No. 1 in three-pointers!

The Bahamas’ shooting sensation Chavano “Buddy” Hield went into Friday night’s game against the Utah Jazz with 1,070 made three-pointers – tied with Peja Stojaković for the most made three-pointers in Sacramento Kings franchise history. With 57 seconds left in the first quarter, Hield hit another milestone when he broke the tie and became the sole leader with 1,071 treys.

The Kings lost that game 110-101 at home at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, and they sport a 1-1 win/loss record on the season, as of yesterday afternoon. They hosted the Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento last night, but the result of that game was unavailable up to press time.

“I am very humbled and blessed,” Hield said about passing Stojaković. “Passing a guy like Peja Stojaković, who is a Kings legend and a trailblazer for European basketball and international players, is an honor. I never thought in many years that I would be here saying I broke his record. It’s an accomplishment and I just have to keep moving forward and chase other records. I want to better myself and help this team stack more wins.”

The Grand Bahama native went on to hit five more three-pointers in the loss, bringing his total to 1,076 made-three pointers in a Kings uniform as of yesterday afternoon. He has 1,165 made career three-pointers for his career. He and Stojaković are the only Kings players who have made over 1,000 three-pointers.

After he made record-breaking three-pointer – a shot from just outside the logo – the Kings’ announcer made the announcement and the home crowd cheered for the shooter.

Hield finished the game 6-for-15 from deep, shooting 40 percent. Overall, he shot 9-for-21 from the field and finished with 24 points. He also had seven rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes off the bench.

For the season, Hield has hit 10 three-pointers and is shooting 45.5 percent from deep. He has made more than 270 three-pointers in each of the last three seasons.

Stojaković is one of the more prolific shooters of his era and has made 1,070 three-pointers in 2,687 attempts. Hield passed him with less attempts at 2,614 – a testament of his efficiency. Only three active players in the league are in the Kings’ top 10 in three-pointers made. Ben McLemore and Bogdan Bogdanović are the others.

Hield grew up in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, and reflected on his life as a boy when he played marbles and did other things like hitting mangoes out of a tree which he said helped with his shooting.

“As a little kid, we all played a lot of games – weird games. We shot marbles in the dirt – I do not know if you ever played that where you put them in a circle and you have to aim the marbles. I was a good shooter, just focusing and aiming. We threw a lot of rocks at trees and stole a lot of mangoes when I was young, so I had to hit the mangoes out of the tree. We had to run into somebody’s yard and then dash out quickly – doing weird stuff like that but those stuff kept my mental focus right. When I started the game at age 12, shooting came naturally. It was not hard for me,” Hield told reporters after the game.

Hield is ranked at number eight in three-point percentage in Kings’ history at 40.9 percent.

The number six pick in the 2016 NBA Draft became the fastest NBA player to 1,000 made shots from deep since the three-point line was 

introduced in 1979. It was done in March of this year in his 350th game. Holding the previous record was the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry who did it in 369 games.

The former Oklahoma Sooners player has been a part of trade rumors for the past two years. He was almost dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. He said he is not phased by those rumors, just focusing on what he needs to do out there on the court. Hield has been a bright spot for the Kings so far this season, although he was demoted to the sixth man role.

Hield and the Kings were in action at home against the Golden State Warriors last night but the result was unavailable up to press time. Hield has a matchup against fellow Bahamian DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. That game will be played at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, and will get underway at 10 p.m.

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