Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard intends to participate in the 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Lillard has been on a tear this season, reminding everyone how rare of a talent he is after missing the bulk of 2021-22 with an abdominal injury. Currently averaging a career-high 30.7 points per game on a career-high true shooting percentage of 64.3, the 32-year-old has knocked down the seventh-most 3-pointers of any player this season with 161.
With numbers like that it's no wonder that Lillard has been invited to the 3-Point Contest, or that he's been named as an All-Star for the seventh time.
Lillard has been in every competition that takes place at All-Star Weekend that an active player can participate in: the Rising Stars Challenge, the Skills Challenge, the Dunk Contest, the 3-Point Contest, and the All-Star Game.
The last time Lillard competed in the 3-Point Contest was in 2019, but he didn't make it part the first rounf. He also competed in 2014, when he became the first player in NBA history to participate in all five events.
Lillard would come in third-place in the 2014 3-point contest, failing to advance to the final round after scoring 18 points in the first-round. While performing better than players such as guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Love, Lillard was one point behind former guard Marco Belinelli and two points behind Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. Belinelli would eventually defeat Beal after outscoring him 24-18 in a tiebreaker round.
The 2023 PepsiCo 3-Point Contest will take place on Saturday, Feb. 18.
While no official contestant have been named yet, Denver Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Phoenix Suns guard Damion Lee are two names to watch out for.
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