The Three-Point Contest[1] is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star Weekend.
The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 1986 to 2018, eight participants were selected to participate in each season's shootout. In 2002-2003 to 2012-2013 there were six participants. Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks is the most recent winner of the event which was held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Rules
In this contest, participants attempt to make as many three-point field goals as possible from five positions behind the three-point line in one minute. Players begin shooting from one corner of the court, and move from station to station along the three-point arc until they reach the other corner.[2] At each shooting station is a rack with five basketballs. Out of the five balls, four are worth one point (the standard orange Anta Sports game balls) and the fifth one (a red/white/blue ABA-style ball; often nicknamed the "money ball")[3][4] is worth two points. The goal of this contest is to score as many points as possible within one minute. A perfect score used to be 30 points.[5][6] Since the 2014 contest, a rack consisting only of "money balls" has been added, and can be placed on any of the 5 spots of the player's choice, bringing up the maximum possible score to 34 points.[7] In the 2020 contest, two additional Mountain Dew shots were placed on each side of the top of the key, worth three points each. This increased the maximum possible score to 40, and the time limit was increased from 60 to 70 seconds.[8]
In the qualifying round, each player has a chance to score as many points as possible. The three players with the top scores advance to the finals. The final round is played in the same way as the qualifying round, but players shoot according to the ascending order of their first-round scores. In each round, the shots and the score are confirmed by the referee and the television instant replay system.[4][9] The final round will be shot in reverse direction (left to right corner for a left-handed shooter and vice versa). In the case of a tie, multiple extra rounds of 30 seconds (1 minute in the final) are played to determine the winner.
Milestones
- Larry Bird, the inaugural winner of this contest, and Craig Hodges have each won three consecutive times, while Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek, Peja Stojaković, Jason Kapono, and Damian Lillard have each won two consecutive times.
- Craig Hodges holds the record for most shots made in one round (21/25, .840 percentage), as well as most consecutive shots made (19), most appearances (8), and most points (25 out of a possible 30 points, .833 percentage)
- Detlef Schrempf and Michael Jordan share the record for the fewest points scored in any round with five in 1988 and 1990, respectively.[10]
- Kyrie Irving is the youngest player to win the contest at the age of 20.
- Rimas Kurtinaitis is the only non-NBA player to participate in the contest.
- Dirk Nowitzki and Karl-Anthony Towns are the only 7-foot players to win the contest.
- Damian Lillard is the last person to ever win back to back.
- Jason Kapono co-holds the record for most shots in a round (21/25, .840 percentage).
Winners
| Rank | Player | Times |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larry Bird | 3 |
| Craig Hodges | 3 | |
| 3 | Peja Stojaković | 2 |
| Jeff Hornacek | 2 | |
| Mark Price | 2 | |
| Jason Kapono | 2 | |
| Stephen Curry | 2 | |
| Damian Lillard | 2 |
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active |
| * | Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Player (#) | Denotes the number of times the player has won |
| Team (#) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Location (#) | Denotes the number of times a location has hosted the competition |
Three Point Contest champions by franchise
| No. | Franchise | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Miami Heat | 2011 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 2010 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | 1997 |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 2021 |
| 3 | Sacramento Kings | 2020 |
| 3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2013 |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2022 |
| 2 | Phoenix Suns | 2018 |
| 2 | Utah Jazz | 2000 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2024 |
| 1 | Portland Trail Blazers | 2023 |
| 1 | Brooklyn Nets | 2019 |
| 1 | Houston Rockets | 2017 |
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 2014 |
| 1 | Toronto Raptors | 2008 |
| 1 | Dallas Mavericks | 2006 |
| 1 | Denver Nuggets | 2004 |
| 1 | Washington Bullets | 1996 |
| 1 | Seattle SuperSonics | 1989 |
All-time participants
| Player (in bold text) | Indicates the winner of the contest |
| Player (#) | Denotes the number of times the player has been in the contest |
Records
| Player | Score/Max | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 29 / 40[c][d] 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | 2022 |
| Stephen Curry | 28 / 40[c][d] 19 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | 2021 |
| Devin Booker | 28 / 34[c] 25 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2018 |
| Jason Kapono | 25 / 30 | 2008 |
| Buddy Hield | 27 / 40[c][d] 24 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| Mike Conley | 27 / 40[c][d] 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2021 |
| Devin Booker2 | 26 / 40[c][d] 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2020 |
| Damian Lillard | 26 / 40[c][d] 18 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | 2023 |
| Mark Price | 24 / 30 | 1994 |
| Jason Kapono2 | 24 / 30 | 2007 |
| Stephen Curry2 | 27 / 34[c] 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2015 |
| Klay Thompson | 27 / 34[c] 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2016 |
| Luke Kennard | 26 / 40[c][d] 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| Trae Young | 26 / 40[c][d] 20 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| Kyrie Irving | 23 / 30 | 2013 |
| Joe Harris | 26 / 34[c] 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2019 |
| Klay Thompson2 | 25 / 34[c] 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2018 |
| Marco Belinelli | 24[b] / 34[c] 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2014 |
| Larry Bird | 22 / 30 | 1986 |
| Steve Kerr | 22 / 30 | 1997 |
| Peja Stojaković | 22 / 30 | 2003 |
| Stephen Curry3 | 24 / 34[c] 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2019 |
| Stephen Curry4 | 23 / 34[c] 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2016 |
| Buddy Hield2 | 25 / 40[c][d] 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | 2023[][]–01 |
| Tim Legler | 20 / 30 | 1996 |
| Paul Pierce | 20 / 30 | 2010 |
| James Jones | 20 / 30 | 2011 |
| Matt Bonner | 20 / 30 | 2013 |
| Davis Bertans | 22 / 40[c][d] 15 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | 2020 |
| Eric Gordon | 21[b] / 34[c] 18 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | 2017 |
| Minimum 20 | ||
| Player | Shots | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Hodges | 19 | 1991 |
| Stephen Curry | 13 | 2015 |
| Joe Harris | 12 | 2019 |
| Larry Bird | 11 | 1986 |
| Hubert Davis | 11 | 1996 |
| Stephen Curry2 | 11 | 2016 |
| Jason Kapono | 10 | 2008 |
| Ray Allen | 10 | 2011 |
| Kyrie Irving | 10 | 2013 |
| Stephen Curry3 | 10 | 2019 |
| Dennis Scott | 9 | 1991 |
| Mark Price | 9 | 1994 |
| Steve Kerr | 9 | 1997 |
| Kyle Korver | 9 | 2004 |
| Stephen Curry4 | 9 | 2019 |
| Stephen Curry5 | 9 | 2021 |
| Minimum 9 | ||
Sponsors
| Season | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| 1985–86 | American Airlines |
| 1986–87 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1987–88 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1988–89 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1989–90 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1990–91 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1991–92 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1992–93 | American Airlines, Sheraton |
| 1993–94 | AT&T |
| 1994–95 | AT&T |
| 1993–94 | AT&T |
| 1994–95 | AT&T |
| 1995–96 | AT&T |
| 1996–97 | AT&T |
| 1997–98 | AT&T |
| 1998–99 | AT&T |
| 1999–2000 | AT&T |
| 2000–01 | 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 2000–01 | 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 2001–02 | 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 2002–03 | 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 2003–04 | Footlocker |
| 2004–05 | Footlocker |
| 2005–06 | Footlocker |
| 2006–07 | Footlocker |
| 2007–08 | Footlocker |
| 2008–09 | Footlocker |
| 2009–10 | Footlocker |
| 2010–11 | Footlocker |
| 2011–12 | Footlocker |
| 2012–13 | Footlocker |
| 2013–14 | Footlocker |
| 2014–15 | Footlocker |
| 2015–16 | Footlocker |
| 2016–17 | JBL |
| 2017–18 | JBL |
| 2018–19 | Mountain Dew |
| 2019–20 | Mountain Dew |
| 2020–21 | Mountain Dew |
| 2021–22 | Mountain Dew |
| 2022–23 | Starry |
| 2023–24 | Starry |
Criticism and controversies
In the 2024 three-point contest, fans expressed dissatisfaction with referees for permitting participants, notably Karl-Anthony Towns, to shoot while their feet were on the line.[15]
Notes
- a The 1999 All-Star Game was cancelled due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout.
- b Denote contests that required a tiebreaking round. The final score given here came from the tiebreaker.[16]
- c Starting with the 2014 Three-Point Contest, the format includes four extra "money balls".
- d Starting with the 2020 Three-Point Contest, the format includes two extra long-range shots, worth three points each.
- e CJ McCollum was named as a replacement to Chris Bosh due to the latter being unable to participate in the event with a calf injury (and later on, a blood clot in his leg).
- f Mike Conley was named as a replacement to Devin Booker due to the latter being unable to participate in the event with a knee injury.
- g Julius Randle was named as a replacement to Anfernee Simons due to the latter being unable to participate in the event with a ankle injury.
- h Stephen Curry competed with Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA's New York Liberty in an independent three-point shootout during the 2024 All-Star Weekend. Ionescu set the single-round record by an NBA or WNBA player during the 2023 WNBA All Star Weekend in Las Vegas with a second-round score of 37.[17]
See also
References
- General
- "Shootout All-Time Winners". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- "Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 2000–08". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- "Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1990–98". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- "Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1986–89". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- "Shootout Records". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- "All-Star Game Contests". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
- Specific
