Damian Lillard leaked a private conversation between him and Steph Curry on his Instagram story on Sunday. The Trail Blazers star and the Warriors ace talked about next year’s 3-point contest in their conversation.
The Blazers star messaged Curry asking about participating in next year’s tournament with some of the best shooters in the league.
Thanks for the submission!
“Next year…. Me, you, klay, book, and 4 more real shooters,” Lillard said.
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“Yessir I’m in. Know Klay will do it iif I ask and book will be at home. Perfect setup,” Curry replied.
Next year, the NBA All-Star will be held in Phoenix. Devin Booker will have the perfect stage to showcase his elite shooting skills alongside generational shooters in league history.
Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson have made a name for themselves through their shooting quips. The Warriors star is a career 42.7% shooter from the 3-point line, while Lillard and Thompson have shot 37.1% and 40.9% from the same in their career. Booker, on the other hand, has shot 35.1% from beyond the arc in his career.
Stephen Curry leads the NBA’s all-time 3-point made list, while Thompson and Lillard hold the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. James Harden is another name that can join the star-studded 3-point contest next year. The Cavs star is second on the league’s all-time 3-pointers list.
Damian Lillard wins 3-point contest while rehabbing torn Achilles
Damian Lillard is sidelined for the season because of a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in last season’s playoffs as a Milwaukee Buck. However, the Blazers star was healthy enough to participate in the 2026 NBA All-Star 3-point contest.
Lillard’s inclusion in the lineup was filled with doubt as the Blazers guard has not played a single game since his injury. However, he soon started to shut down the doubters as his shots started sinking in.
The Blazers star scored 29 points, eclipsing Devin Booker (27 points) and Kon Knueppel (17 points) in the final round to win the championship for a record-tieing third time.
“It felt like a game for me,” Lillard said in a post-contest interview. “Coming into it, I was like, I don’t know if you can compete harder at a 3-Point Shootout, but I definitely cared more. I didn’t come in, ‘Oh, it is what it is.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to win.”
Damian Lillard is expected to be fully healthy by the season’s end and return to the lineup this year.
Edited by Avi Shravan