NBA Announces Three-Point Shootout Contestants

My main man Dorell Wright, the league’s leader in threes made (124), will be there!  Paul Pierce will be back to defend his title, and his teammate Ray Allen, who won the contest in ’01 and is just two threes away from taking the all-time lead in long-range makes, will be there as well.  Via InsideHoops…

Reigning champion Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Ray Allen of the Celtics and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Jones of the Miami Heat, and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors. Allen won the contest in 2001.

Pierce bested the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in last year’s contest, scoring 20 points in the final round to capture the title. Jeff Hornacek, Jason Kapono, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic each won two titles; Larry Bird and Craig Hodges captured three straight.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star 2011 commemorative red, white and blue “money ball” worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of first-round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

The NBA 3-Point Shootout Contest will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will also feature the Shooting Stars; Slam Dunk; and Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from Staples Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and will be broadcast in more than 40 languages.

Following is a list of the year-by-year NBA three-point shooting contest winners:

NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT CONTEST WINNERS HISTORY

1986 – Larry Bird, Boston
1987 – Larry Bird, Boston
1988 – Larry Bird, Boston
1989 – Dale Ellis, Seattle
1990 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
1991 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
1992 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
1993 – Mark Price, Cleveland
1994 – Mark Price, Cleveland
1995 – Glen Rice, Miami
1996 – Tim Legler, Washington
1997 – Steve Kerr, Chicago
1998 – Jeff Hornacek, Utah
2000 – Jeff Hornacek, Utah
2001 – Ray Allen, Milwaukee
2002 – Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento
2003 – Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento
2004 – Voshon Lenard, Denver
2005 – Quentin Richardson, Phoenix
2006 – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
2007 – Jason Kapono, Miami
2008 – Jason Kapono, Toronto
2009 – Daequan Cook, Miami
2010 – Paul Pierce, Boston

Link.

I’ll be pulling hard for Dorell, but the favorite has to be none other than Jesus Shuttlesworth.  Not only is Ray shooting the highest percentage of all of the contestants, he’s gunning the long ball at a career-high 46.4 percent this season.  Overall, it’s a pretty strong field this year… five of six players involved are shooting over 40 percent, the only guy not doing so being Kevin Durant, who is at just under 35 percent. I’m cool with KD’s inclusion, though, as I understand the importance of getting some big names involved. 

Notable snubs: Shawne Williams, who leads the league in three-point percentage at 50.6 percent, will not be included. Neither will Matt Bonner, the NBA’s second leading three-point gunner.