Damian Lillard hits game-winner to send Shaq’s OGs to All-Star final

After the competition in the locker room, Damian Lillard stated that it was the last time we’ve seen him competing in the 3-Point contest. “Came up short tonight. Congrats to Tyler Herro, it’s all good. This will be my last one, I’m retiring, officially retiring,” Lillard announced his retirement from the competition. -via BasketNews / February 16, 2025

There is no three-peat for two-time 3-point king Damian Lillard. The Milwaukee Bucks guard failed to make it out of the first round on Saturday as Buddy Hield, Tyler Herro and Darius Garland made it to the finals out of a field of eight participants. There, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro took home the crown, with a final-round score of 24 edge fellow finalist Buddy Hield, who finished with 23 points in front of his hometown Golden State crowd. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland finished in third place. -via Yahoo! Sports / February 15, 2025

“When I was 10 years old, my dad used to get on my ass, like, ‘You’ve gotta shoot off [of] your fingertips! You shooting a knuckleball!’” Lillard said on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and The Three” podcast. “He’s the only other person I’ve ever seen shoot like that. It was so awkward, but he’d do it worse than me; literally just flicking the ball.” As a half measure, Lillard altered his form a bit to what it is now: the jump shot vying for a third straight 3-point contest title. “I would just roll it off [my fingers],” said Lillard, the seven-time All-NBA selection who won All-Star Game MVP honors last season. “And once you get a certain amount of reps, [you] don’t even really feel it anymore.” -via ESPN / February 15, 2025