Royce O'Neale made unique NBA history with his 3-point shooting in the Phoenix Suns' matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
O'Neale is going through the ninth season of his career, his third with the Suns. He has been in the league since 2017, beginning his professional career as an undrafted player before signing with the Utah Jazz.
Going into the matchup against Los Angeles, O'Neale made 998 3-pointers throughout his career. He needed two more to reach the incredible milestone of 1,000 triples, something that only eight other undrafted players had the honor of achieving.
Safe to say he passed the mark in flying colors against the Lakers. In 24 minutes of action, he finished with 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, and a steal. He shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, making 1,002 3-pointers throughout his career and counting.
1K from deep for Royce 👌
Congrats, Royce, on 1,000 career three-pointers beconing just the 9th undrafted player in NBA history to reach this milestone! pic.twitter.com/OacJOytWNp
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 15, 2025
How Royce O'Neale, Suns played against Lakers
Despite Royce O'Neale's impressive feat as an undrafted player, the Suns were unable to top it off with a win after losing 116-114 to the Lakers.
Both teams exchanged blows throughout the course of the game. Los Angeles led by 111-97 with less than four minutes remaining but Phoenix responded with a 12-0 run. The Suns even took the lead, but James and Marcus Smart made clutch free throws in the final seconds to get the road win.
Free throws and rebounding made the difference in this matchup. The Lakers prevailed in both categories by making 33 out of 43 shots at the line while securing 54 rebounds. It wasn't the same for the Suns as they converted 21 out of 25 free throws and grabbed 37 rebounds.
Six players scored in double-digits for Phoenix in the loss, including O'Neale. Devin Booker led the way with 27 points, seven assists, six rebounds, one steal, and a block. He shot 7-of-17 overall, including 0-of-5 from downtown, and 13-of-16 from the charity stripe. Mark Williams came next with 20 points and six rebounds, Dillon Brooks had 18 points, Grayson Allen put up 13 points and seven assists, while Collin Gillespie provided 10 points and six assists.
Phoenix fell to a 14-12 record on the season, holding the seventh spot in the Western Conference standings. They are 1.5 games above the Golden State Warriors and 2.5 games above the Memphis Grizzlies while trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves by three games and San Antonio Spurs by 4.5 games.
The Suns will look to bounce back in their next matchup, remaining at home. They host the Warriors on Dec. 18 at 9 p.m. ET.
