Damian Lillard, Not Even Playing This Season, Makes History In Nba Three-point Contest

On a vacation celebrating emotion and affection, thousands of enthusiastic hoops fans showed up astatine Intuit Dome to cheer for their favourite NBA players successful a trifecta of skills competitions connected nan eve of nan league’s 75th yearly All-Star Game.

Getting Saturday disconnected to a scintillating commencement was nan three-point title — 1 of All-Star Weekend’s astir coveted prizes since Larry Bird won nan first title successful 1986 arsenic good arsenic nan adjacent two.

Portland’s Damian Lillard joined Bird and Craig Hodges (1990-92) arsenic nan only three-time winners pinch a stunning accumulation successful nan last round, ending up pinch a people of 29 — 2 amended than runner-up and 2018 champion Devin Booker of Phoenix. Lillard equaled nan champion final-round score, group by Karl-Anthony Towns successful 2022.

“I came retired present excited to do it,” said Lillard, a nine-time All-Star who is sitting retired this play aft room to repair a torn Achilles tendon past May. “I can’t opportunity I knew I’d triumph but I came successful confident. This is my sixth clip doing it … this felt for illustration a crippled to me.”

Lillard went 2nd successful nan finals and watched anxiously from nan chair arsenic it looked for illustration Booker would overtake him earlier missing his past 3 shots from nan corner.

“At nan extremity I was astatine his mercy but it worked out,” said Lillard, who won pinch 24 points successful 2023 and 26 successful 2024. “I was erstwhile a instrumentality excessively — arsenic a kid I went to nan All-Star Game successful Oakland— and fans want to spot their guys. That’s what made maine want to beryllium a portion of it.”

In nan first round, 8 players had 70 seconds to sprout 27 balls from 5 designated spots connected nan court. Booker posted nan highest people (30, 1 awkward of nan record) and besides making nan finals pinch 27 points each were Lillard and Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel. Donovan Mitchell (24), Norman Powell (23), Jamal Murray (18), Tyrese Maxey (17) and Bobby Portis Jr. (15) were eliminated.

Next up was nan shooting stars competition, which returned to All-Star Weekend aft a 10-year hiatus and featured 4 teams, each consisting of 2 existent NBA players and 1 retired “legend.”

Jalen Brunson, Towns and Allan Houston led Team Knicks to a 47-38 triumph complete Team Cameron, made up of Duke alums Jalen Johnson, Knueppel and Corey Maggette, a erstwhile Clipper.

“This was cool and nan game’s go much and much international,” said Brunson, who sewage passes from his dad, Rick, a New York adjunct coach. “Basketball is simply a cosmopolitan language. Winning’s ever fun, not conscionable beating a squad from Duke.”

In nan semifinals, Team Knicks hit Team Harper (Dylan Harper of San Antonio, Ron Harper Jr. of Boston and their father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper) while Team Cameron hit Team All-Star (Scottie Barnes of Toronto, Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City and three-time All-Star Richard Hamilton).

From left, Rick Brunson, Allan Houston, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns clasp nan winners’ trophies aft nan shooting stars competition.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Was it a lawsuit of nan aged feline carrying nan young guys?

“He did his job,” Towns joked astir Houston, who played for nan Knicks from 1996 to 2005 and serves arsenic wide head of their G League team.

Shooting stars was a regular characteristic from 2004 to 2015 and primitively featured an NBA player, a WNBA subordinate and a retired subordinate connected each squad shooting from 4 locations. This year, each squad had 70 seconds to people points by shooting from 7 areas worthy anyplace from 2 to 4 points.

Rounding retired nan Valentine’s Day festivities was nan crowd-pleasing slam-dunk contest, showcasing nan personality and athleticism of its 4 first-time participants: Lakers halfway Jaxson Hayes, San Antonio guardant Carter Bryant, Miami guardant Keshad Johnson and Orlando rookie defender Jase Richardson.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson, who measured a 42-inch vertical leap astatine nan 2024 draught combine, yet raised nan golden trophy pursuing a last information full of 97.4. He made a side-to-side move astatine nan rim connected his penultimate attempt, past sprinted nan magnitude of nan tribunal and soared for a windmill jam connected his past effort.

“Everyone make immoderate noise,” nan jubilant Johnson told nan roomful of reporters afterward. “It’s a dream. I hit nan odds. Every twelvemonth I watched nan dunk title and I learned from each nan group earlier me.”

Slam dunk victor Keshad Johnson goes betwixt nan legs while dunking.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Bryant settled for 2nd pinch 93 contempt a cleanable people of 50 aft he bounced nan shot disconnected nan floor, nether his limb for a one-handed worldly that drew thunderous applause connected his first effort earlier making a less-difficult 360-degree dunk pinch clip moving retired connected his 2nd attempt.

“I really wanted him to decorativeness that past one,” Johnson said. “Both of america are from U of A [Arizona], truthful we wanted to put connected a show and we did.”

In nan opening information each 4 players attempted 2 dunks, receiving a people betwixt 40 and 50 per try. Bryant (94.8) and Johnson (92.8) qualified for nan last dunk-off, successful which some sewage 2 much attempts.

“Dunking is an creation and it’s benignant of difficult to travel up pinch caller stuff,” said Johnson, an Oakland autochthonal who leaped complete Bay Area rapper E-40 connected his first dunk. “My extremity is to conscionable beryllium myself and put my ain spirit successful it.”

Spurred connected by nan hometown crowd, Hayes was 3rd astatine 91.8 while Richardson, nan boy of two-time victor Jason Richardson, was past astatine 88.8.

Judging were erstwhile champions Nate Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Brent Barry, Dwight Howard and fans connected nan NBA app.

Lakers halfway Jaxson Hayes rises for a tomahawk dunk.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Julius Irving won nan first dunk title successful 1976, nan twelvemonth earlier nan ABA-NBA merger. Robinson (2006, 2009, 2010) and Mac McClung are nan only three-time winners. McClung, nan erstwhile champion and only subordinate to triumph 3 years successful a row, announced successful January he would not take sides his title.

That opened nan doorway for a caller victor successful Johnson.

“Being undrafted and successful nan G League and being nan underdogs astatine San Diego State… I’ve learned really to dream dreams,” said Johnson, who keyed nan Aztecs’ astonishing tally to nan NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 successful 2023 earlier transferring to Arizona. “I’m truthful grateful to beryllium here. I’m from Oakland, nan West Coast is location to maine and I felt for illustration nan fans were pinch me.”