A season-ending injury usually means a quiet All-Star break for an NBA player. For Damian Lillard, it means something very different. While a ruptured Achilles has sidelined the Portland Trail Blazers star for the remainder of the season, Lillard won’t be completely absent from All-Star weekend. The nine-time All-Star revealed that he will still take part in the festivities—just not in the way fans might normally expect.

Despite not being able to suit up in an actual game, Lillard has accepted a special invitation to compete during the weekend’s three-point shooting contest, ensuring his presence will still be felt on one of the league’s biggest stages.

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.

The veteran guard is deep into his rehabilitation and is not expected to return to NBA action until the start of the 2026–27 season. Yet his willingness to participate shows both his competitive spirit and his ongoing connection to the game, even while recovering.

Lillard will be stepping into a field filled with some of the league’s most dangerous shooters, creating an intriguing dynamic: an injured superstar going up against players who are in midseason rhythm.

For Dame, the event carries more than just entertainment value. He will be chasing history, aiming to secure his third career title in the competition. Achieving that feat would place him alongside legends such as Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, who together dominated the early years of the event by winning six of the first seven contests in NBA history.

Lillard suffered an Achilles tendon tear last season during the playoffs while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Indiana Pacers. Following a trade back to Portland, he began his rehabilitation process.

Currently feeling strong enough to participate in the three-point contest, he shared a health update during his appearance on 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, maybe two or three months, are 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 won the contest.

Lillard next featured in 2019, where he lost the crown to former Brooklyn Nets star Joe Harris. Lillard took some time off, 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 could be Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker, whereas Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, a sharpshooter from Duke and the youngest candidate in this year’s contest, could also be a problem for Lillard.