NBA 3-Point Contest 2015: Participant List, Historical Records and More
The NBA is currently loaded with sharpshooters who excel from long range, which is why the 2015 All-Star weekend Three-Point Contest could prove to be one of the greatest of all time.
Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will take center stage as they get set to represent a team that shoots a league-best 39 percent from beyond the arc. While they may be the co-favorites in this event, they will have plenty of competition as well.
Some of the greatest players in NBA history have Three-Point Contest titles on their resumes, and there is no doubt that both Splash Brothers would love to add that to their respective trophy cases.
Anticipation for this event is as high as ever thanks to the star power it will contain. What follows is a rundown of everything you need to know about the 2015 Three-Point Contest and the history of the event.
List of Participants
| Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers | East |
| Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | West |
| Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors | West |
| Marco Belinelli | San Antonio Spurs | West |
| Wesley Matthews | Portland Trail Blazers | West |
| J.J. Redick | Los Angeles Clippers | West |
| James Harden | Houston Rockets | West |
| Kyle Korver | Atlanta Hawks | East |
Start Time: Saturday, Feb. 14, at 8:30 p.m. ET (third event of night)
TV: TNT
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Live Stream: TNT Overtime
Mobile: NBA Game Time
Rules
The NBA Three-Point Contest is arguably the most exciting competition of All-Star weekend, but there aren't many frills in terms of the rules.
The league described the format in a press release Thursday:
"In the two-round competition, five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four of the racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multi-colored "money" ball (worth two points). The fifth rack will be a special "all money ball" rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack will be worth two points. The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.
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The three finalists will run through the same course again, and whoever wins that head-to-head-to-head battle will be crowned champion.
All-Time Three-Point Contest Winners
| 2014 | Marco Belinelli, San Antonio |
| 2013 | Kyrie Irving, Cleveland |
| 2012 | Kevin Love, Minnesota |
| 2011 | James Jones, Miami |
| 2010 | Paul Pierce, Boston |
| 2009 | Daequan Cook, Miami |
| 2008 | Jason Kapono, Toronto |
| 2007 | Jason Kapono, Miami |
| 2006 | Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas |
| 2005 | Quentin Richardson, Phoenix |
| 2004 | Voshon Lenard, Denver |
| 2003 | Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento |
| 2002 | Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento |
| 2001 | Ray Allen, Milwaukee |
| 2000 | Jeff Hornacek, Utah |
| 1998 | Jeff Hornacek, Utah |
| 1997 | Steve Kerr, Chicago |
| 1996 | Tim Legler, Washington |
| 1995 | Glen Rice, Miami |
| 1994 | Mark Price, Cleveland |
| 1993 | Mark Price, Cleveland |
| 1992 | Craig Hodges, Chicago |
| 1991 | Craig Hodges, Chicago |
| 1990 | Craig Hodges, Chicago |
| 1989 | Dale Ellis, Seattle |
| 1988 | Larry Bird, Boston |
| 1987 | Larry Bird, Boston |
| 1986 | Larry Bird, Boston |
Greatest Three-Point Contest Performers
Larry Bird
Several great shooters have managed to win the Three-Point Contest on multiple occasions, but Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird was the first to three-peat. He conquered the event the first three times it was held in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Bird was especially impressive in the inaugural event, nailing 11 straight shots at one point. That incredible consistency made him difficult to beat.
As seen in this photo courtesy of 2015 NBA All-Star on Twitter, he had the long-range shooting stroke down pat:
An argument can be made in favor of Bird being the single greatest pure shooter in the history of the NBA, and his prowess in the Three-Point Contest certainly helps his cause.
Tim Legler
Although Tim Legler won the Three-Point Contest only once, he left an indelible mark on the competition in 1996.
The sweet-shooting point guard was triumphant as a member of the Washington Bullets, as seen in this photo courtesy of SI Vault on Twitter:
Legler also happened to set some records in the process, most notably his three-round aggregate of 65, which was four better than Craig Hodges' previous record of 61 set in 1991.
That record is safe for now thanks to the contest's different format, but shooters would be hard-pressed to surpass it even if it were still a three-round event.
Legler had at least 20 points in all three rounds of the 1996 Three-Point Contest, and he shot over 52 percent from downtown during the 1995-96 regular season. All told, that was one of the greatest three-point shooting years in NBA history, and it is one of the main highlights of Legs' 10-year career.
Peja Stojakovic
Despite being a three-time All-Star and a career 40 percent three-point shooter, Peja Stojakovic was one of the most underrated players of his era.
He was a huge reason for the Sacramento Kings' success, and he made a major impact on the Three-Point Contest when he won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. Stojakovic is one of six players to have accomplished that feat, but few looked smoother doing so, as seen in this photo, courtesy of the Kings' Instagram account:
Stojakovic is 10th on the all-time list with 1,760 three-point field goals made, and he led the league with an incredible 240 in 2003-04.
It isn't always easy for great in-game shooters to transfer that success to the Three-Point Contest. Stojakovic did it with the greatest of ease, though, which is why he'll always be viewed as one of the league's elite long-range shooters.
Prediction
With so many excellent shooters in this year's event, it wouldn't be surprising to see any of the eight participants emerge victorious.
As Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin notes, the 2015 Three-Point Contest is a who's who of the NBA's best long-range bombers:
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle believes fans will be in for a treat regardless of who comes out on top:
Curry certainly sounds motivated, via Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks will be tough to beat with his league-best 53.2 percent three-point shooting, but this seems like the type of event in which the Warriors stars will shine brightest.
It's particularly difficult to dismiss Thompson, who's shooting 44.6 percent from deep on the season and has already drilled 145 triples.
He is an exciting, flashy and competitive player, and all of those attributes will help lead him to the first Three-Point Contest title of his burgeoning career.
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