NBA Three-Point Contest Participants Revealed
Between the Celebrity Game, Skills Challenge, Dunk Contest, Three-Point Contest and the All-Star Game itself, no professional sports league does All-Star Weekend better than the NBA!
This year, All-Star Weekend is being hosted by the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The participants for this year’s Dunk Contest have already been revealed and while the league will officially reveal the participants for all the contests and challenges on Tuesday night, the eight sharpshooters partaking in this season’s Three-Point Contest have been revealed.
Here are the eight players set to participate in this season’s Starry 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend:
Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 37.5 3P%, 186 made threes, (4th in NBA)
One of the biggest names in the event this season, Damian Lillard continues to take his game to new heights in his 11th NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard began the season slower than usual, but he had one of the best months of January out of anyone in the league and so far in the month of February, Lillard is averaging 35.7 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range.
Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, Damian Lillard has made 186 threes, the fourth-most in the league, and he ranks first in the league in three-pointers made since the start of 2023 with 89 made threes. He will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to win the event.
Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 35.3 3P%, 177 made threes, (7th in NBA)
While he has the lowest three-point shooting percentage out of anyone in this field, Jayson Tatum is having a marvelous season for the Boston Celtics and has led them to having the best record in the NBA heading into the All-Star break. Tatum’s 177 made threes entering Tuesday night ranks 7th in the league and Tatum has recorded at least four made threes in 21 different games this season, tied for 7th in the league.
Making the All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive season, Jayson Tatum will be another big name who could wind up winning this competition.
Buddy Hield - Indiana Pacers
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats:42.3 3P%, 224 made threes, (1st in NBA)
Undeniably one of the best three-point shooters in the league, Buddy Hield has consistently been near the top of the made three-pointers list every year. This season though, his 224 made threes ranks first in the NBA and he has been shooting at an extremely high rate.
This has arguably been the most efficient season of Hield’s now seven-year career and seeing as he is the league-leader in made threes, he will be a heavy favorite to win the event alongside Lillard.
Anfernee Simons - Portland Trail Blazers
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 35.3 3P%, 195 made threes, (2nd in NBA)
Anfernee Simons took a major leap forward a season ago for the Trail Blazers and this season, he has cemented his spot as the No. 2 option on his team alongside Damian Lillard.
Being one of three players in the league to have taken 500 threes already this season, Simons ranks 5th in three-point shooting percentage (min. 400 attempts) and his 195 made threes trails only Buddy Hield’s league-leading 224 made threes.
Tyrese Haliburton - Indiana Pacers
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 39.8 3P%, 137 made threes, (23rd in NBA)
Making the first All-Star appearance of his career, Tyrese Haliburton is also going to be participating in this season’s Three-Point Contest alongside his teammate in Buddy Hield.
Haliburton is more notably known for his passing abilities than his perimeter game, but he is shooting 39.8 percent from deep this season and he has made 137 threes, just 24 behind his career-high for makes in a single season. Every season that Tyrese Haliburton has been in the league, he has shot at least 40.9 percent from three-point range by the season’s end.
Kevin Huerter - Sacramento Kings
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 39.0 3P%, 139 made threes, (22nd in NBA)
Traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Sacramento Kings this past offseason, Kevin Huerter has helped the Kings change their culture, as Sacramento has gone from being the laughing stock of the league to being in third-place in the Western Conference. Huerter’s three-point shooting skillset has greatly aided the Kings’ offense and while he has struggled as of late, he still ranks amongst the league-leaders in shooting.
A career 38.2 percent three-point shooter, Huerter is definitely capable of winning this contest.
Tyler Herro - Miami Heat
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 36.9 3P%, 135 made threes, (T-24th in NBA)
After winning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season, Tyler Herro has been elevated to the Miami Heat’s starting rotation and he has been fantastic when healthy. He’s averaging over 20.0 points per game for the second straight season and Herro ranks first on the team in three-point shooting.
Dealing with a knee injury that has forced him to miss some games though, Herro may be questionable for this event.
Lauri Markkanen - Utah Jazz
2022-23 Three-Point Shooting Stats: 41.2 3P%, 164 made threes, (9th in NBA)
Lauri Markkanen is this season’s “hometown kid” during All-Star Weekend, as he will represent the Utah Jazz in both the All-Star Game and Three-Point Contest.
The season Markkanen has been having has been incredible, especially given that this is his first year in Utah. Averaging a career-high 24.9 points per game this season, Markkanen is a favorite for the Most Improved Player award and his three-point shooting numbers are the highest in the league for a player that is at least seven-feet tall.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
