By TIM REYNOLDS
Damian Lillard is apparently going to wear his Portland uniform again, in a most unexpected manner.
And he’ll have the Olympics as the television lead-in for his return.
Lillard — who has not played this season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon — will participate in the 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday, the NBA announced.
Viewers won’t have to wait long to see Lillard’s return. All-Star Saturday will lead off this year with the 3-point contest, a major change from the norm and a move that could command big ratings — with NBC’s coverage of the event immediately following broadcasts from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which the network also airs.
In other words, NBC is going from skating, sliding and skiing to shooting.
Lillard is joining 2018 3-point contest champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the field, along with Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Miami’s Norman Powell.
Steph Curry of the Warriors has not participated since 2021, when he won in Atlanta.
If Lillard wins, the Oakland native would join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the event, which will be held at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home in Inglewood, California.
Saturday night’s 3-point contest will be followed by the return of the Shooting Stars competition, then the dunk contest will close the Saturday night schedule. The skills competition is out, at least for this year.
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He’s not the first 3-point participant without a made 3-pointer in that season: In the 1989 contest, the NBA invited Rimas Kurtinaitis of Lithuania to participate. Kurtinaitis never played in the NBA.
Lillard was the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Trail Blazers and spent 11 seasons with Portland before he was traded to Milwaukee just before the 2023-24 season. Lillard won back-to-back 3-point contest titles in 2023 and 2024, before Miami’s Tyler Herro — who has missed most of this season because of injuries — won the event last season.
Herro is not in the lineup of 3-point participants this year.
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