MANILA, Philippines – Marcio Lassiter will go down in history as one of the greatest PBA shooters and he now has the figures to back it up.

The Filipino-American gunner became the ninth player in league history to make 1,000 triples as he helped San Miguel stay unbeaten in the Philippine Cup with a 100-92 win over NLEX on Friday, June 10.

Draining 4 treys and finishing with 18 points, Lassiter joined an elite company that includes Allan Caidic, Jimmy Alapag, Ronnie Magsanoc, Al Solis, James Yap, Dondon Hontiveros, LA Tenorio, and Arwind Santos.

“Truly honored. I’m blessed, man. You’re speaking of Hall of Fame players. Legends. The best to do it. That is something that you cannot really take away,” Lassiter said about being a part of the exclusive three-point club.

“It is in the history books. Just grateful and thankful.”

Playing in his 11th season, Lassiter credited his feat to his teammates who trusted him to make the shot.

“They’re the ones who have been passing me the ball all these years, from Powerade, Petron, even here. Just got to thank everyone,” he said.

Expected to stay in the PBA for the foreseeable future, the 35-year-old guard has a strong chance to eclipse the PBA record of 1,250 triples established by Alapag.

Fellow active players Tenorio and Santos are also in play for breaking the three-point mark.

“I want to reach the top. That has been my goal ever since. I believe in myself. It is not going to be easy, it is going to be harder. Each year, it gets harder just because defenses are getting better,” Lassiter said.

But Lassiter remains focused on his main goal, which is to lead the Beermen back to the top as they face a three-year title drought.

San Miguel last won a championship in the 2019 Commissioners Cup and made it past the quarterfinals only once over the past four conferences.

“To be knocked off the top, it hurts. We’ve been defeated a lot,” Lassiter said.

“I challenge myself to get better, getting in the gym, getting in the weight room, being more disciplined on the court, all of those things add up. It is not going to be one person, all the guys on the team are hungry.” – Rappler.com