IN DEFENSE OF | DAMIAN LILLARD'S THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT WIN

CREDIT | NBA.COM

I just watched the NBA’s 2026 Three-Point Shootout, where Damian Lillard—recovering from the ACL injury that kept him off the Portland Trail Blazers’ active roster—became a three-time champion. Look, some people think Lillard shouldn’t have participated in the three-point contest because he hasn’t played this season.

Well, haters... shut up.

I have two really important reasons why he absolutely should have been there.

First, Damian Lillard is one of the best NBA players of all time. I know his inclusion in the Top 75 list over Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady is highly debatable, but he is still a global star widely regarded as one of the league’s elite. At a time when some players skip All-Star festivities to rest, Dame Time actually asked the league if he could participate to give the event a big-time feel. I, for one, think the three-point shootout has become a better main event than the slam dunk contest. It would be awesome if next season we see the likes of Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Kon Knueppel, James Harden, Trae Young, and Luka Dončić competing for the top prize.

Also, Lillard openly saying that he prayed for Devin Booker’s downfall was funny as hell. It almost felt like the long-distance shootout had its own intense rivalry—one that even the actual All-Star Game couldn’t match.

And the second reason? If Mac McClung can be part of previous Slam Dunk Contests, then why not an actual NBA superstar like Lillard in the three-point shootout?

Look, Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest, and I don’t really know much about him. Yes, the NBA once leaned on a G League act like McClung to boost the event’s appeal, but Keshad, who averages 3.1 points per game this season, is essentially just another role player. Unlike the other participants, he brought swagger with his admittedly over-the-top post-dunk celebrations, but he also delivered his dunks with confidence.

The rest of the participants looked either shy or aware that they didn’t have what it takes to make this year’s edition legendary.

Jaxson Hayes had the physical tools from the get-go, but there’s only so much a center can showcase in a dunk contest. The only memorable thing Jase Richardson did—aside from his lineage—was the scary fall that led to a concussion scare, followed by an impromptu dunk that actually looked better than what he initially attempted. I thought Carter Bryant showed flashes in one of his dunks, but unfortunately, his luck ran out in the finals.

In the end, it felt like Bryant and Richardson didn’t fully believe in their entries, which is why the heavily hyped Johnson walked away with the win.

The Slam Dunk Contest may never recreate the magic of Zach LaVine versus Aaron Gordon, so maybe it’s time to shift to a tournament-style format where the main event players go head-to-head for the best dunk. If they can’t replicate the greatest dunks of the past, at least they should try to outdo each other in real time.

And this brings me back to why Lillard’s participation matters. It’s called All-Star Weekend for a reason. You can’t stack marquee events with unproven crowd draws. The Rising Stars game should always serve as a pre-show to the main event—and that standard should extend to the Three-Point Shootout and the Slam Dunk Contest as well. Fans have grown weary because stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and now Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant have stayed away from these contests.

So who are we to prohibit someone like Lillard, who genuinely wants to compete in the long-distance shootout?

If a player like Lillard—a career 25.1 points-per-game scorer and 37% three-point shooter—can’t participate simply because he’s been resting his injured knee this season, then at least half of the other participants should stay away from All-Star Weekend altogether.