NBA All-Star Game announces 3-point shooting contest lineup

The lineup for the 3-point shooting contest is set for the NBA All-Star Game and it is headlined by the Splash Brothers and Kyle Lowry.

The NBA has announced its lineup for the 3-point shooting contest. With the dunk contest seemingly getting worse every year – although Zach LaVine brought it back last year – the 3-point shootout is starting to overtake it as the most anticipated skills challenge event. It also helps that arguably the best shooter of all time is playing right now. And, to the surprise of nobody, they’re part of the 3-point shooting lineup which is made up of seven contestants:

Rounding out the contestants are Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Chris Bosh, J.J. Redick, Khris Middleton, and Devin Booker. For Booker, making the 3-point contest in his rookie year is nothing short of impressive. The Wildcat has lived up to his billing so far, making 41.8% of his 3 pointers this season. Middleton is another pleasant surprise. The Bucks aren’t having the best of seasons so far, but it’s nice to see Khris Middleton get recognition for his success this season – so far, he’s hit 41.2% of his 3-pointers.

With mainstays like the Splash Brothers and James Harden, it’s nice to see a breath of fresh air in Booker and Middleton. Let’s hope we see him in the contest for years to come. In fact, of the contestants, Harden is the one with the worst 3-point percentage at 34.9%. However, he’s a recognizable name and he’ll show up on All-Star Weekend – provided that he draws a foul on someone and attempts a four-point play.

J.J. Redick is having a career season so far behind the line, having made 48.2% of his shots. It’s a shame that he’s in the same conference as Golden State who are constantly overshadowing his ridiculous stats.

While it makes sense for the All-Star Game to send a home team representative, it’s pretty surprising that they chose Kyle Lowry. He’s never been known as a prolific shooter, and he’s not even the best 3-point shooter on his own team – Luis Scola has the highest percentage at 42.5 while Terrence Ross is more of a pure shooter. However, Lowry is still having a great season from beyond the arc and is the best player on the Raptors, so he’s kind of there by default.

While the Toronto crowd will no doubt be pulling for Lowry, and pulling against Chris Bosh, it’s hard to see anyone but Steph Curry walking away the winner of this contest. After all, he nearly broke the record for most 3-pointers in a game when he hit 11 – and 9 out of 10 in the first quarter – against the Wizards. It’s Curry’s world and we’re all just living in it.