San Francisco (AFP) – Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard will try to complete a three-peat in next week’s NBA All-Star Game 3-point Contest, the league announced Friday, while two French stars seek a Skills Challenge title. The events will be part of All-Star Saturday activities on the eve of the four-team All-Star tournament on February 16 at San Francisco.
Lillard won the 3-point showdown in 2023 while with Portland and last year after joining the Bucks and will try to equal the record three consecutive titles set by Larry Bird in 1986-1988 and matched by Craig Hodges in 1990-92. Opposing Lillard will be Cleveland’s Darius Garland, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Golden State’s Buddy Hield, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson, and Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers. Herro ranks third in 3-pointers in the NBA this season with 183, while Garland is 10th with 146.
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The All-Star Skills Challenge will consist of four two-man teams, with a rookie pairing taking on duos from the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, and host Golden State Warriors. Team Rooks will combine 2024 NBA Draft top pick Zaccharie Risacher, a 19-year-old French swingman for the Atlanta Hawks, and Washington rookie Alex Sarr. Team Spurs will unite French All-Star Victor Wembanyama and guard Chris Paul, while Team Cavs pairs Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, and Team Warriors combines Draymond Green and Moses Moody.
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest entrants have already been named, with two-time defending champion Mac McClung trying for the first three-peat since the event began in 1984. Nate Robinson is the only three-time Slam Dunk winner. McClung, who plays for the Orlando Magic’s G-League development club, will face San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, Milwaukee’s Andre Jackson Jr., and Chicago’s Matas Buzelis. Judges for the Slam Dunk Contest announced on Friday include former NBA players Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Baron Davis, and Jason Richardson, plus an average score from viewers worldwide through the NBA App.
© 2024 AFP
