Damian Lillard becomes the first back-to-back 3-point champion since 2008.
INDIANAPOLIS — Damian Lillard captured his second straight Starry 3-Point Contest title Saturday in stirring fashion at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In doing so, he became the first repeat winner of the contest since 2007 and 2008, when Jason Kapono reeled off consecutive victories.
Interestingly for Lillard, Dame Time came dangerously close to never arriving.
In a final round that also featured 2022 3-point contest winner Karl-Anthony Towns and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, Lillard nailed four buckets in a row on the second-to-last rack of balls and trotted to the final rack needing one more basket for the victory.
Lillard clanged his next four shots off the rim from the corner as time ticked away, and fans sat towards the edge of their seats.
Finally, on Lillard’s final heave: Splash. Game over.
DAMIAN LILLARD'S 26 POINTS MAKE HIM THE BACK-TO-BACK #Starry3PT CHAMPION!
His last shot is the winner… because of course ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/OqcHpurcfE
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
Young started off the competition by establishing a blistering bar as the first shooter of the night. The superstar guard poured in 26 points in an opening round that ended with the 25-year old tied with Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, Towns and Lillard.
That led to a 30-second tiebreaker to determine the finalists.
The 2024 Starry 3-point Contest consists of four racks containing five balls each placed in four locations around the 3-point line. Each rack holds four official NBA game balls worth one point each, in addition to one multi-colored money ball, which nets two points for a shooter.
The all-money-ball rack, first introduced six years ago, contains five multi-colored money balls worth two points apiece that can be placed anywhere around the 3-point line.
Young knocked down every shot on his all-money-ball racks in the opening round and the 30-second tiebreaker that eliminated Haliburton from advancing to the finals.
Young’s first miss on the all-money-ball rack didn’t come until his final shot of the competition.
The league added another twist for the Starry 3-point Contest last season by adding two “Starry” balls, located on pedestals deep behind the 3-point line on both sides of the middle rack. Those basketballs, worth three points each, sat approximately 30 feet from the hoop.
Lillard sank one of those balls in the tiebreaker and the finals.
Lillard becomes the NBA’s first back-to-back 3-point contest champion since Jason Kapono (2007, 2008), a feat also shared by Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic.
— Michael C. Wright
Starry 3-Point Contest: Damian Lillard, Round 1
> 2024 Participants:
Malik Beasley (Bucks)
Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
Damian Lillard (Bucks) *
Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
Trae Young (Hawks)
* winner
