Injured Lillard tops Knueppel, Booker to win 3-Point Contest

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who has not played this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, defeated fellow finalists Kon Knueppel and Devin Booker to claim the NBA's 3-Point Contest on Saturday.

Lillard put up a final-round score of 30 to win the event for the third time in his career. He joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to accomplish the feat.

Knueppel opened Round 2 with a 17-point showing. Booker had a chance to match Lillard's score but missed what would've been a tying shot off the front of the rim.

"I was praying on his downfall," Lillard told NBC's Zora Stephenson when asked about Booker's hot start.

Lillard's first-round score of 27 matched Knueppel's and was behind only Booker (30) in the opening phase. The trio eliminated four All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell, Jamal Murray, and Tyrese Maxey in Round 1, as well as Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis, who posted the lowest score of any competitor.

"It means a lot," Lillard said about winning the event despite not playing this season, according to reporter Mark Medina.

"Being able to get involved in some competition, feel a little bit of pressure, to do something I haven't been able to do all year. But just as a shooter, anytime you can get in this competition and win it amongst other great shooters, I think that's one of the greatest honors you can have as a shooter in this league. And then to get my third and kind of join a different group was special, too."

The 35-year-old has now won three of the last four 3-Point Contests. He missed out on the final round in 2025 by a single point to Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, who went on to win that edition of the event.

Lillard is not expected to suit up this season for the Blazers, who reacquired the franchise icon as a free agent last summer after the Bucks waived him. However, the nine-time All-Star suggested his Achilles recovery is proceeding as planned and said he intends to patiently work his way back into real action.

"I'm at the stage where I'm testing it," Lillard said Saturday, according to Medina.