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Karl-Anthony Towns Wins 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

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Karl-Anthony Towns defeated Luke Kennard and Trae Young to become the first center to win the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest.

• Winner MTN DEW 3-Point Match: Karl-Anthony Towns

CLEVELAND — A great victory for great men? Karl-Anthony Towns certainly challenged the stereotypes as the Timberwolves center won the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest in record fashion, becoming one of the tallest players to do so at six feet.

He also did it in crushing style, beating guards Trae Young, whose range extends to midcourt, and Luke Kennard, one of the game’s most efficient long-range shooters.

Towns scored 29 points in the final to beat Kennard by three. Neither Kennard nor Young had a chance to tie or beat Towns with their final shot. He became the longest winner since Dirk Nowitzki’s 7-0 in 2006 and the first center to do so.

Towns has declared himself “the best shooting big man of all time” and said Saturday’s win is “a nice thing to put on my resume”.

“I’m super happy to win,” he said. “I have such high standards for myself. No one can be stricter on my game than me. I didn’t come here to compete. I came here to win.”

Towns has been shooting 41% from the depth and 39.6% for his career this season. He said he had been “begging the NBA” to participate for years and was motivated when the call finally came to become a contestant in Cleveland.

Towns said he was an underdog in the game “because I’m a big one” and was eager to make a statement.

“This is for all the tall kids who were told they can only succeed if they play with their backs to the basket,” he said.

— Shaun Powell, NBA.com

2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Match Recap

Karl-Anthony Towns becomes a rare big man and the first true center to win the 3-point match.

MTN DEW 3-Point Competition Entrants

• CJ McCollumNew Orleans Pelicans
Trae YoungAtlanta Hawks
• Zach LaVineChicago Bulls
• Desmond BaneMemphis Grizzlies
• Karl-Anthony CitiesMinnesota Timberwolves
• Fred Van VleetToronto Raptors
• Luke KennardLA Clippers
• Patty MillsBrooklyn nets

About the 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

NEW YORK – NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks headlined the 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest, which will take place on Saturday, February 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting match also includes guard Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, guard Luke Kennard of the LA Clippers, guard CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers, and guard Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets.

The MTN DEW 3-Point Contest is part of state farm All Star Saturday Nightwhich also includes: AT&T Slam Dunk and the Taco Bell Skills Challenge† All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET.

A first MTN DEW This year the 3-Point Contest champion will be crowned. LaVine, a two-time AT&T Slam Dunk champion, will appear in the MTN DEW for the third time in a row 3-point match. Young will participate for the second time. Bane, Mills, Towns and VanVleet are first-time participants, as are Ohio’s Kennard and McCollum.

Get a closer look at the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest field

The MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will once again feature THE DEW ZONE,™ two deep shot locations equidistant between the traditional racks at the top of the 3-point arc and the adjacent “wing” rack. Each of the two ball feet in THE DEW ZONE is located six feet behind the three-point line and carries a special green ball, the “3-Ball”. Shots made with the green ball are worth three points.

In addition to THE DEW ZONE, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will feature five main shooting locations: four racks containing four official NBA game balls (worth one point each) and one multicolored “money ball” (worth two points), and one special rack containing all money balls. Each participant can place the rack with all the money balls on one of the five main shooting locations. Each ball on this rack is worth two points.

Each contestant has 70 seconds (1:10) to shoot as many 27 balls as possible, with a maximum score of 40 points in a round. The three contestants with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. The player with the highest score in the championship round wins the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest. Click here for a full explanation of the rules and a schedule of the shooting locations.

MTN DEW 3-Point Match Winners

  • 1986 – Larry Bird, Boston
  • 1987 – Larry Bird, Boston
  • 1988 – Larry Bird, Boston
  • 1989 – Dale Ellis, Seattle
  • 1990 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
  • 1991 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
  • 1992 – Craig Hodges, Chicago
  • 1993 – Mark Price, Cleveland
  • 1994 – Mark Price, Cleveland
  • 1995 – Glen Rice, Miami
  • 1996 – Tim Legler, Washington
  • 1997 – Steve Kerr, Chicago
  • 1998 – Jeff Horacek, Utah
  • 2000 – Jeff Horacek, Utah
  • 2001 – Ray Allen, Milwaukee
  • 2002 – Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento
  • 2003 – Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento
  • 2004 – Voshon Lenard, Denver
  • 2005 – Quentin Richardson, Phoenix
  • 2006 – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
  • 2007 – Jason Kapono, Miami
  • 2008 – Jason Kapono, Toronto
  • 2009 – Daequan Cook, Miami
  • 2010 – Paul Pierce, Boston
  • 2011 – James Jones, Miami
  • 2012 – Kevin Love, Minnesota
  • 2013 – Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
  • 2014 – Marco Belinelli, San Antonio
  • 2015 – Stephen Curry, Golden State
  • 2016 – Klay Thompson, Golden State
  • 2017 – Eric Gordon, Houston
  • 2018 – Devin Booker, Phoenix
  • 2019 – Joe Harris, Brooklyn
  • 2020 – Buddy Held, Sacramento
  • 2021 – Stephen Curry, Golden State
  • 2022 – Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota