Top Five NBA All-Star Game Three Point Contests Of All Time

All-Star Saturday Night has given us plenty of unforgettable moments, including the skill and drama of the 3-Point Contest, which, over the last few years, has taken over as the must-see event of the evening. Here are the five performances that defined the competition.

5. Karl-Anthony Towns (2022)

The big man revolution hit its peak when Towns became the first center (and third big man) to win the competition. He torched the field, recording 29 points in the final round, besting a pair of 26-point efforts by Luke Kennard and Trae Young, proving that in the modern NBA, positions don't matter if you can shoot the ball. As the self-proclaimed best shooting big man of all time, Towns more than lived up to the label, at least on this night. 

4. Devin Booker (2018)

Booker was unconscious during the final round of Saturday night’s contest at LA’s Staples Center in 2018, draining 20 out of 25 shots for a then-record 28 total points. What made it special was how he rebounded from an up-and-down outing, including a 19-point first round, to catch fire when the light shone the brightest. If not for the rule changes a couple of seasons later, in 2020, with the addition of two extra “Logo Balls” that offer an opportunity for six extra points, there's a good chance the Suns star would still be holding that record today. 

3. Craig Hodges (1991)

Still the most untouchable record in contest history. In the 34 years since Hodges' masterful performance in Charlotte, no other contestant has come remotely close to surpassing Hodges' 19 straight single-point buckets, with Stephen Curry's 13 straight makes in 2015 a distant second. The second of his three straight contest titles, joining Larry Bird as the only two players to win three trophies (both won three straight), Hodges posted the high scores in all three rounds, including an event-high 24 in the second round. 

2. Steph Curry vs. Mike Conley (2021)

During the first All-Star event following the COVID pandemic, Curry and Utah Jazz guard 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. Curry outscored Conley 31–⁠28 in the first round before pulling off a one-point 28–⁠27 victory in the final round, with Jayson Tatum finishing a distant third. 

1. Larry Bird (1988)

Before the evening's festivities, Bird famously walked into the locker room and asked the rest of the three-point competitors, "Who's coming in second?" The victory made Bird the event's champion for the third consecutive event, cementing his legacy as one of only two players to ever three-peat. Bird, shooting in his warm-up jacket throughout the night, advanced to the finals against Dale 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, sinking all five balls of the fourth rack before sinking the last three shots in the left corner rack to seal the 17–⁠15 victory, famously walking away with his index finger in the air before the money ball rattled.