NBA Three-Point Contest Champions and History (1986-2025)

The NBA Three-Point Contest debuted at All-Star Weekend in Dallas in 1986 and quickly became one of the league's most recognizable shooting competitions. The event challenges players to make as many three-point shots as possible within a limited time, with competitors advancing through elimination rounds until a champion is crowned.

Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird won the first three contests from 1986 through 1988, establishing an early standard for excellence. Craig Hodges matched Bird's three consecutive championships from 1990 through 1992. Other multiple-time winners include Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek, Peja Stojakovic, Jason Kapono, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard.

Over the years, the NBA has modified the contest's scoring system, including changes to money-ball placement, bonus shots and the maximum points available. For that reason, scores from different eras should not be compared without considering the rules used at the time.

Dirk Nowitzki won the contest in 2006, becoming its first seven-foot champion. Kevin Love and Karl-Anthony Towns later added victories by prominent big men, illustrating how the three-point shot has expanded beyond traditional guards and perimeter specialists.

The following table preserves the historical season-by-season results. Scores represent the championship round, not necessarily the highest score achieved during the entire competition.

The following lists preserve the contestants recorded in the original archive. Historical franchise names and season groupings have been retained, while obvious spelling and punctuation errors have been cleaned up.

Only non-NBA participant in the original archive: Rimas Kurtinaitis, who competed in 1989 while playing professionally outside the NBA.

Most appearances without winning: Danny Ainge and Reggie Miller, with five appearances each in the original records.

Most appearances in the original records: Craig Hodges, with eight.

Appearance records above reflect the historical figures supplied on this page and should be rechecked when updating career participation totals.

The following tables retain the individual round scores from the original archive. They include first-round results, championship rounds and overtime tiebreakers where applicable.

The following statistical tables preserve the historical records featured on the original page. Several categories reflect earlier scoring formats and are best understood as records within those formats, rather than universal records across every version of the contest.

1986-2013: The traditional contest featured five shooting racks and a maximum of 30 points. Standard basketballs were worth one point, while the final money ball on each rack was worth two.

2014-2019: The introduction of an all-money-ball rack increased the maximum possible score to 34 points.

2020 onward: Additional long-distance bonus shots expanded the maximum to 40 points. Later editions also introduced further changes to the timing and placement of bonus shots.

Because the scoring opportunities have changed, the highest scores from different decades do not always represent equivalent shooting performances. The historical tables above retain their original scoring contexts.

Larry Bird's three-peat (1986-1988): Bird became the event's first champion and won each of the first three contests. His victories helped establish the competition as a major All-Star Weekend attraction.

Craig Hodges' shooting streak (1991): Hodges made 19 consecutive shots during the semifinals, a remarkable demonstration of rhythm and accuracy that remains one of the contest's most celebrated achievements.

Mark Price's 1994 victory: Price scored 24 points in the final round, one of the strongest championship performances under the original 30-point system.

Jason Kapono's 2008 title: Kapono scored 25 points in New Orleans, producing one of the highest championship-round scores under the original format.

Devin Booker's 2018 championship: Booker scored 28 points in Los Angeles, setting a then-record final-round score under the 34-point format.

Karl-Anthony Towns' 2022 title: Towns scored 29 points in Cleveland, highlighting the increasingly important role of outside shooting among NBA centers and power forwards.

Damian Lillard's consecutive titles (2023-2024): Lillard won in Salt Lake City with Portland and repeated the following year in Indianapolis with Milwaukee.

Visit the NBA All-Star History Index for additional All-Star Weekend records, historical results, player appearances and special events.

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