Who Is Participating In This Season's Three-Point Contest At All-Star Weekend?
Nobody does All-Star Weekend better than the NBA and this season should be quite the spectacle out in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Not only will the All-Star Game be played on Sunday, February 19, but on the Saturday before the All-Star Game, we will see the Kia Skills Challenge, AT&T Slam Dunk Contest and the Starry 3-Point Contest.
While the NBA has not released an official list of players participating in this season’s three-point contest, The Atheltic’s Shams Charania did state recently on The Pat McAfee Show that the Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers will each have two representatives in the event.
According to Charania, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers will be in the event, as will Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Haliburton, named a first time All-Star this season, has shot 39.9 percent from three-point range on the season and Hield has shot 42.8 percent from three-point range. Buddy Hield also leads the league with 222 made three-pointers this season.
Lillard, who is making his seventh All-Star appearance this season, has shot 36.9 percent from three-point range and he currently ranks fifth in the league in made threes. Simons has shot 38.1 percent from three-point range and his 193 made three-pointers this season ranks second in the league.
Four of the eight spots in the three-point contest field will be held by the Pacers and Blazers, as another spot is expected to be occupied by Utah Jazz first time All-Star Lauri Markkanen.
According to Tony Jones from The Athletic, Markkanen is set to participate in the three-point contest for the Jazz, who are hosting All-Star Weekend this year. Markkanen is shooting 41.6 percent from the perimeter this season and ranks ninth in the league in made threes.
Malik Beasley, who was recently traded from the Utah Jazz to the Los Angeles Lakers, was rumored to possibly be a participant in the event, as has Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane was another name being mentioned for the contest during All-Star Weekend, but he announced recently that he would not be participating in the three-point contest this year.
Assuming Haliburton, Hield, Simons, Lillard and Markkanen are all locked in to spots for the three-point shootout this upcoming weekend, that means there are three other spots left to be filled.
Minnesota Timberwolves first time All-Star Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Isaiah Joe and Denver Nuggets veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all players who could potentially receive invites for this event given that they are amongst the league leaders in three-point shooting.
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