NBA All Star weekend showcases the best basketball players the league has to offer, as well as showcases particular skill sets of certain players. Among these skill sets is the three point shot. The three-point shooting contest puts some of the leagues top gunners up against one another, in a round-by-round, wrist-snapping competition. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks earned the title in 2007.
Participants of the contest attempt to score as many points as possible in one minute. There are five ball racks at different spots beyond the arc, and players cannot move to the next rack without shooting all five balls on the previous rack. There is one "money ball" on each rack, which differs in color from the standard orange ball. Sinking the money ball is worth two points, while the orange balls are all worth one point. A perfect score is 30 points.
The contest was introduced to the NBA in 1986, with Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics taking away the trophy. In fact, Bird would win the competition three consecutive years before Dale Ellis of the Seattle Supersonics would earn the title in 1989.
Here is a list of year-by-year winners of the NBA Three-Point Shooting Contest:
- 1986 - Winner: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics (Location: Dallas, TX)
- 1987 - Winner: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, (Location: Seattle, WA)
- 1988 - Winner: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics (Location: Chicago, IL)
- 1989 - Winner: Dale Ellis, Seattle Supersonics (Location: Houston, TX)
- 1990 - Winner: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls (Location: Miami, FL)
- 1991 - Winner: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls (Location: Charlotte, NC)
- 1992 - Winner: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls (Location: Orlando, FL)
- 1993 - Winner: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers (Location: Salt Lake City, UT)
- 1994 - Winner: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers (Location: Minneapolis, MNN)
- 1995 - Winner: Glen Rice, Miami Heat (Location: Phoenix, AZ)
- 1996 - Winner: Tim Legler, Washington Wizards (Location: San Antonio, TX)
- 1997 - Winner: Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls (Location: Cleveland, OH)
- 1998 - Winner: Jeff Hornacek, Utah Jazz (Location: New York, NY)
- 2000 - Winner: Jeff Hornacek, Utah Jazz (Location: Oakland, CA)
- 2001 - Winner: Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks (Location: Washington D.C.)
- 2002 - Winner: Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings (Location: Philadelphia, PA)
- 2003 - Winner: Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings (Location: Atlanta, GA)
- 2004 - Winner: Voshon Lenard, Denver Nuggets (Location: Los Angeles, CA)
- 2005 - Winner: Quentin Richardson, Phoenix Suns (Location: Denver, CO)
- 2006 - Winner: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (Location: Houston, TX)
- 2007 - Winner: Jason Kapono, Miami Heat (Location: Las Vegas, NV)
In 1999, the NBA lockout made it so there was no All Star Weekend at all. Yet, the contest would continue a year later with Jeff Hornacek repeating as champion.
Sources consulted:
- "NBA Three-Point Shootout", InsideHoops.com, Accessed on 23 January, 2008.
- "Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout Tracker", NBA.com, Accessed on 23 January, 2008.
