-Point Contest in New Orleans will feature more and bigger names than the Slam Dunk Contest, and it's threatening to overtake that event in popularity — if it hasn't already.
NBA teams are averaging 26.9 3-point attempts per game this season, the highest in league history.
The NBA being about the 3, The Oklahoman set out to gauge the shot's impact in the league — past, present and future:
Early days: The 1960s
The first pro league to institute a 3-point shot was the American Basketball League in 1961.