While there have been complaints about the NBA All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk Contest in recent years, no one has had anything bad to say about the 3-Point Contest. Now, the competition between the best long-ball shooters in the world is only getting better. On top of the 3-Point Contest that fans have come to know and love, NBA All-Star Weekend will feature a new competition for some of the best beyond-the-arc shooters in the world. Stephen Curry, widely regarded as the greatest three-point shooter ever, will take on Sabrina Ionescu, the best shooter in the WNBA, in a battle for three-point shooting supremacy. In this article, we will explain how you can watch both three-point competitions.
When and where is All-Star Saturday Night?
All-Star Saturday Night is one of three days during NBA All-Star Weekend. On Feb. 17, there will be the Kia Skills Challenge and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in addition to the Starry 3-Point Contest and Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge.
The Skills Challenge will start those events off at 8 p.m. ET, and the Dunk Contest will end the night. That means the two shooting competitions will be in between those events. The Indiana Pacers are hosting All-Star Weekend, and while the All-Star Game will be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, All-Star Saturday Night will be at Lucas Oil Stadium.
How to watch the 3-Point Contest and Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge
All of the events that are a part of All-Star Saturday will be on TNT.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, Indiana
TV channel: TNT
3-Point Contest contestants
Starry 3-Point Contest:
Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge:
Ionescu, the single-season three-point makes record holder in the WNBA, set the record for the 3-Point Contest for either NBA or WNBA players when she scored 37 of 40 points. That caused the WNBA star to challenge Curry to a shoot-off, and fans will get to see it during All-Star Saturday.
Curry and Ionescu will compete with normal 3-Point Contest rules. Curry will be shooting from behind the NBA arc with NBA balls, and Ionescu was expected to shoot with WNBA balls from the WNBA three-point line. However, it is now believed that the WNBA star will take the challenge a step further and shoot from the same distance as Curry.
History of the NBA 3-Point Contest
The rules for the 3-Point Contest are simple, although they have changed in recent years. Eight contestants have one minute and 10 seconds to shoot a total of 27 three-point shots. There are five racks with five balls each at five different locations around the arc. Four of those racks have four balls worth one point, and the fifth ball is worth two points. The two-point balls are considered money balls. One of the five racks consists of only money balls. In addition, there are two Starry deep-range balls worth three points. The players with the three best scores advance to the final round.
Previously, there were no Starry shots, no money ball rack, and players only had one minute to shoot. As the game of basketball has more commonly incorporated the three-point shot and shots from well beyond the arc, the 3-Point Contest has adapted to better reflect the times.
Overall, there has been a 3-Point Contest in every season except for the lockout-shortened 1999 season. Larry Bird and Craig Hodges are the only three-time winners, and Bird did that in the first three seasons that the competition existed. Damian Lillard won the competition last year.
3-Point Contest winners:
1986: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
1987: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
1988: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
1989: Dale Ellis, Seattle Supersonics
1990: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls
1991: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls
1992: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls
1993: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers
1994: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers
1995: Glen Rice, Miami Heat
1996: Tim Legler, Washington Bullets
1997: Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls
1998: Jeff Hornacek, Utah Jazz
2000: Jeff Hornacek, Utah Jazz
2001: Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks
2002: Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings
2003: Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings
2004: Voshon Lenard, Denver Nuggets
2005: Quentin Richardson, Phoenix Suns
2006: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
2007: Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors
2008: Jason Kapono, Toronto Raptors
2009: Daequan Cook, Miami Heat
2010: Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
2011: James Jones, Miami Heat
2012: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
2013: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
2014: Marco Belinelli, San Antonio Spurs
2015: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2016: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
2017: Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans
2018: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
2019: Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets
2020: Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings
2021: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2022: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
2023: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
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