Damian Lillard Delighted After Winning Epic 3 Point Contest After Outlasting Buddy Hield

• Damian Lillard won his first 3-point contest at the 2023 NBA All-Star event
• Lillard won it in dramatic fashion, beating Indiana Pacers' Buddy Hield with his final shot
• The 32-year-old is also the first player in Portland Trail Blazers history to win the contest

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was ecstatic after winning his first 3-point contest at the All-Star event. By doing so, he became the first Blazers player to win the contest.

The veteran point guard went neck and neck with Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield but emerged victorious with his final shot.

The 32-year-old, who will also play in the 2023 All-Star Game, beat some elite sharpshooters in the championship round. He beat Pacers teammates Hield and Tyrese Haliburton in the final round.

Wearing his Wener State jersey, he scored 26 points in the first round, enough to take him to the final. Jayson Tatum (20 points), Julius Randle (13), Kevin Huerter (8), Tyler Herro (18) and Lauri Markkanen (20) were all eliminated in the first round.

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Hield went first in the final round, scoring 25 points; therefore, Lillard needed to score 26 to win the whole thing.

The Blazers sharpshooter made 10 of his first 16 shots but needed to finish strong. Heading into the final rack, the 7x All-Star needed to make at least four threes, including his money ball shot worth two points.

He missed the first shot but made the final four to get 26 points, beating Hield's total, according to USA Today.

Lillard reacts to winning the contest

Lillard went into the contest with one goal.

"I think this was a goal of mine [to win] because I think, as a shooter, anytime you come into a competition like this, you want to win it. I had done it two times before this, and I didn't take it seriously enough. As a shooter, I wanted to win at least one time before I was done playing, and that's why I took this one a little more serious," via ESPN.

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The point guard is one of the best players in the league this season. He's averaging 31.4 points, the fourth-best in the NBA. He is still looking for his first league title.

Lillard becomes Blazers' all-time scorer

Sports Brief earlier reported on Lillard becoming Blazers' all-time scoring leader in December 2022.

Lillard passed Blazers great Clyde Drexler, who played for the Blazers between 1983 and 1995 and scored 18,040 points in 867 games.

Lillard is hoping to bring the NBA title to Portland, and given how the current season is going; they have a way to go to be considered contenders.