Damian Lillard continues to be on the sidelines as he is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and there’s no scope of him featuring this season. However, the fans will get to see Dame featuring in next week’s All-Star festivities as the 9-time All-Star was invited for the three-point contest. The Portland Trail Blazers point guard will feature in the contest alongside Devin Booker, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Bobby Portis Jr., and Norman Powell.

This announcement suggests that the veteran guard is on course to return to the court in due time. He is currently going through rehabilitation and will start afresh from the 2026-27 season. It will be interesting to see how Lillard performs in the contest against players who have been actively playing this season. He will be eyeing his third three-point contest title, aiming to join legends like Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as they collectively won six of the first seven three-point titles in NBA history.

Lillard tore his Achilles tendon last season during the playoffs while he was featuring for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Indiana Pacers. He eventually got traded back to Portland and started his rehab. He is getting better and will return to court at the beginning of next season. For now, he is feeling well enough to compete in the three-point contest. He also provided an update on his health during his appearance at the Road Trippin Show. “It’s going great,” Lillard said, per NBC Sports. “I think it’s just one of those injuries where you’ve got to take your time—you know, it takes what it takes. The first couple of weeks to maybe two or three months is kind of frustrating because you’re so limited. But with patience, giving yourself grace, and doing the things necessary to continue progressing, you get to a point where you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Damian Lillard is chasing history in next week’s All-Star three-point contest

On his return to Portland, he immediately signed a three-year contract. He has spent his first 11 seasons in the NBA with the Blazers, securing seven All-Star selections. Lillard’s participation in the Three-point contest definitely suggests that the 35-year-old is progressing well and is gradually returning to his best physical shape.

However, for now, his focus will be on winning the Three-Point contest. This contest goes a long way with the Blazers guard as he has already featured five times in this event across his illustrious NBA career, thrice in the last three years. He first featured in the event back in 2014 as a second-year player alongside Arron Afflalo, Bradley Beal, Marco Belinelli, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Joe Johnson, and Kevin Love. Belinelli took away the crown.

Lillard next featured in 2019, where he lost the crown to former Brooklyn Nets star Joe Harris. Lillard took some time off and returned to the event in 2023 and won the first title, beating the likes of  Jason Tatum, Buddy Hield, Tyler Herro, Kevin Huerter, Julius Randle, Tyrese Haliburton, and Lauri Markkanen. He repeated the feat in 2024 and became only the fifth player in NBA history to secure back-to-back three-point contest titles.

This time, his prime competition among the list could be Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker, whereas Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is the youngest member on the list. The former Duke product is a sharpshooter and is the youngest candidate in the contest this year. He could be a problem for Lillard as he has been draining three-pointers throughout the season.