SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Damian Lillard is looking to join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges in an elite club. And Victor Wembanyama will be showing off some skills at All-Star weekend.
Lillard, the Milwaukee guard, was announced Friday as one of the entrants in this year's 3-point contest to be held at All-Star Saturday Night in San Francisco on Feb. 15.
Wembanyama, the second-year San Antonio star, will be one of eight players in the Skills Challenge at All-Star Saturday. That field was also revealed on Friday.
Lillard is bidding to win his third consecutive 3-point title — something only Bird and Hodges have done. Bird won the first three editions of the 3-point competition from 1985 through 1987; Hodges went back-to-back-to-back from 1990 through 1992.
The 3-point contest field also includes New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Cleveland’s Darius Garland, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Golden State’s Buddy Hield, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell.
Lillard will be making his fifth 3-point contest appearance. Hield has been in the event three previous times, winning in 2020. Brunson and Herro are both in for the second time; everyone else is making their 3-point contest debut.
The skills event is made up of two-player teams. They are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley representing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington’s Alex Sarr and Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher representing the NBA rookie class, Wembanyama and Chris Paul representing the Spurs and Draymond Green and Moses Moody representing the host Golden State Warriors.
The dunk contest participants were formally announced earlier in the week: Orlando two-way player Mac McClung will try to become the first person to win three consecutive dunk contests. He’ll go up against San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle, Chicago rookie Matas Buzelis and Milwaukee second-year wing Andre Jackson Jr.
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