The 3-Point Contest is one of the most iconic events to take place during All-Star Weekend. Unlike the Slam Dunk Contests as of recent, the 3-Point Contest continues to bring the stars out as this year’s lineup was nothing short of someone of the biggest names in the league when it comes to deadeye shooters.
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While Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were missing, guys like Damian Lillard, Buddy Hield, and Jayson Tatum stepped up to the plate to bring about a sense of stardom to the Contest. Dame, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters in the history of the NBA, had never won a 3-Point Contest in his career.
He was set to go up against his teammate, Anfernee Simons, but due to him suffering a grade 2 ankle sprain, Simons was replaced by Julius Randle, who scored merely 13 points. At least it wasn’t as bad as Kevin Huerter, a certified off-the-catch shooter, dropping 8 points.
Damian Lillard wins the 3-Point Contest and gets heckled by Buddy Hield
Damian Lillard, after years of not being able to claim a victory at the 3-Point Contest, had the most consistent performance of the night. He dropped 26 points in the qualifying round and 26 points once again in the Finals.
Tyrese Haliburton started off incredibly hot, going off for 31 points in the first round but cooled off and had his number cut close to half, dropping 17 in the Finals. Buddy Hield, who had himself 25, lost by 1 point to Dame.
Following the competition during Lillard’s post-contest press conference, Buddy Hield would hilariously heckle the Portland Trailblazers legend, telling him to give him his trophy back. This prompted Dame to tell him he had his chance and lost.
Hield had won the contest 3 years ago in 2020 after beating Devin Booker in the Finals in a nail-biting finish.
Damian Lillard is done with the 3-Point Contest
Damian Lillard wanted to add a bit more hardware tonight to his ever-growing collection of accolades and that is the only reason he kept participating in the 3-Point Contest.
Now that he’s finally won it, he took his interview as an opportunity to confirm that this will be the last time he ever suits up for the sharpshooting contest.
