Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has had an extremely well-decorated career, and he added some more hardware to his collection on Saturday night. Thanks to some elite sharpshooting over two rounds, Lillard won the 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Utah. By finishing on top, Lillard became the first player in Trail Blazers history to win the contest.
Lillard came out firing in the first round while wearing his jersey from his days at Weber State. He scored 26 points in that first round, which was enough to propel him to the finals.
Dame pulled up in the Weber State jersey and dropped 26 to advance to the final round 🎯#Starry3PT x #StateFarmSaturday
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023
📺: Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/2T54wP2LYP
Jayson Tatum (20 points), Julius Randle (13), Kevin Huerter (8), Tyler Herro (18) and Lauri Markkanen (20) were all eliminated in the first round.
In the final round, Lillard matched up against two Indiana Pacers players -- Tyrese Haliburton (31 points in the first round) and Buddy Hield (23) -- and he ultimately pulled out a victory in dramatic fashion. Lillard needed to score 26 in the final round to best Hield, and he did it on the final shot.
Dame needed to reach 26 on the final shot to win the #Starry3PT contest 😤
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023
Ice cold.#Starry3PT | #StateFarmSaturday
📺: Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/5Yjt3ffiO8
Lillard had participated in the event twice previously, so he was relieved to finally come out victorious, and now that he has, he plans to retire from the competition as a champion.
"I think all the best shooters in the history of our game, most of them have one of these," Lillard said after his win. "To be in this competition a few times and not have one, I just wanted to get it done at least one time. So I'm happy I got it, now I can retire from it."
Damian Lillard. 2023 #Starry3PT contest champion. 🏆#Starry3PT x #StateFarmSaturday
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023
📺: Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/sAPPSDukVN
Lillard has long established himself as one of the best shooters in the league, so it's only fitting that he now has the hardware to back it up. But since it doesn't sound like he'll be coming back to defend his title, there will likely be a new champion next year,