The lights at the Chase Center in San Francisco aren't just bright; they’re blinding. It's February 2025. You can smell the popcorn and the expensive floor wax. But mostly, you can feel the tension because the NBA Three Point Contest 2025 is no longer just a side show to the dunk contest. It is the main event. Honestly, the dunk contest has been on life support for years, but the long-ball shootout? It's peaking.
Stephen Curry is home. That's the big one.
When the NBA announced that All-Star Weekend would return to the Bay Area, everyone knew the stakes for the shooting competition would skyrocket. We aren't just watching guys in jerseys throw up prayers. We're watching the most mathematically efficient era of basketball reach its fever pitch in the very arena where the "Splash Brothers" legacy was cemented.
The Curry vs. Ionescu Shadow over the NBA Three Point Contest 2025
Remember last year? Sabrina Ionescu almost stole the entire weekend in Indianapolis. That crossover event changed the gravity of the Saturday night lineup. For the NBA Three Point Contest 2025, the league didn't just try to replicate that magic; they leaned into the "Challenge" culture.
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It's weird how much a single rack of balls can make a grown man sweat. You’ve got Damian Lillard—the back-to-back champ coming into this cycle—looking to solidify himself as the greatest contest shooter ever. People forget that winning three in a row is nearly impossible. The fatigue hits your legs by the fourth rack. Your triceps start to scream.
The Starry Range balls—those deep shots from 29 feet 9 inches—are the ultimate equalizer now. You can be a 40% shooter from the corner and still look like an amateur when you're forced to heave from the logo.
Who actually showed up?
The roster for this year's shootout reflects a shift in how the league views the shot. We’re seeing more "movement shooters" than ever before. It's not just the specialists who sit in the corner waiting for a kick-out pass. We're talking about guys like Tyrese Haliburton, who has that funky, chest-level release that shouldn't work but somehow splashes every single time.
Then there’s the rookie factor. Sometimes a young guy comes in with absolutely zero scar tissue. They don't care about the history of the Chase Center or the fact that they're shooting against legends. They just let it fly.
Why the "Starry" Balls Changed the Math
The introduction of the two deep-shot pedestals changed the strategy entirely. Before, you just ran around the arc and hoped your rhythm stayed consistent. Now, you have to decide: do I rush the regular racks to ensure I have time for the 3-point money balls, or do I take my time?
If you miss both deep shots, you’ve basically handed the trophy to the next guy.
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In the NBA Three Point Contest 2025, the "Money Ball" rack placement has become a psychological game. Most players put it in the final corner. They bet on their muscle memory to carry them through when their lungs are burning. But some, the real gamblers, put it at the top of the key. They want to rack up points early to demoralize the person sitting on the sidelines.
It's brutal.
The Bay Area Factor and Home Court "Disadvantage"
There is a specific kind of pressure that comes with shooting in your own building. Steph knows it. Brandin Podziemski knows it. The fans expect every single shot to ripple the nylon. When a hometown hero misses the first three shots of the first rack, the silence in the arena is heavy. It's suffocating.
The rims at Chase Center are notoriously "true." They aren't soft like the ones you find in some older arenas. If you're off by a fraction of an inch, the ball isn't rattling in. It's clanking off the back iron and flying halfway to half-court.
The Underdogs Nobody Noticed
Everyone talks about Dame and Steph. But what about the guys from the "small" markets? The shooters from Utah or Indiana who lead the league in percentage but don't get the shoe deals?
They usually win.
Historically, the guys who aren't playing in the actual All-Star Game on Sunday tend to perform better on Saturday. Why? Because they aren't tired. They haven't been doing media loops for 48 hours straight. They stayed in their hotel, got a lift in, and came to the arena with one job: shoot 25 balls in 70 seconds.
Technical Breakdown: The Science of the 70-Second Rack
Let’s get nerdy for a second. To finish all five racks plus the two deep shots, a player has to release a ball roughly every 2.5 seconds.
That includes the transit time between stations.
If you spend 3 seconds on a shot, you won't finish. We’ve seen it dozens of times—a player is on a heater, they’ve made 18 shots, and they reach the final money ball rack only to have the buzzer sound while the ball is still in their hands. It’s heartbreaking.
The most successful participants in the NBA Three Point Contest 2025 are the ones who have mastered the "flick." They aren't using their legs for power anymore by the third rack. It's all wrist. It's all about that high release point and the backspin that makes the ball die when it hits the rim.
What the Critics Get Wrong
People say the three-point contest is boring because "everyone shoots threes now."
They’re wrong.
The fact that everyone shoots them makes this harder. In the 90s, if you could hit 38% of your shots, you were a god. Now, that’s the league average. The margin for error has shrunk to nearly zero. You can't have a "bad" rack and still win. If you post a 19 in the first round, you’re going home. You need 26, 27, maybe even 30 to feel safe.
Actionable Takeaways for Watching the Tape
If you're looking back at the footage or betting on future shootouts, watch the feet.
- Lead foot consistency: The best shooters never change their stance, even when sprinting between racks.
- The "Dip": Watch if a player dips the ball below their waist before shooting. It adds power but wastes precious milliseconds.
- Deep Shot Arc: The players who flatten out their shot on the 30-footers almost always miss. You need the "moon ball" trajectory to give the ball a chance to drop vertically into the cylinder.
The NBA Three Point Contest 2025 proved that the jump shot is the most important skill in modern sports. It’s not about height or 40-inch verticals anymore. It’s about who can maintain perfect mechanics while their heart rate is 160 beats per minute and 18,000 people are screaming for a miss.
To improve your own shot based on what we saw in San Francisco, focus on the transition from your catch to your release. The contest isn't won on the make; it's won on the rhythm of the pick-up. Minimize the motion. Keep the ball high. Trust the glass if you have to, though almost nobody does in this format.
Next time you’re at the gym, try the "Minute Drill." 25 shots, five spots, 60 seconds. You’ll realize very quickly that these NBA guys aren't just talented—they're conditioned at a level that seems almost superhuman.