Kyrie Irving To Participate in All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest

Kyrie Irving was named a participant in the NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest. Here’s the press release via the Cleveland Cavaliers:

CLEVELAND – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving has been named as a participant in the 2017 JBL Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, it was announced tonight by the NBA.

This will be the 15th year the Cavs have a participant in the Three-Point Contest. Irving has taken part in three shootout competitions (2013, 2014, 2015), winning the event at the 2013 All-Star Weekend in Houston. Irving along with Mark Price (1993 and 1994) are the only players in franchise history to take home first place honors in the event.

In 43 games (all starts) in 2016-17, Irving is averaging a career-high 24.2 points (13th in NBA) on .466 shooting from the field, including .395 (102-258) from the three-point line, a career-high .892 mark from the foul line, 3.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists (22nd in NBA) and 1.2 steals in 35.0 minutes per game. He is the fifth-highest scoring player in the Eastern Conference, registering at least 20 points on 34 occasions this season, including six games of 30 or more points. Irving is averaging a career-best 2.4 three-pointers made per game and has connected on 102 total triples this season (tied-20th in NBA).

The 6-3 guard has 16 games of at least three triples made and nine contests of at least four long distance shots this season. Against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 23, he nailed eight three-pointers, while also setting a season high with 49 points. Since entering the NBA in 2011-12, Irving holds a career three-point percentage of .380 and is just one of three players in Cavaliers history to connect on 600 three-pointers or more with 648 career makes from deep (LeBron James-1,050, Mark Price-802). Irving also holds the team record for three-pointers made in a single game with 11 (Jan. 28, 2015 vs. Portland).

Playing in his sixth NBA season, Irving will become just the second Cavs player to compete in the three-point contest four times, joining Price, who also competed in the event on four occasions (1988, 1990, 1993 and 1994). During All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, he will also be participating in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game alongside teammates LeBron James and Kevin Love on Sunday, February 19. Irving, who was the All-Star Game MVP the last time the event took place in New Orleans (2014), was selected as a starter and will be making his fourth All-Star appearance.

The JBL Three-Point Contest will take place during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. The other participants are Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets, Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, Wesley Matthews of the Dallas Mavericks, CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers. The event will be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET and will also be available on the Watch TNT App and on TNT Overtime.  In addition, the competition will be broadcast on ESPN Radio, with audio also available on the ESPN app.