October 11, 2024

HIS-THREE: By shooting his shot more than a thousand times, Marcio Lassiter finds himself in PBA lore forever

HIS-THREE: By shooting his shot more than a thousand times, Marcio Lassiter finds himself in PBA lore forever
Super Marcio Claims The Crown. Art by Mitzi Solano/One Sports

As if the atmosphere was different, PBA fans knew something historic was about to happen at the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, September 15.

San Miguel Beermen sniper Marcio Lassiter stood beyond the arc, the ball in his hands. 

This was not a rehearsed scene, it was simply the pure instinct of a hero in action. He rises, he releases, and in that fleeting moment—HIS THREE is made.


Super Marcio Claims The Crown

Marcio Lassiter did more than score four three-pointers in the first quarter of what would be a historic beatdown of Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

By draining the third of his four first-quarter triples, Super Marcio surpassed PBA great Jimmy Alapag to claim the title as the PBA’s all-time 3-point king, ending the reign of the “Mighty Mouse” that lasted nearly eight years.

In a story worthy of its own saga, Super Marcio unleashed his 1,251st triple against the very same team that Jimmy launched his own record-breaking shot at, making this moment all the more poetic.


But for Lassiter, this wasn’t just a personal milestone; it’s a symbol of a decade-long journey, a journey rooted in the threads of sacrifice, hard work, and his love for the game.

“It symbolizes for me the hard work, health, longevity, and just the support from my teammates and the coaches, and staff, and management,” Lassiter said, reflecting on the achievement of making 1,254 triples in the PBA, and counting.

“The trust they have in me, and just to honor them, the fans, the league... to continue to show them and be an inspiration to the youth, to the kids. I feel like that’s most important—that they can win with this type of shooting ability. If you put the hard work in, it’ll pay off.”

 

The Birth of “Super Marcio” and “Lassitres”

Every hero has an origin story, and that of Lassiter’s is tied to nicknames that feel straight out of a comic book—”Super Marcio” and “Lassitres.”

[Related: PBA: Marcio Lassiter is new 3-point king, steers San Miguel to rout of Ginebra]

These names came to life alongside his rise as one of the league’s best shooters.

Lassiter, though, humbly admitted that he wasn’t exactly sure about how both monickers started, even as he’s now established himself as the PBA’s most prominent marksman.

“I don’t even know how it started,” Lassiter said with a laugh. 

“But it’s cool that the name came up like that. I’m just happy that I can continue honoring that and living up to it, I guess, so to speak.”

Through the nicknames and his shooting abilities, Marcio’s connection to the fans is unmatched.


Every shot, every game, Lassiter plays with a consciousness that someone in the audience might be witnessing him for the first—and perhaps only—time.

It’s a type of awareness that drives him, the same way every cinematic hero is propelled by a sense of purpose. With great power, comes great responsibility.

“For me, it’s just, you know, giving back to the fans. They come out and show support, I just want to give it my all in the game,” he said.

“That’s why I hate to miss games. I know there’s gonna be that one time, that one fan who is there for the first time ever. So I always wanna put on a show for them. I’m just happy I’m able to do that, especially tonight.”


The Moment of Truth

The scene plays out like the third act of a superhero movie: Lassiter on the court, the moment heavy with expectation, but no calculated script.

There was no carefully-designed play to deliver such a record-breaking shot. It's all gut feeling for Lassiter—a heat check.

[Related: ‘Records are meant to be broken’: Jimmy Alapag celebrates Marcio Lassiter's PBA 3-point milestone]

After swishing his first two triples, Marcio simply let the record-breaking third shot go.

Safe to say, he stuck his superhero landing.

“I was thinking of just taking that shot,” Lassiter recalls. “It wasn’t play-designed, it was really a heat check so to speak. I just made it fly and, like I always do, just hoping it goes in—and it went in.”

As the ball swished through the net again, the weight of the moment hit home. He wasn’t just adding to his tally, he was rewriting PBA history.


“It was good that it went in because it was a pretty special moment, how I did it,”  he added with quiet satisfaction.

Marcio Lassiter ended his historic night with 1,254 three-pointers. He will end his career with many more.

 

An Epic Quest to Legacy

Basketball is not just Lassiter’s profession—it was his first love.

Just like any legendary hero, Lassiter’s story with the game has its highs and lows.

The heartaches of injury, the thrill of victory, a kind of grind fueled by his passion—it all served to make his love for the game stronger, tightening the bond like the push-and-pull drama of a bittersweet film.

The process makes his milestone all the more sweet. This is the culmination of all his love for the game.


“You don’t know how much I put into the game,” Lassiter said.

“It does kind of bring in a full-circle, almost, for me. So I do it for a lot of people back home, for my family, and it’s just cool to see that the love of the game comes back, it helps.”


A Record for the Ages

For Lassiter, individual records are just one part of his story.

[Related: 'One of the greatest to ever do it': Marcio Lassiter expresses gratitude to Jimmy Alapag, SMB teammates after topping PBA all-time 3-point list]

The greater narrative has always been about the team—the championships, the collective memories of winning together under the San Miguel Beermen banner and with Gilas Pilipinas.

But this moment, standing on top of the PBA’s all-time three-point leaderboard, is something that’s personal.

“There’s so many memories,” Lassiter said, reflecting on his career. 

“This is my best individual [achievement] in basketball. My team [memories] are always the championships, so I always put those high. [Southeast] Asian Games [with Gilas Pilipinas] was crazy. That was, man. That was another special one. So this is definitely up in the books. 

“Individually, this is another milestone and it’s hard to achieve. So, I’m just honored and thankful and grateful for this opportunity.”


A Message to the Past

In the closing credits for this chapter of Lassiter’s ongoing story, he takes a moment to deliver a message to a younger version of himself.

It's a kind of advice every hero wishes they could give their younger self at the start of their journey.


“If I were 10 years younger, what should I say to myself? Keep going at it. Don’t give up because I know there’s hard times from the injuries that I’ve had,” he said.

“You might get injured, just keep believing in yourself, keep trusting the process, and you know that the things are gonna come down in line and hopefully you get rewarded with it.”


The Legacy Continues

As Lassiter helped hand San Miguel its largest winning margin in franchise history, the echoes of his booming, history-making three pointer remains in the arena.

[Related: 'Raise the bar': Jimmy Alapag sends regards to new PBA 3-point king Marcio Lassiter]

Lassiter’s journey is far from over. Like any cinematic saga, this is just another chapter, and there are more wins to chase for Marcio and the Beermen.

But for now, the curtain closes on a night that will live in the PBA lore forever.

To be continued.

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