Damian Lillard to Participate in NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest While Continuing Achilles Recovery
Damian Lillard, currently sidelined while rehabilitating a torn Achilles tendon, will compete in the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest, the league announced Monday, . The participation marks an unexpected return to action, albeit in a limited capacity, for the veteran guard.
Lillard, who hasn’t played a game this season, will be joined in the contest by a field of six other sharpshooters: Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, Bobby Portis Jr. Of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Norman Powell of the Miami Heat.
Should Lillard win the contest, he would become only the third player in NBA history to secure three 3-point titles, joining Larry Bird and Craig Hodges. He previously won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
The All-Star Saturday night schedule has been adjusted this year. The 3-Point Contest will now lead off the evening’s events, followed by the return of the Shooting Stars competition and concluding with the Slam Dunk Contest. The Skills Challenge will not be held this year.
Lillard’s appearance will be his first shooting in front of fans since rejoining the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the current season. He sustained the Achilles injury last spring while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, who subsequently waived and stretched his contract, allowing him to become a free agent and ultimately return to Portland.
The NBA noted that Lillard is not the first participant in the 3-point contest to have not made a three-pointer during the season in which they competed. In 1989, Rimas Kurtinaitis of Lithuania was invited to participate despite never having played in the NBA.
Lillard was originally selected sixth overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Trail Blazers and spent eleven seasons with the franchise before being traded to Milwaukee before the 2023-24 season. Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat won the 3-point contest last season, but will not participate this year.
