Fresh off winning the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend, Damian Lillard is already recruiting top competition for next season.
The Portland Trail Blazers guard, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, still managed to win the 3-point contest Saturday night. His score of 29 in the final round edged Devin Booker and Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel for Lillard’s third win in four years.
Since the inception of the 3-point contest in 1986, no player has won the event four times. Now, as Lillard goes for history next year, he wants to face the best of the best.
Sunday night, Lillard shared a screenshot of an Instagram message he sent to Stephen Curry about luring the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter, Klay Thompson, Booker and “4 more real shooters” for next year’s contest. Curry replied that he’s in and that Thompson will do it if he asks. Curry added that with Booker being at home — the All-Star Game will be in Phoenix next year — it’s a “perfect setup.”
Curry (2021 and 2015), Thompson (2016) and Booker (2018) are all past winners of the contest. In 2019, Lillard, Curry and Booker participated in the event together with Joe Harris winning.
In his fifth 3-point contest, Booker had 30 points in the first round, the most of any player, but lost by one to Lillard in the final. Booker started off hot in that round, prompting Lillard to start manifesting.
“I was praying on his downfall. … He was in position. It just took for a couple shots to rattle out but that’s how it goes sometimes,” he said.
Thompson and Curry went head-to-head in the 2016 championship round, with Thompson edging out his then teammate by four points. Thompson hasn’t been back in the event since 2018, with Curry’s last appearance in 2021. But he announced Sunday night that he will return in Phoenix.
“Oh 100%. I already scheduled it. We’re going to bring some people,” he said. “Me, Dame. I’m going to try and get Klay.”
Let the recruiting begin.
