Basketball history was made on Sunday when Meralco Bolts guard Chris Banchero scored the first-ever four-point shot in an official basketball game.
This was truly a momentous event in the history of major-league basketball.
The event took place during the second quarter of the season-opening match for the Governor’s Cup between the teams of Meralco Bolts and the Magnolia Hotshots at the iconic Araneta Coliseum in the capital of the Philippines, Manila.
Four points: Controversial rule change for basketball
The Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) had recently officially confirmed that they would allow the introduction of the four-point shot as a groundbreaking rule change.
This is a topic heavily contested in recent years by basketball fans and experts around the world. The new rule was set to take effect during the Governors’ Cup.
The decision to adopt the new system was not easy but it is simple and yet groundbreaking: An 8.2-metre (27-foot) four-point line arc to the court is being added in every basketball match. This whilst retaining the existing 6.75-metre (22.15-foot) three-point line.
This decision has been controversial and was met with both excitement and scepticism from fans and players alike.
Banchero’s historic shot
With 10:27 left in the second quarter of the game, Banchero received a kick-out pass from one of his teammates, Allen Durham.
Without hesitation, Banchero rose up and launched the shot over Magnolia’s Jerrick Ahanmisi. Banchero was quite literally watching as the ball sailed through the net and into the history books, as the distance was quite something!
The first-ever four-pointer, which Banchero made on his first attempt, gave Meralco a 20-17 lead in the game. The final score was Meralco 99, Magnolia 94.
Reactions and implications in the basketball world
The chairman of PBA Ricky Vargas acknowledged recently that the criticism surrounding the introduction of the four-point line was founded. Nonetheless, he remained optimistic about its potential impact on the game and maybe its adoption by other associations soon. “Today, we are alone. Tomorrow, we will be plenty,” Vargas told media on Sunday.
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has not been completely negative about the prospect of adopting the four-point rule. It has been cautiously exploring the potential of introducing this new line to the game but no official decision has been made yet.
The four-point rule was first introduced in competition by the Harlem Globetrotters in the US. The four-point line was located further away than the 27 feet of the Philipinnes rule. There, the line was set at 30 feet (9.1 m) away from the basket.
