Day 2 of the NBA All-Star Weekend was expected to be exciting; however, no one expected Damian Lillard to put on a show, let alone take home the prize. The Portland Trail Blazers guard beat Charlotte Hornets rookie guard Kon Knueppel and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker in the final round with a score of 29. This is the same Lillard who hasn’t played a single minute since tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs last season.

The veteran beat Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Bobby Portis Jr, Jamal Murray, and Norman Powell in the first round. With this win, Lillard ties Craig Hodges and Larry Bird as the only players to win the three-point contest three times in their careers. He was on fire the whole time, even knocking down seven of his final ten attempts in the first round. Booker then gave him a tough matchup in the final round, starting out hot but falling by two points.

“That’s all I do it for, keep adding to my legacy,” Lillard said after winning the competition. “You just got to let the ball fly, trust your instincts as a shooter, and you can’t get ruffled when someone else gets hot.”

Lillard revealed that his participation in the event “started off as a joke” behind the scenes. However, once an actual spot opened up in the three-point contest, there was no looking back.

Fans celebrate Damian Lillard’s comeback performance amid an underwhelming All-Star Weekend

Damian Lillard‘s win easily became one of the defining moments of this year’s All-Star Weekend.

“DAME vs. BOOK. ABSOLUTE CINEMA.”

Many zeroed in on the showdown between Booker and Lillard, calling it one of the most entertaining head-to-head battles the contest has seen in years. The Blazers star’s 29 points in the final round tonight were a career-high for him. He scored 26 points both in 2023 and 2024. Booker missing his last three shots did nothing but raise the stakes and the drama of the event even more, especially after a reported poor turnout yesterday.

Another section of the fans focused on the Blazers guard’s resilience.

“What a comeback for him, congrats,” an observer wrote.

“Congrats to the 🐐, Damian Lillard. Incredible performance 🔥,” another fan commented.

Coming off a major Achilles injury, following immediately after a case of Deep Vein Thrombosis, expectations were tempered. Instead, Lillard delivered under pressure, reminding fans that despite his long absence, he’s still one of the greatest shooters the league has ever seen.

Importantly, though, Lillard treated today like an actual contest, and he intended to compete the hardest from the get-go.

“I didn’t come in like, ‘Oh, it is what it is.’ It was like, ‘I’m trying to win,'” Lillard told reporters.

For another segment of fans, the night was bigger than just the player.

“The NBA needed this moment…..Dame always been my second favorite behind LeBron,” a fan wrote.

The Slam Dunk contest failed to impress, mirroring the underwhelming turnout from the previous day. It didn’t receive the appreciation that Adam Silver and the management would’ve anticipated. Despite Keshad Johnson running away with the title, fans criticized the dunk event’s relevance after a scary accident. Los Angeles Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes’ mistimed first dunk only made the viewing experience gloomier.

Finally, for many fans, the moment was simply about nostalgia.

“Dame in that Portland jersey is unstoppable WOW,” a fan commented.

Seeing Lillard thrive on the court in the same jersey that he made his name in after his latest stint in Milwaukee just reminded fans of his prime years. In a weekend filled with debate, this was one moment everyone could rally behind.