Darron Cummings, Associated Press<\/p>\n
Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard watches his shot during the 3-point contest at NBA basketball All-Star weekend Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
Damian Lillard is apparently going to wear his Portland uniform again this season, in a most unexpected manner.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019ll have the Olympics as the television lead-in for his return.<\/p>\n
Lillard \u2014 the all-time Weber State great who has not played this season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon \u2014 will participate in the 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday, the NBA announced.<\/p>\n
Viewers won\u2019t have to wait long to see Lillard\u2019s return. All-Star Saturday (on Feb. 14) will lead off this year with the 3-point contest, a major change from the norm and a move that could command big ratings \u2014 with NBC\u2019s coverage of the event immediately following broadcasts from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which the network also airs.<\/p>\n
In other words, NBC is going from skating, sliding and skiing to shooting.<\/p>\n
Lillard is joining 2018 3-point contest champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the field, along with Charlotte\u2019s Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia\u2019s Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland\u2019s Donovan Mitchell, Denver\u2019s Jamal Murray, Milwaukee\u2019s Bobby Portis Jr. and Miami\u2019s Norman Powell.<\/p>\n
If Lillard wins, he would join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the event, which will be held at the Los Angeles Clippers\u2019 home in Inglewood, California.<\/p>\n
Saturday night\u2019s 3-point contest will be followed by the return of the Shooting Stars competition, then the dunk contest will close the Saturday night schedule. The skills competition is out, at least for this year.<\/p>\n
It would be Lillard\u2019s first time playing \u2014 or at least shooting \u2014 in front of fans since he rejoined Portland going into this season. Lillard got hurt last spring while a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, who wound up waiving-and-stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract to make him a free agent and give him the opportunity to re-sign with his original NBA club.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not the first 3-point participant without a made 3-pointer in that season: In the 1989 contest, the NBA invited Rimas Kurtinaitis of Lithuania to participate. Kurtinaitis never played in the NBA.<\/p>\n
Lillard was the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Trail Blazers and spent 11 seasons with Portland before he was traded to Milwaukee just before the 2023-24 season. Lillard won back-to-back 3-point contest titles in 2023 and 2024, before Miami\u2019s Tyler Herro \u2014 who has missed most of this season because of injuries \u2014 won the event last season.<\/p>\n
Herro is not in the lineup of 3-point participants this year.<\/p>\n