Despite not playing a single minute this season, Damian Lillard was still able to make headlines on Sunday after winning the 2026 State Farm 3-Point Contest for the third time in his career.
After sustaining a torn Achilles in April 2025 during the first round of the NBA playoffs, Lillard has since been waived by the Milwaukee Bucks and returned to the Portland Trail Blazers, albeit without suiting up for a single game this season.
With 13 seasons of experience under his belt, the 6-foot-3 guard bested Phoenix’s Devin Booker in the final round, 29-27, to seal the victory.
“That’s all I do it for, to keep adding to my legacy… I was given the opportunity and I came out and took advantage of it,” Lillard said.
Logo Lillard Joins Elite Company
With the victory, Dame has now won his third shootout trophy in his last four tries, as he also claimed the 3-point crown in 2023 and 2024.
Lillard’s opponents in this year’s shootout included snipers who have torched opponents from deep for years: Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Bobby Portis Jr., and Norman Powell. The sharpshooting Kon Knueppel was the lone rookie in the field.
With the win, Lillard etched his name in the history books as he joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in NBA history to have been crowned the 3-point king three times in their careers.
Dame Isn’t Done Yet
Having already solidified his case as one of basketball’s greatest shooters, Lillard now has his sights set on the top of the State Farm 3-Point Contest mountain, as he aims to win his fourth 3-point crown, which would make him the only player in history to do so.
In a conversation with former Bucks teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lillard was told about his place in NBA history, to which he replied about a possible return in 2027.
“I’m gonna do it again. Got to,” Lillard said.
With rookies such as Knueppel rising as long-range threats, and with Steph Curry still shooting the lights out in his twilight years, only next season will tell if Dame Time will rise to the occasion once again.
