Dame Time Incoming! Blazers' Lillard Named As Surprise Entry In All-Star 3-Point Shooting Contest

Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 09:43 IST

Damian Lillard returns for Portland in the NBA Three-Point Contest, aiming for a third win to tie Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.

Damian Lillard is putting on a Portland uniform again, just not in the way anyone expected.

The nine-time All-Star, sidelined all season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, is set for a surprise return to the spotlight as a participant in the NBA’s Three-Point Contest on All-Star Saturday.

For fans, that means no waiting around. Lillard’s comeback moment will be front and center.

Now 35, Lillard hasn’t played a game since suffering the Achilles injury during last season’s playoffs with Milwaukee. He was later waived by the Bucks and re-signed by the Portland Trail Blazers — the franchise where he spent the first 11 years of his career and became one of the NBA’s most feared shooters.

Saturday’s appearance won’t mark a full return to action, but it will be his first time shooting in front of fans since rejoining Portland.

And history is on the line.

Lillard ranks fifth all-time in NBA history with 2,804 made three-pointers and is the reigning king of this event, having won the Three-Point Contest in both 2023 and 2024. Another win next Saturday in Los Angeles would put him in rare air, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges for the most titles in contest history with three.

The field is stacked. Phoenix’s Devin Booker, the 2018 champion, is back, along with four other 2026 All-Stars: Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), Jamal Murray (Denver) and Norman Powell (Miami). Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. is also making his contest debut.

There’s a potential slice of history elsewhere, too. Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel could become the first rookie ever to win the Three-Point Contest.

The format remains familiar: 70 seconds to fire away in the first round, with the top three advancing to a final shootout where the highest score wins it all.

Saturday night will then roll on with the Shooting Stars competition before closing with the Slam Dunk Contest. The Skills Challenge, notably, is taking the year off.

(with multiple agencies’ inputs)

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