Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors talks to the media after the 3-Point Contest in the 2015 NBA All-Star in Brooklyn, New York.
Since Larry Bird’s inaugural victory at the NBA’s 1986 All-Star weekend in Dallas, the 3-Point Contest has gone through some changes and delivered some memorable moments. From the first-ever event 40 years ago to 2013, the maximum number of points a player could score was 30. In 2014, the league added one full rack of “Money Balls” that each contestant got to choose where to place on the court, increasing the possible total score from 30 to 34. Then, in 2020, two new shots from a longer distance worth three points each were introduced, making the current max score 40, and timed rounds went from 60 to 70 seconds.
Now that we’ve discussed the format, let’s take a look at our list of the five best 3-Point Contests in All-Star history. Like our top five dunk contest moments, these are listed in ascending order based on the year.
Our NBA All-Star FAQ guide gives you everything you need to know for this year’s festivities, including when and how to watch.
1988: Larry Bird completes 3-peat
‘Larry Legend’ capped an incredible three-year stretch by defeating Dale Ellis in the final round of the ‘88 Long Distance Shootout. The victory made Bird the event’s champion for the third consecutive season, following his dominant showing at the inaugural contest in 1986 and gritty performance in 1987. Boston’s superstar advanced to the finals against Ellis by pouring in 23 of a possible 30 points in the second round, but he found himself down by eight, 15-7, going into the final two racks of the championship round. Bird proceeded to clutch up at exactly the right time, sinking all five balls of the fourth rack before sinking the last three shots in the left corner rack to seal the 17-15 triumph versus Ellis, a 40.3% career marksman from behind the arc. To this day, Bird stands as one of only two players in the history of the league to win the event three times, and he did it without taking off his warm-up jacket.
1991: Craig Hodges catches fire
After securing his first 3-point title in 1990 in Miami, Hodges continued to bring the heat a year later at All-Star weekend in Charlotte. The 6-foot-2 sharpshooter set an NBA record by sinking 19 consecutive attempts during the second round of the 1991 event, where he finished with 24 points to advance to the finals. In the 34 years since his masterful performance, no other contestant has come remotely close to surpassing or even matching that number, with Stephen Curry’s 13 straight makes in 2015 a distant second. In addition to that, Hodges still stands as the only player ever to make 21 buckets in a single round, which he accomplished in ‘90 and ‘91. The following year in Orlando, the 10-year veteran went on to beat the field again, joining Bird as the only two players in the event’s history with three trophies.
2015: Curry takes first 3-point crown
As mentioned in the blurb above, ‘Chef Curry’ cooked up an incredible 3-Point Contest performance in ‘15 under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. He took down fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson in the process as well, thanks to a then All-Star record with 27 out of a possible 34 points in the final round to claim his first long-distance trophy. Steph made 13 straight buckets and 20 overall, drilling all five shots in rack four and all but the final “Money Ball” on rack five. Curry is currently one of just eight players to finish 20-for-25 in one round, and he’s the only one to do so twice (2021).
2018: Devin Booker goes lights out
Three years after Curry’s legendary sharpshooting in the finals, Phoenix’s Booker established a new All-Star record by a single point at Staples Center in Los Angeles. ‘Book’ was unconscious over the closing 60 seconds of the contest, locking in and cashing 20 out of 25 shots for a then record of 28 total points. Even more impressive was Booker’s ability to rebound following an up-and-down outing leading up to the last round. If not for the rule changes a couple of seasons later in 2020, there’s a good chance the Suns star would still be holding onto that mark today.
2021: Curry claims second crown
During the first All-Star event following the Covid pandemic, Curry and Mike Conley went toe-to-toe for one of the most epic 3-point battles in recent memory. Conley, who was drafted in 2007, was named a first-time All-Star while replacing the injured Devin Booker at the festivities in Atlanta. The two point guards traded superb shooting rounds all the way to the finals, with Curry posting a ridiculous, record-setting 31 points in the semifinals by going 9-for-10 over the last two racks. He went a pristine 5-for-5 in rack five of that round, barely moving the net on each splash. But in the championship round versus Conley, who dropped 27 out of a possible 40 after a clean sweep on his “Money Ball” rack, Chef found himself trailing by four with five attempts remaining. As time wound down on the clock, Curry, arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the sport, clutched up and went 4-for-5 to land on 28 points, defeating Conley by one single point to earn the second long-distance title of his career.
For the hoops historians out there, we have a detailed list of all the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest winners.
