All-Star 2026 | Lillard wins three-point contest with a torn Achilles; Johnson takes dunk contest

Although he has not played any games this season with the Portland Trail Blazers while completing his recovery from an Achilles tendon rupture, Damian Lillard once again showed that his shooting touch remains intact by winning the three-point contest at the NBA All-Star 2026 for the third time in the last four years.

The point guard scored 29 points in the final round, surpassing Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker and Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, in a competition that turned out to be the highlight of Saturday night.

"I came with confidence, I'm fresh," Lillard explained after his victory. "I don't have to play 35 or 40 minutes. Being out this year has given me energy. I came out excited to do it."

With this triumph, Lillard joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in history with three titles in the competition, which has been held since 1986.

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A victory with a special flavor

Lillard, 35, suffered a left Achilles tendon rupture during the April playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks and was successfully operated on in May. After being released by Milwaukee through the stretch provision, he signed a three-year, $42 million contract to return to Portland, the franchise that drafted him and where he played his first 11 seasons.

He is only the second player to compete in the three-point contest while recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture, after Voshon Lenard, who won the contest in 2004 with the Denver Nuggets.

The invitation, as Lillard recounted, arose almost as a joke during a conversation about his plans for the All-Star game, until a spot finally opened up.

"I told them, 'If you need someone to shoot, I'm available.' And when they confirmed that there was a spot, I didn't hesitate."

Booker falls just short

Booker had led the first round with 30 points, while Lillard and Knueppel advanced with 27. In the final, Knueppel scored 17, Lillard exploded with 29, and Booker closed with 27 after missing his last three shots from the money ball rack.

"That's going to hurt for a while," admitted Booker.

For Lillard, the victory also symbolizes the progress of his recovery, much like the recent return to contact training by Jayson Tatum, another All-Star who suffered the same injury.

"It's not the injury it used to be," said Lillard. "It's something you can recover from and feel whole again."

Keshad Johnson shines in the dunk contest

The night concluded with the dunk contest, where Miami Heat small forward Keshad Johnson took the title after defeating San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant in the final round.

Bryant executed the only perfect 50-point dunk of the evening with an alley-oop from out of bounds and a between-the-legs finish, but missed his last attempt. Johnson sealed the victory with a reverse dunk from the baseline after bouncing the ball and passing it between his legs.

"Dunking is an art," explained Johnson. "Everyone puts their own twist on something that maybe someone else has already done. I just go out and do my thing."

Thus, the All-Star Saturday left Lillard as the three-point king once again and Johnson as the aerial sensation of the night.