Damian Lillard won the 2026 3-Point Contest by taking down Devin Booker and Kon Knueppel in the final round — Lillard's third all-time victory in the event, which ties him for the most all-time with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges. The Portland Trail Blazers guard's return to competition came Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles during All-Star Weekend, and it was nothing short of spectacular. He delivered, putting up 27 points in the first round then 29 in the final round to take down Devin Booker.
What makes this win even more remarkable is that Lillard has been sidelined since April 2025, when he tore his left Achilles in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. While he isn't on track to play in games at any point this season after undergoing surgery May 2 to repair a torn left Achilles tendon, Lillard is thus far moving along in his rehab program as anticipated and evidently made enough progress for the Trail Blazers to sign off on him taking part in All-Star festivities. The 35-year-old hasn't played a single game for Portland this season, yet he showed up when it mattered most.
Lillard's dominance in the 3-point contest is legendary. His 2,804 career threes are the fifth most in NBA history, and he's hit them at an impressive 37.1 percent clip. Fellow All-Star competitor Bobby Portis and the rest of the field didn't stand a chance against Dame's sharpshooting magic. Lillard, even with his performance in the 3-Point Contest, is not expected to return this season. His focus remains on a full recovery heading into next season, but for one electric night, he reminded everyone why he's one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.