In 1984, the NBL introduced the three-point line, forever altering the geometry of Australian basketball. Since then, the league has seen traditional snipers, stretch bigs and volume scorers completely revolutionise how offenses operate and defenses scramble.

But as the modern game places a premium on spacing and perimeter shooting, a critical question arises: Who are the most efficient and devastating shooters in the 40-year history of the NBL?

To cut through the noise, we have to look beyond raw percentages. By combining historical spreadsheet data with advanced efficiency metrics like True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%), we can identify the true sharpshooting royalty of the NBL.

But before we get into the shooting GOATs, we need to start with the honourable mentions of great shooters who shot the lights out over the many years the NBL has operated. 

Honourable Mentions:

The Pure Snipers and High-Volume Legends

The historical database reveals players who maintained lethal accuracy over hundreds of games, setting the benchmark for aspiring guards:

• Ron Radliff (43.5% 3PT): Over a 263-game, 10-season career, Radliff amassed 3,759 points while maintaining an astonishing 43.5% from beyond the arc. He was the focal point of a consistently lethal offensive game.
• Darryl Pearce (41.9% 3PT): “The Iceman” delivered exactly what his nickname promised. Across 374 games over 15 seasons, Pearce shot a blistering 41.9% from deep, finishing with 5,842 career points.
• Brad Davidson (40.0% 3PT): A model of consistency, Davidson played 393 games, knocking down 607 triples at a 40% clip and maintaining an elite 61% True Shooting Percentage over a 16-season career (1995-2011).

The One-Season Wonders and Historical Anomalies

When diving into the database, certain players produced single seasons or short stints of mind-boggling efficiency that deserve honorable mentions:

• Chad Tucker (1991): Playing a style well before his time, the 203 cm forward drew big men out to the perimeter. He hit 52% of his threes (55 of 106) and posted a 56% eFG%. He also averaged 10+ blocks during his tenure, making him a pioneer of the two-way stretch big.
• Brian Goorjian (1984): Before he became the greatest coach in NBL history, Goorjian was a player for the Melbourne Tigers during the inaugural year of the three-point line. He launched around 10 triples a game, making 44% of them and currently ranks second all-time in both eFG% (62%) and TS% (63%) due to that incredible one-and-done campaign.
• Joe Hillman (1990): In his single season with the North Melbourne Giants, Hillman averaged 22.8 points while shooting 47% from deep. He sits as the NBL’s all-time leader in Effective Field Goal Percentage (62%).

Now for what we’ve all been waiting for. Here is the definitive look at the greatest shooters to ever light up the league.

The Mount Rushmore of NBL Shooters

1. Andrew Gaze Any conversation about scoring efficiency begins and ends with the GOAT. Playing an incredible 612 games over 22 seasons, Gaze maintained an elite 30.9 points per game. He wasn’t a master from deep when he entered the league in 1984 (making just 13 of 40 attempts), but he evolved into a monster. He finished his career with 1,826 made triples, holding the league’s all-time lead in True Shooting Percentage (65%) and sitting second in Effective Field Goal Percentage (59%). His 1990 season—averaging 37.6 PPG with a 69% TS%—remains the pinnacle of sustained, high-volume efficiency.

2. Daniel Kickert If Gaze is the volume king, Kickert is the mechanical perfectionist. Kickert completely redefined the modern stretch-four prototype. In the 2016/17 season with Brisbane, he became the first player in NBL history to officially record a 50-40-90 season (54.4% FG, 45.9% 3PT, 95.0% FT), a feat he nearly replicated the following year. Finishing his career with a 60% eFG% and a 45.3% clip from beyond the arc, he owns the best three-point percentage of any player with at least 200 career makes.

3. John Rillie “JR” made the three-point shot a primary, high-volume weapon. Across 481 games, Rillie connected on 1,323 triples at a 40% clip. In the 2006/07 season with the Townsville Crocodiles, he delivered arguably the greatest pure shooting season of all time, posting a record 70.4% True Shooting Percentage while averaging 19.1 points per game. Rillie proved that sheer volume and elite efficiency can brilliantly coexist.

4. Phil Smyth “The General” was a trailblazer for the long-range bomb, leading the league in 3PT% during the competition’s first year with the line. Smyth owns the most effective shooting season of all time; his 1992 campaign places him first historically in Effective Field Goal Percentage (68.0%) and second in True Shooting Percentage (70.1%). He finished his career with 627 makes at an elite 42% over 16 seasons.

5. Oscar Forman Perhaps the most underappreciated sniper in league history. Forman’s career three-point shooting percentage of 42% ranks him as the most effective shooter in NBL history among players who attempted more than 800 three-pointers. During the 2013/14 season, he shot a blistering 46% from deep and logged a 64% TS%, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest floor-spacing bigs to ever play.

As the league continues to evolve, scouts will keep searching for the next generation of snipers. But as the numbers clearly show, joining the historical ranks of Gaze, Kickert, Rillie and Pearce takes more than just a hot streak. It takes elite mechanics, basketball IQand a career of cold-blooded execution.