Who is the best 3 pointer in PBA and how they dominate the game?

The rain was drumming a steady rhythm against the tin roof of the old gym, a sound I’ve come to associate with the quiet hours of reflection. I was watching grainy footage of a PBA game from a few years back, the kind where the colors are a bit washed out but the intensity is still palpable. My coffee had gone cold, forgotten next to the laptop. On the screen, a player I admired was trapped in the corner, the shot clock winding down. He faked left, dribbled right, and then, with a defender practically in his jersey, he rose up. The arc of the ball was a thing of beauty—a perfect parabola that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before swishing through the net without even touching the rim. Silence from the crowd for a split second, then an explosion of noise. That’s when the question hit me, the one I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since: who is the best 3-pointer in the PBA and how do they dominate the game?

I’ve been around basketball long enough to know that greatness isn’t just about making shots; it’s about making them when everything is on the line. I remember talking to an old coach once, a guy who’d seen it all. He told me, "The hard part was putting together that championship bout." He wasn’t just talking about boxing; he was talking about the mental and physical grind of a basketball season, where every game is a battle and only the most clutch performers survive. For me, the best three-point shooter isn’t necessarily the one with the highest percentage in a random mid-season game. It’s the player who, when the championship is within reach, can silence a roaring arena with one flick of the wrist. That’s domination. That’s legacy.

Let’s talk about James Yap. Now, I might be a bit biased here because I’ve always been a fan of his smooth, almost effortless shooting motion. The man is a legend for a reason. In the 2022 season, he was shooting around 38% from beyond the arc, which is solid, but numbers don’t tell the whole story. I was at a game where Purefoods was down by three with seconds left. The ball found Yap, and he launched a contested three from what felt like the logo. Swish. Game tied, they went on to win in overtime. That’s the thing—his ability to create his own shot under pressure is what separates him. He doesn’t need a perfect setup; he has that killer instinct, that unshakable confidence that he’s the best shooter on the floor. He dominates by making the biggest moments his own, forcing defenses to stretch to their breaking point just to contest his shots, which inevitably opens up the paint for his teammates.

But then you have the new guard, like Robert Bolick. This guy is a machine. I’ve seen him put up shooting drills where he’ll hit 15 threes in a row without missing, and his regular season percentage hovers around a ridiculous 42%. What fascinates me about Bolick is his movement off the ball. He’s constantly running through screens, using every inch of the court, and his release is so quick that defenders are still reacting when the ball is already in the air. He dominates in a different way—through relentless energy and precision. I remember one game where he hit eight three-pointers, and each one felt like a dagger. It’s a systematic dismantling of the opponent’s defense. You can see the frustration build on the other team’s faces as he just keeps coming. It’s a testament to that old adage my coach loved: "The hard part was putting together that championship bout." Bolick makes it look easy, but that consistency is forged in countless hours of practice, of putting together those perfect performances when it matters most.

Of course, any discussion about three-point dominance in the PBA would be incomplete without mentioning Marcio Lassiter. Now, here’s a shooter who is the definition of a specialist. His career three-point percentage is an impressive 40%, and he’s hit over 900 threes in his PBA career. I have a soft spot for players who perfect one aspect of the game to an art form. Lassiter is a catch-and-shoot maestro. He finds the soft spots in the defense, and when he gets the ball, it’s almost automatic. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen a defense collapse on a drive, only for the ball to be kicked out to Lassiter in the corner for a wide-open three. Bang. Game over. His domination is quieter, more surgical. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands for long; he just needs a split second to execute. It’s a reminder that dominance isn’t always loud and flashy. Sometimes, it’s the silent, deadly efficiency that wins championships.

So, who is the best? Honestly, I don’t think there’s a single answer. If you ask me on a day when I’m feeling nostalgic for clutch gene, I’d say James Yap. On a day when I’m marveling at modern efficiency, I’d lean towards Robert Bolick. And when I appreciate the pure, unadulterated art of shooting, Marcio Lassiter gets my vote. They each dominate the game in their own unique way. Yap with his fearless shot-making in crunch time, Bolick with his energetic, high-volume accuracy, and Lassiter with his pristine, fundamental excellence. The common thread? They all understand that the hard part was putting together that championship bout—the grind, the pressure, the moments that define legacies. As the rain finally let up outside, I closed my laptop. The best three-point shooter is the one who makes you believe, even for a moment, that the game is never truly out of reach. And in the PBA, we’re lucky to have a few who can do just that.