The JBL Three-Point Contest is one of the most entertaining and anticipated events of All-Star Weekend. And even though it started a bit slow, ultimately, this year’s competition didn’t disappoint.
On Saturday night, reigning champion Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, was up against some of the best long-range shooters in the league, including 2016’s champ Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. The other six competitors were Wizards’ Bradley Beal, Thunder’s Paul George, Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, Suns’ Devin Booker, the Heat’s Wayne Ellington, and Clippers’ Tobias Harris. Though the participating athletes have collectively knocked down 1,233 three-pointers within the first half of the 2017-18 NBA season, the first round was, well, a little disappointing.
None of the players were able to score more than 20 points in the initial go-around. The three to advance were Harris with 18 points, and Thompson and Booker with 19 points each.
The final round also got off to an uninspiring start, with Harris finishing with one point less than his first try. But then Booker stepped up and lit up the court.
The Suns shooting guard hit 20 out his 30 attempted shots and walked away with a record 28 points. (Thompson failed to surpass that number, racking up only 25 points.)
Booker is the first Phoenix Suns player to win the contest since Quentin Richardson in 2005.
You can check out his championship round performance below.
“It feels really good. Obviously, you know, it’s a tough bunch right here, really good shooters, some of the best shooters in that have ever played the game,” Booker said after accepting his trophy. “I wanted to go out there and make a name for myself. I ended up coming out with the win.”
