NBA All-Star 2025: Lillard’s shot was made for the 3-point contest
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, the last time the NBA All-Star Game was held in the Bay Area, nine-year-old Damian Lillard was there. Shooting 3s, of course.
With the weeklong jam session festivities taking place in town, Lillard’s father, Houston, allowed him to stay home from school for the week. Among those activities: a 3-point competition for local fans, during which he and his older brother, Houston Jr., reached the championship round.
“It’s definitely a full-circle moment,” said Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks’ nine-time All-Star and Oakland, California, native of having the event in the Bay Area again. “It was a great week. A lot of memories. Vince Carter won that dunk contest. A lot of my favorite players I grew up watching played in that All-Star Game.”
Now, a quarter century later, Lillard is vying to earn the NBA 3-point contest hardware for a third consecutive year, something only two players (Larry Bird and Craig Hodges) have done.
A third straight win in the event — in the midst of a 3-point revolution — will drive home a point that gets overlooked because of another Bay Area icon: For all the well-deserved attention Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry gets as the greatest shooter ever, there’s a case to be made that Lillard has been the NBA’s king of the deep 3 for several years.
THE 2019 WEST FINALS stage was set for a showdown between the league’s two best sharpshooting point guards.
The matchup didn’t live up to the hype, with Curry’s Warriors sweeping Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers to reach the NBA Finals. Curry undoubtedly outplayed Lillard, outscoring the then-Blazers star 36.5 points per game to 22.3 points on vastly better efficiency.
But between the long shadow created by Curry’s historic postseason success and the sheer volume of his 3-point shooting, there’s a perception that he’s in his own stratosphere when it comes to his long-range efficiency. And that isn’t exactly true.
Yes, Curry has more triples than any player and an NBA-record 14 seasons with at least 150 made 3s. But Lillard’s 12 seasons with that total ranks second all time. And when you zoom out — sometimes close to half court, as his nickname Logo Lillard would suggest — Lillard’s numbers look more favorable from further distances when compared to Curry’s and other counterparts.
Over the past 10 seasons, Lillard has been the league’s most accurate volume shooter from 30-plus feet, connecting on 31.9% of his tries, per Second Spectrum tracking. He’s drilled 240 from that range compared to Curry’s 179. The Golden State star has hit 27.1% from there over the past 10 seasons. (Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young has hit the most 30-footers over the past decade, but he’s also taken far more than any player. And his connection rate, at 30.6%, is a bit beneath Lillard’s in that window.)
Despite his reputation, there are still plenty of times, such as Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers, where Lillard appears to catch defenses off guard with how far out he’s willing to launch.
Damian Lillard goes off for 43 points to help the Bucks defeat the 76ers.
He had just finished a dominant third quarter, in which he poured in 15 points with four triples. But on the first play of the fourth, the floor general was standing at the edge of the Bucks’ half-court logo, so far out that 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey left him unattended, believing Lillard wouldn’t dare unleash a shot from there.
Maxey was wrong. Lillard momentarily thought about swinging the ball, but then realized how open he was, even if he was a whopping 32 feet away from the hoop. He squared his shoulders, lifted his heels off the center-court logo and let it fly from Oshkosh. Maxey sought to close out but was too late.
The performance — a season-high 43 points with eight 3s without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo — looked a lot like the dominant Portland version of Lillard who once scored 71 in a game.
Milwaukee will desperately need the spacing and offensive production that Lillard’s jump shot creates come playoff time to have any chance of replicating its 2021 championship success.
THE TWO BIGGEST shots of Lillard’s storied career — against the Houston Rockets in the 2014 playoffs and against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019 postseason — were not only game-winners, but series-winners. In fact, as he sank the iconic 37-footer over then-OKC forward Paul George, Lillard famously waved goodbye to the Oklahoma City players as he sent them packing for the offseason in ice-cold fashion.
Those 3s were made possible by a one-of-a-kind shooting stroke that Lillard has perfected. The most notable thing about the guard’s jump shot: He rests the ball completely on his palm — it causes the ball to briefly lose all contact with his fingertips — before flicking the rock off his fingers and launching it with his right hand.
Oddly enough, he used to utilize his palm only, with no contact whatsoever between his fingertips and the basketball. And when that was the case, he got no real rotation on his shot attempts.
“When I was 10 years old, my dad used to get on my ass, like, ‘You’ve gotta shoot off [of] your fingertips! You shooting a knuckleball!'” Lillard said on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and The Three” podcast.
“He’s the only other person I’ve ever seen shoot like that. It was so awkward, but he’d do it worse than me; literally just flicking the ball.”
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Spurs at Celtics, 7 p.m.
Warriors at Mavericks, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21
Knicks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
Wolves at Rockets, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22
Lakers at Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)
Sunday, Feb. 23
Knicks at Celtics, 1 p.m. (ABC)
Mavericks at Warriors, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Heat at Bucks, 7 p.m.
Thunder at Wolves, 9:30 p.m.
All times Eastern
As a half measure, Lillard altered his form a bit to what it is now: the jump shot vying for a third straight 3-point contest title.
“I would just roll it off [my fingers],” said Lillard, the seven-time All-NBA selection who won All-Star Game MVP honors last season. “And once you get a certain amount of reps, [you] don’t even really feel it anymore.”
For how unusual his shot might be, there is an incredible amount of consistency within Lillard’s 3-point attempts over the years. One indication of that: The duration of his 3-point shot attempts has held steady for five consecutive seasons, per Second Spectrum. In 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, it took Lillard 0.38 seconds on average to release his shots from the arc. Over the past year and a half, that number has been virtually the same at 0.37 seconds.
That level of year-to-year consistency undoubtedly gives him a leg up in something like the 3-point contest, where having the same form from one shot to the next takes on more importance. And if he wins in San Francisco for a third consecutive time, don’t be surprised: He provided the blueprint in the Bay Area 25 years ago, a shooting form that evolved into one of the most productive in league history.
“I really grew up in the real part of Oakland. I’m from the neighborhood, so I caught the bus with these people every day. I was at the park with these people,” Lillard said. “So to be coming back home at 34 and all of these people really know me, I think that makes me look forward to it a little bit more because they really know I got it out the mud for real.”
ESPN’s Jamal Collier and ESPN Research’s Matt Williams contributed to this story.
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Who’s in NBA Slam Dunk Contest, 3-Point Shootout? Full list of participants at 2025 All-Star Saturday Night
Now that an incredibly busy trade deadline period has come to a close, we can turn our attention to the next big item on the basketball calendar: 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend. This year’s edition is already underway in San Francisco, with the Golden State Warriors playing host for the first time since 2000.
In an attempt to generate more interest in the annual showcase, the league has completely revamped the actual All-Star Game into a mini tournament featuring four teams — three made up of pre-drafted NBA All-Stars and Team Chris Mullin, which won the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday.
All-Star Saturday Night, however, has not changed. We’ll once again have the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest, which have been the staple events for years. However, fans will not be treated to a second edition of Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionsecu, the league announced Thursday.
Let’s take a look at the participants for this year’s events.
The league has regularly tinkered with the format of the Skills Challenge, and it appears that trend will continue this year. While no rules have been announced yet, the amount of teams has been increased from three to four, and the number of players on each team has been decreased from three to two.
Here’s a look at the four teams that will compete for the Skills Challenge title:
The 3-Point Contest has remained largely unchanged since its introduction back in 1986. While the league hasn’t revealed the official format yet, there’s no reason to expect it to be different than last year.
Five racks will be spread out around the arc (corner, wing, top of the key, opposite wing, opposite corner) with five balls each. Four of the racks will have four regular basketballs worth one point and one “money ball” worth two points. The fifth rack will have five money balls worth two points. Each player can place their money ball rack at the spot of their choosing.
In addition, there will be two long-range spots, roughly 30 feet away from the basket, with one ball each. Those shots will be worth three points.
Each player will have 70 seconds to complete their shots. The three players with the highest score in the first round will advance to the championship round, and the player with the highest score in the championship round will be named the winner.
Damian Lillard will look to join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to win three 3-Point Contests in a row. Here are the eight participants:
The Slam Dunk Contest, which has come under fire in recent years, will again be the main event. Again, the league has not announced the official format or rules, but it should be the same as the last few years.
The four competitors will get two dunks each in the first round, which will be scored by a panel of judges. The two dunkers with the highest combined score in the first round will advance to the championship round. There, they will again have two dunks each, and the dunker with the highest combined score in the championship round will be named the winner.
Mac McClung is back again this year and will attempt to become the first player ever to win three Slam Dunk Contest titles in a row. Here is the full field:
This year’s judges will be Baron Davis, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Jason Richardson and Jesser. The latter is a basketball creator who will represent the fans. For the first time, fans will submit their scores for each dunk. The average of all fan submissions will count as one official score, which Jesser will reveal.
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NBA All-Star Saturday night: Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest live updates, highlights, results
…
NBA All-Star Saturday night is here.
The action in San Francisco starts 8 p.m. ET Saturday on TNT with the Skills Challenge before moving on to the 3-point Contest and then the Slam Dunk Contest.
The highlights of the evening should come from the duo seeking to threepeat in their respective events, but there’s nothing wrong with an out-of-nowhere brilliant performance that can shake expectations and give us something to remember by blocking a run at history.
Yahoo Sports senior writer Dan Devine has you covered if you need to catch up on the weekend’s key changes and anything else that’s going on.
Four two-man teams will compete in this year’s skill competition, which has traditionally tested the players’ dribbling, passing and shooting skills.
Here are the participants:
Team Cavs (Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley)
Team Rooks (Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr)
Team Spurs (Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama)
Team Warriors (Draymond Green, Moses Moody)
This year’s field includes two-time reigning 3-point champion, Damian Lillard, who is also among five 2025 All-Stars competing in the shootout. Lillard will look to become the third player in the contest’s history to threepeat, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.
Here’s the full list of participants:
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Cade Cunningham, Pistons
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
Tyler Herro, Heat
Buddy Hield, Warriors
Cam Johnson, Nets
Damian Lillard, Bucks
Norman Powell, Clippers
G League star Mac McClung will look to defend his slam-dunk title — and become the first to threepeat in the contest — against two high-flying rookies, Matas Buzelis and Stephon Castle, and second-year guard Andre Jackson Jr..
Here’s the full list of participants:
Matas Buzelis, Bulls
Stephon Castle, Spurs
Andre Jackson Jr., Bucks
Mac McClung, G League’s Osceola Magic
Cavs duo Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell topped the Warriors tandem of Draymond Green and Moses Moody to win the Skills Challenge on Saturday night.
And that makes sense because, after all, the Cleveland pair are All-Stars.
Cavs stay winning 💯 https://t.co/NBTLAE5u8c pic.twitter.com/Z3y0ESeBIB
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025
“It was definitely cheating though” 🤣
Team Cavs caught up with @ALaForce before the final round of the NBA Skills Challenge 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/DlJnFhohdj
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2025
In an ominous start to the evening, San Antonio Spurs teammates Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul — the very first participants of the NBA’s festivities on the Saturday night of All-Star Weekend — were disqualified from the Skills Challenge for trying to circumnavigate the rules.
CP3 and Wemby have been disqualified from the Skills Challenge: pic.twitter.com/ospns4OO1Z
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) February 16, 2025
Instead of trying to make one of three attempts from the 3-point line and free-throw line, both Wembanyama and Paul tossed each ball into the air in rapid succession. There is no requirement to make a shot at every station, just to take the three shots. An attempt must be made, though.
“That’s fine,” Paul could be heard saying on the broadcast, as the news was broken to him.
“It was definitely cheating, though,” joked Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who won the competition alongside teammate Evan Mobley.
Afterwards, TNT attempted to interview Paul and Wembanyama, only to be told by a member of the NBA’s staff not to engage with the players. It was strange all around, overshadowing the first portion of the evening. Wembanyama is, after all, one reason why fans might watch this event.
With the NBA All-Star weekend ongoing, conversations about the league’s on-court product are once again at the forefront. Though interest and revenue in the NBA are growing, discussions around whether NBA games have stagnated hang over the league even as it tries to evolve its All-Star format.
On Saturday, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green got candid about the state of the game. Green is set to compete in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night, paired with Warriors teammate Moses Moody.
When asked if he thought the NBA game was boring, Green was blunt. “Absolutely,” he said, via the Associated Press.
The four-time NBA champion referenced an interview where the late Kobe Bryant said that the game had become “accidental basketball.”
“He couldn’t have been more right,” Green said of Bryant’s comments.
Here’s the rest of what Draymond had to say.
With the frenzy of the 2025 NBA trade deadline now behind us, the attention of the NBA-watching world now shifts to the Bay Area for the high-octane basketball exhibition/convention/trade show that is 2025 All-Star Weekend. Here are a few things to keep an eye on as the league’s best and brightest strut their stuff across three days of basketball-adjacent endeavors, social-media brand activation opportunities and fresh-coat-of-painted tournament-style play.
Everything you need to know for All-Star Weekend.
