Lillard returns to win record-tying third 3-point shootout

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Damian Lillard has not participated in any games this season for the Portland Trail Blazers as he recovers from an Achilles injury, but when he took the court for Saturday’s All-Star 3-point shootout, it was classic Dame Time.

Lillard clinched the title with a final-round score of 29, surpassing Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, marking his third victory in the last four years.

Lillard joined the ranks of Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to win the event three times since it began in 1986.

The 35-year-old Lillard sustained a torn left Achilles during Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers in April and successfully underwent surgery in May. Milwaukee released him using the stretch provision in July, after which he signed a three-year, $42 million contract to return to Portland, the team that drafted him and where he spent his first 11 years.

“That’s all I do it for, keep adding to my legacy,” Lillard expressed regarding his motivation to compete in the contest.

He is the second athlete to compete in this event while recovering from a torn Achilles, following Denver Nuggets guard Voshon Lenard, who won the 3-point contest in 2004 and defended his title in Denver in 2005 while recuperating from an Achilles injury sustained on opening night.