2023 NBA Starry 3 Point Contest: Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum Join All Star Event

• Participants for the Three-Point Contest have been set, with Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard both in the line-up
• The Indiana Pacers and the Portland Trail Blazers are well represented, having two players each in the competition
• The event serves as a perfect appetiser for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game between Team LeBron and Team Giannis

Threes will rain down in Utah this coming All-Star Weekend, with eight of the league’s best shooters duking it out in the Three-Point Contest.

This competition has a rich history, with NBA stars such as Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, Ray Allen and Dirk Nowitzki among those who have taken home the winner’s trophy.

Sports Brief has taken a look at the participants for Saturday’s showpiece event.

According to a press release by the NBA, the Three-Point Contest participants at NBA All-Star Weekend will be:

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Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Buddy Hield (Indiana Pacers), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Anfernee Simons (Portland Trail Blazers), Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz), Kevin Huerter (Sacramento Kings), Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) and Damian Lillard (Blazers).

Who are the contenders?

Tatum is seventh in the NBA with 177 total made 3-pointers this campaign. The four-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 30.5 points per contest for the Boston Celtics this season.

Hield has been outstanding for the Indiana Pacers, leading all players with 224 3-pointers made. His teammate, Haliburton has been deadly from deep as well. The 22-year-old guard, who was recently named an All-Star for the first time, is a career 40.7% shooter from the 3-point area.

Markkanen, another first-time All-Star for the host Utah Jazz, is shooting a career-best 41.2% from beyond the arc. The Finnish forward is ninth in the NBA in 3-pointers made this season.

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Sacramento Kings gunner, Kevin Huerter is having a career year in terms of 3-point percentage and scoring.

Herro is the Miami Heat's leading long-distance marksman and their No. 3 scorer this season.

Rounding out the strong field is Portland's sharpshooting backcourt of Simons and Lillard. The guards have been lights out from deep this campaign and are ranked second and fourth respectively, in 3-pointers made.

This is the third time that Lillard is competing in the event after falling short in his title bids in 2014 and 2019, according to Bleacher Report.

LeBron and Giannis square off

Sports Brief recently reported on the format of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, with Team LeBron and Team Giannis locking horns this coming Saturday.

The team captains will select from the pool of players voted in as starters and reserves, with Boston’s Joe Mazzulla at the helm for Team Giannis.

Team LeBron - coached by Denver’s Michael Malone - has been unstoppable in this format, winning each of the last five editions of the All-Star Game.