All-Star Saturday: Kings guard Buddy Hield lights up night to win NBA 3-Point Contest
Kings guard Buddy Hield put on a dazzling shooting display Saturday night at the United Center in Chicago to win the 3-Point Contest, one of the marquee events at NBA All-Star Weekend.
Hield put up 27 points in the final round to beat Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Davis Bertans of the Washington Wizards. Hield made seven of his last eight shots to edge Booker, who posted a score of 26. Bertans finished third with 22 points in the final round.
“First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to come out here and perform in Chicago on this All-Star Weekend,” Hield told TNT. “That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Hield grew up in the Bahamas, one of seven children raised by a single mother who worked 14-hour days as a housekeeper to provide for her children. His mother wouldn’t let him go to the park to play basketball because of gang and drug activity in the Pinedale neighborhood of Eight Mile Rock. Instead, Hield learned to shoot outside his grandmother’s home using a makeshift hoop constructed from a piece of plywood and a plastic crate.
“I do it for the people back home,” Hield told reporters in Chicago. “I do it for me and my family. Thank God I have the ability to do that. People back home, they enjoy this more than I do. Being from the Bahamas and getting to represent them, it means the world to them. I do it on the highest level that I can and be the role model for the kids down there to show them, if I can do it … anything is possible.”
Hield dedicated his win to victims of Hurricane Dorian, the Category 5 hurricane that hit the Bahamas in September. The storm caused $3.4 billion in damage, killing 70 people and leaving 282 others still reported missing.
“Hurricane Dorian, people in the Bahamas and people that lost their homes, people that lost lives, I dedicated it to them because, like I say, I represent my country to the fullest,” Hield said. “When I say that, I really mean it because, without my upbringing, I’m nothing.”
The 3-Point Contest is a popular staple of All-Star Saturday Night, which also includes a skills competition and the slam dunk contest. Eight players competed in a two-round, timed shooting competition. The field included Hield, Booker, Bertans, defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat and Devonte’ Graham of the Charlotte Hornets.
Hield led the field in 3-point goals with 207. He ranked fourth among all contestants in 3-point shooting at 38.5 percent going into the contest, but he shot 49 percent from beyond the arc in the 10 games leading up to All-Star Weekend.
The 3-point shootout features five racks of five balls located in the corners, on the wings and at the top of the arc. Four of those racks contain four balls worth one point apiece and one “money” ball worth two points. The fifth rack, which each participant can place at any of the traditional rack locations, consists of five “money” balls. In addition to the traditional racks, this year’s competition also featured two additional shots located six feet behind the 3-point line. Those shots were worth three points apiece.
Contestants had 70 seconds to accumulate as many points as possible. Players with the three highest scores in the first round advanced to the finals.
Hield and Booker both scored 27 points in the opening round. Bertans had 26.
Booker made all five shots on his second and third racks, sank his second 3-point ball and made three of five on his money rack to finish with 26 points, putting the pressure on Hield to put up another big score.
Hield missed three of his first five shots in the finals, but then he got hot. He made all five shots on his second rack, four on his third rack, three on his fourth rack and four of five on his money rack to win the competition on his final shot.
Hield skipped across the floor at the United Center after sinking his final shot, pumping his fists and flashing that familiar smile. He chest-bumped Young and hugged Booker as the crowd buzzed with excitement. After being presented with the 3-Point Contest trophy, Hield exchanged a handshake and a hug with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive.
The only other Kings player to win the 3-Point Contest was Peja Stojakovic, who captured back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. Hield finished third in last year’s 3-Point Contest.
Hield broke Stojakovic’s single-season team record with 278 3-point goals in 2018-19. He became the first player in NBA history to make 600 3-point goals in his first three NBA seasons.
Last weekend, on a night when he made 9 of 10 from 3-point range against the San Antonio Spurs, Hield sank his 800th 3-pointer in the 296th game of his career, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to reach that milestone. Hield surpassed Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who did it in 305 games.
Hield has already made 207 3-pointers in 54 games this season. He is on pace for 314 3-point goals, which would shatter the franchise record he set last season.
Hield said he has always dreamed of winning the 3-Point Contest.
“It felt great,” Hield said. “As a shooter, this is on your bucket list. You have to come in, and you want to win a 3-point shootout. When (you have) a stacked field like this, it makes it even more better. Pressure is on and you’ve got to show up.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2020 at 6:49 PM.
