Damian Lillard to Defend Crown in NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest
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Inglewood, Calif. — Two-time champion Damian Lillard will return to center stage on Feb. 15 when he headlines the NBA’s 3-point contest during All-Star Saturday at the LA Clippers’ new arena.
The Portland Trail Blazers guard, sidelined all season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, joins a field that includes 2018 winner Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Miami’s Norman Powell.
Lillard captured consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024. A third victory would place him alongside Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners since the event began in 1986.
In a scheduling change, the 3-point shootout will open All-Star Saturday, followed by the revived Shooting Stars competition and the slam-dunk contest. The skills challenge has been shelved for this year.
The appearance will mark Lillard’s first on-court action before fans since he re-signed with Portland last summer. The 33-year-old was waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks, who absorbed the remaining $113 million on his contract after he ruptured his Achilles last spring.
Lillard was selected sixth overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2012 draft, spent 11 seasons in Portland and was traded to Milwaukee prior to the 2023-24 campaign. He is the second player to enter the 3-point contest without making a regular-season three that year; Lithuania’s Rimas Kurtinaitis competed under similar circumstances in 1989.
Reigning champion Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, limited by injuries this season, will not defend his title.
Source: ESPN
