What’s the record for highest score in the NBA 3-point shootout?

The 73rd NBA All-Star Game will be the marquee event of NBA's All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, but the festivities and events surrounding the game often produce the most memorable moments.

The modern NBA has been defined by perimeter shooting, with stars such as Steph Curry dazzling the league from distance. Naturally, one of the weekend's highlights is the 3-point contest.

The evolution of the NBA 3-point contest

Originally introduced in 1986, the 3-point contest featured the league's best deep-range marksmen shooting five basketballs from five racks positioned around the 3-point arc. Each player was restricted by a 60-second time limit and the maximum score was 30 points.

As the league transitioned to 3-point shooting, the contest underwent some innovation. In 2014, a rack consisting of only 2-point "money balls" replaced one of the five racks, bringing the maximum possible score up to 34 points. In 2020, two additional shots, worth three points each, were placed at the top of the key and the time limit was increased to 70 seconds, bringing the maximum score up to 40.

Three players with the top score in the qualifying round advance to the final round. In the case of a tie, additional rounds are played to determine a winner.

Curry holds the record for most 3-pointers made in an NBA career (3,390) and the highest three-point contest score in NBA history. Still, he falls short of New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu, who scored a record-breaking 37 points in the final round of the 2023 WNBA 3-Point Contest. She missed just two shots during the entire run.

Here are some of the best 3-point contest performances in NBA history.

Best NBA All-Star three-point contest performances

Most shots made:

Highest score: