Three-Point Contest Explained
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 Wilson 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 and Jason Kapono hold the record for most shots made in one round (21/25, .840 percentage), Craig Hodges also holds the records of 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.
Winners
Players with multiple titles!Rank!Player!Times| 1 | | 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 | | 2 |
| 2 |
| 2 |
| 2 |
| 2 |
| 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 | |
| Season | Location | Player | Nationality | Team | Final Score/Max | % Score |
|---|
| Dallas, Texas | | | Boston Celtics | / 30 | 73.33% |
| Seattle, Washington |
| | Boston Celtics (2) | / 30 | 53.33% |
| Chicago, Illinois |
| | Boston Celtics (3) | / 30 | 56.67% |
| Houston, Texas | | | Seattle SuperSonics | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Miami, Florida | | | Chicago Bulls | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | (2) | | Chicago Bulls (2) | / 30 | 56.67% |
| Orlando, Florida | (3) | | Chicago Bulls (3) | / 30 | 53.33% |
| Salt Lake City, Utah | | | Cleveland Cavaliers | / 30 | 60.00% |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | (2) | | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) | / 30 | 80.00% |
| Phoenix, Arizona | | | Miami Heat | / 30 | 56.67% |
| San Antonio, Texas | | | Washington Bullets | / 30 | 66.67% |
| Cleveland, Ohio | | | Chicago Bulls (4) | / 30 | 73.33% |
| New York City, New York | | | Utah Jazz | / 30 | 53.33% |
| align=center colspan=4 | Canceled due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout |
| Oakland, California | (2) | | Utah Jazz (2) | / 30 | 43.33% |
| Washington, D.C. | | | Milwaukee Bucks | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | | | Sacramento Kings | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Atlanta, Georgia | (2) | | Sacramento Kings (2) | / 30 | 73.33% |
| Los Angeles, California | | | Denver Nuggets | / 30 | 60.00% |
| Denver, Colorado | | | Phoenix Suns | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Houston, Texas (2) | | | Dallas Mavericks | / 30 | 60.00% |
| [11] | Las Vegas, Nevada | | | Miami Heat (2) | / 30 | 80.00% |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | (2) | | Toronto Raptors | / 30 | 83.33% |
| Phoenix, Arizona (2) | | | Miami Heat (3) | / 30 | 63.33% |
| Dallas, Texas (2) | | | Boston Celtics (4) | / 30 | 66.67% |
| Los Angeles, California (2) | | | Miami Heat (4) | / 30 | 66.67% |
| Orlando, Florida (2) | ^ | | Minnesota Timberwolves | / 30 | 56.67% |
| Houston, Texas (3) | ^ | | Cleveland Cavaliers (3) | / 30 | 76.67% |
| New Orleans, Louisiana (2) | | | San Antonio Spurs | / 34 | 70.59% |
| Brooklyn, New York (2) | ^ | | Golden State Warriors | / 34 | 79.41% |
| Toronto, Ontario | ^ | | Golden State Warriors (2) | / 34 | 79.41% |
| New Orleans, Louisiana (3) | ^ | | Houston Rockets | / 34 | 61.76% |
| Los Angeles, California (3) | ^ | | Phoenix Suns (2) | 28 / 34 | 82.35% |
| Charlotte, North Carolina (2) | ^ | | Brooklyn Nets | 26 / 34 | 76.47% |
| Chicago, Illinois (2) | ^ | | Sacramento Kings (3) | 27 / 40 | 67.5% |
| Atlanta, Georgia (2) | ^ (2) | | Golden State Warriors (3) | 28 / 40 | 70.00 |
| Cleveland, Ohio (2) | ^ | | Minnesota Timberwolves (2) | 29 / 40 | 72.50% |
| Salt Lake City, Utah (2) | ^ | | Portland Trail Blazers | 26 / 40 | 65.00% |
| | ^ (2) | | Milwaukee Bucks (2) | 26 / 40 | 65.00% | |
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 | |
| Season | Players |
|---|
| Larry Bird, Dale Ellis, Sleepy Floyd, Craig Hodges, Norm Nixon, Kyle Macy, Trent Tucker, Leon Wood |
| Danny Ainge, Larry Bird (2), Michael Cooper, Dale Ellis (2), Craig Hodges (2), Detlef Schrempf, Byron Scott, Kiki Vandeweghe |
| Danny Ainge (2), Larry Bird (3), Dale Ellis (3), Craig Hodges (3), Mark Price, Detlef Schrempf (2), Byron Scott (2), Trent Tucker (2) |
| Michael Adams, Danny Ainge (3), Dale Ellis (4), Derek Harper, Gerald Henderson, Craig Hodges (4), Rimas Kurtinaitis, Reggie Miller, Jon Sundvold |
| Larry Bird (4), Craig Ehlo, Bobby Hansen, Craig Hodges (5), Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller (2), Mark Price (2), Jon Sundvold (2) |
| Danny Ainge (4), Clyde Drexler, Tim Hardaway, Hersey Hawkins, Craig Hodges (6), Terry Porter, Glen Rice, Dennis Scott |
| Dell Curry, Craig Ehlo (2), Craig Hodges (7), Jeff Hornacek, Jim Les, Dražen Petrović, Mitch Richmond, John Stockton |
| B. J. Armstrong, Dana Barros, Craig Hodges (8), Dan Majerle, Reggie Miller (3), Terry Porter (2), Mark Price (3), Kenny Smith |
| B. J. Armstrong (2), Dana Barros (2), Dell Curry (2), Dale Ellis (5), Steve Kerr, Eric Murdock, Mark Price (4), Mitch Richmond (2) |
| Nick Anderson, Dana Barros (3), Scott Burrell, Steve Kerr (2), Dan Majerle (2), Reggie Miller (4), Chuck Person, Glen Rice (2) |
| Dana Barros (4), Hubert Davis, Steve Kerr (3), Tim Legler, George McCloud, Glen Rice (3), Dennis Scott (2), Clifford R. Robinson |
| Dale Ellis (6), Steve Kerr (4), Tim Legler (2), Terry Mills, Sam Perkins, Glen Rice (4), John Stockton (2), Walt Williams |
| Hubert Davis (2), Dale Ellis (7), Jeff Hornacek (2), Sam Mack, Reggie Miller (5), Tracy Murray, Glen Rice (5), Charlie Ward |
| Cancelled due to the 1998-99 NBA lockout |
| Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Hubert Davis (3), Jeff Hornacek (3), Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Terry Porter (3), Bob Sura |
| Ray Allen (2), Pat Garrity, Allan Houston, Rashard Lewis, Dirk Nowitzki (2), Steve Nash, Bryon Russell, Peja Stojaković |
| Ray Allen (3), Wesley Person, Mike Miller, Steve Nash (2), Paul Pierce, Quentin Richardson, Steve Smith, Peja Stojaković (2) |
| Brent Barry, Pat Garrity (2), Wesley Person (2), Peja Stojaković (3), Antoine Walker, David Wesley |
| Chauncey Billups, Kyle Korver, Voshon Lenard, Rashard Lewis (2), Cuttino Mobley, Peja Stojaković (4) |
| Ray Allen (4), Joe Johnson, Voshon Lenard (2), Kyle Korver (2), Vladimir Radmanović, Quentin Richardson (2) |
| Gilbert Arenas, Ray Allen (5), Chauncey Billups (2), Dirk Nowitzki (3), Quentin Richardson (3), Jason Terry |
| Gilbert Arenas (2), Damon Jones, Jason Kapono, Mike Miller (2), Dirk Nowitzki (4), Jason Terry (2) |
| Daniel Gibson, Richard Hamilton, Jason Kapono (2), Steve Nash (3), Dirk Nowitzki (5), Peja Stojaković (5) |
| Mike Bibby (2), Daequan Cook, Danny Granger, Jason Kapono (3), Rashard Lewis (3), Roger Mason |
| Chauncey Billups (3), Daequan Cook (2), Stephen Curry, Channing Frye, Danilo Gallinari, Paul Pierce (2) |
| Ray Allen (6), Kevin Durant, Daniel Gibson (2), James Jones, Paul Pierce (3), Dorell Wright |
| Ryan Anderson, Mario Chalmers, James Jones (2), Anthony Morrow, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant (2) |
| Ryan Anderson (2), Matt Bonner, Stephen Curry (2), Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Steve Novak |
| Arron Afflalo, Bradley Beal, Marco Belinelli, Stephen Curry (3), Kyrie Irving (2), Joe Johnson (2), Damian Lillard, Kevin Love (2) |
| Marco Belinelli (2), Stephen Curry (4), James Harden, Kyrie Irving (3), Kyle Korver (3), Wesley Matthews, JJ Redick, Klay Thompson |
| Devin Booker, James Harden (2), Kyle Lowry, Khris Middleton, JJ Redick (2), Klay Thompson (2), CJ McCollum, Stephen Curry (5) |
| Klay Thompson (3), CJ McCollum (2), Kyle Lowry (2), Eric Gordon, Kyrie Irving (4), Kemba Walker, Nick Young, Wesley Matthews (2) |
| Bradley Beal (2), Devin Booker (2), Wayne Ellington, Paul George (2), Tobias Harris, Klay Thompson (4), Eric Gordon (2) |
| Joe Harris, Kemba Walker (2), Khris Middleton, Seth Curry, Damian Lillard (2), Buddy Hield, Danny Green, Devin Booker (3), Dirk Nowitzki (6), Stephen Curry (6) |
| Devin Booker (4), Buddy Hield (2), Trae Young, Joe Harris (2), Duncan Robinson, Zach LaVine, Devonte Graham, Dāvis Bertāns |
| Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry (7), Mike Conley, Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine (2), Jaylen Brown |
| Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, CJ McCollum (3), Patty Mills, Zach LaVine (3), Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred VanVleet, Trae Young (2) |
| Jayson Tatum (2), Buddy Hield (3), Damian Lillard (3), Tyler Herro, Kevin Huerter, Julius Randle, Tyrese Haliburton, Lauri Markkanen |
| Damian Lillard (4), Tyrese Haliburton (2), Donovan Mitchell (2), Lauri Markkanen (2), Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns (2), Malik Beasley, Trae Young (3) | |
Records
Sources:[1] [11] [12] [13]
Most points in a round| Player | Score/Max | Season |
|---|
| 31 / 40 22 / 30 without four extra “money balls” and two extra long-range shots | |
| 31 / 40 22 / 30 without four extra “money balls” and two extra long-range shots | |
| 29 / 40 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 28 / 34 25 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 28 / 40 25 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| Devin Booker2 | 27 / 40 19 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 25 / 30 | |
| 25 / 30 | |
| 28 / 40 24 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 27 / 40 24 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 26 / 40 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| Craig Hodges2 | 24 / 30 | |
| 24 / 30 | |
| 24 / 30 | |
| Jason Kapono2 | 24 / 30 | |
| Stephen Curry2 | 27 / 34 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 27 / 34 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Stephen Curry3 | 27 / 34 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 25 / 40 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Buddy Hield2 | 26 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 26 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 26 / 40 19 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Klay Thompson2 | 25 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 24 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Klay Thompson3 | 24 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 24 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Minimum 24 | |
Most points in the finals| Player | Score/Max | Season |
|---|
| 29 / 40 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 28 / 40 19 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 28 / 34 25 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 25 / 30 | |
| 27 / 40 24 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 27 / 40 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Devin Booker2 | 26 / 40 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 26 / 40 18 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 24 / 30 | |
| Jason Kapono2 | 24 / 30 | |
| Stephen Curry2 | 27 / 34 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 27 / 34 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 26 / 40 23 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 26 / 40 20 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 23 / 30 | |
| 26 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Klay Thompson2 | 25 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 24 / 34 22 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| 22 / 30 | |
| 22 / 30 | |
| 22 / 30 | |
| Stephen Curry3 | 24 / 34 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Stephen Curry4 | 23 / 34 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Buddy Hield2 | 25 / 40 21 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 20 / 30 | |
| 20 / 30 | |
| 20 / 30 | |
| 20 / 30 | |
| 22 / 40 15 / 30 without four extra "money balls" and two extra long-range shots | |
| 21 / 34 18 / 30 without four extra "money balls" | |
| Minimum 20 | |
Sponsors
Sources:[1] [14]
| Season | Sponsor |
|---|
| |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| American Airlines, Sheraton |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| AT&T |
| 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| 1-800-CALL-ATT |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| Footlocker |
| JBL |
| JBL |
| Mountain Dew |
| Mountain Dew |
| Mountain Dew |
| Mountain Dew |
| Starry |
| 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]
See also
- Three-Point Contest in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Notes
- The 1999 All-Star Game was cancelled due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout.
- Denote contests that required a tiebreaking round. The final score given here came from the tiebreaker.[16]
- Starting with the 2014 Three-Point Contest, the format includes four extra "money balls".
- Starting with the 2020 Three-Point Contest, the format includes two extra long-range shots, worth three points each.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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]
References
- General
- Web site: Shootout All-Time Winners. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008.
- Web site: Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 2000–08. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081225045558/http://www.nba.com/history/allstar/shootout_results_2000s.html. December 25, 2008. dead.
- Web site: Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1990–98. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20030208024325/http://www.nba.com/history/allstar/shootout_results_1990s.html. February 8, 2003. dead.
- Web site: Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 1986–89. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080528100433/http://www.nba.com/history/allstar/shootout_results_1980s.html. May 28, 2008. dead.
- Web site: Shootout Records. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008.
- Web site: All-Star Game Contests. Sports Reference LLC. basketball-reference.com. December 19, 2008.
- Specific
Notes and References
- Web site: Kapono Lights Up Saturday Night. McMenamin. Dave. TurnerInteractive, Inc. NBA.com. February 20, 2008. December 18, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090323112354/http://www.nba.com/allstar2008/features/saturday_20080216.html. March 23, 2009. dead.
- Web site: East notes: Kapono taking shot at three-point crown. Nance. Roscoe. USA Today. February 16, 2007. December 30, 2008.
- Web site: NBA All-Star Game: Shootout. CBS Sports. December 29, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081012002056/http://www.sportsline.com/nba/allstar/threepointshootout. October 12, 2008.
- Web site: Jason Kapono To Defend Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout Crown. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. February 6, 2008. December 18, 2008.
- Book: Brown, Donald H.. A Basketball Handbook. 2007. AuthorHouse. 978-1425961909. 85.
- Book: Brown, Donald H.. A Best of Basketball Story. 2007. AuthorHouse. 978-1434341938. 127.
- https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/marco-belinelli-wins-three-point-shootout-bradley-beal-034034904--nba.html Marco Belinelli wins the Three-Point Shootout after Bradley Beal’s comeback forces a playoff
- Web site: 2020 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest.
- Web site: Billups Named As Participant in Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. February 8, 2006. December 18, 2008.
- Web site: NBA All-Star – 3 Point Shootout Contest. www.NBA-Allstar.com.
- Web site: Jason Kapono is Three-Point Champ. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 18, 2008.
- Web site: Shootout Records . Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008.
- Web site: Quentin Richardson Bio. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 18, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081224224950/http://www.nba.com/playerfile/quentin_richardson/bio.html. December 24, 2008.
- Web site: Shootout & Sponsor Records . CNN. NBA.com. February 17, 2020.
- Web site: Kalbrosky. Bryan. Fans criticized refs for allowing 3-point contest participants to shoot with their feet on the line. February 17, 2024. USA Today.
- Web site: Shootout Round-by-Round Results: 2000–08. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. NBA.com. December 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081225045558/http://www.nba.com/history/allstar/shootout_results_2000s.html. December 25, 2008. dead.
- Web site: Sabrina Ionescu scores record 37 points to win WNBA 3-point contest. ESPN. Alexa. Philippou. 14 July 2023. 15 July 2023.
