I remember settling into my couch last February with that particular anticipation only NBA All-Star Weekend can bring. As someone who's analyzed shooting mechanics for over a decade, I've always considered the Three-Point Contest the purest test of shooting artistry in basketball. The 2022 edition delivered one of the most dramatic finishes I've witnessed, with Karl-Anthony Towns making history as the first center to ever claim the three-point crown. What many forget is how close we came to witnessing a very different outcome - Towns actually needed to survive a tiebreaker in the first round just to advance to the finals.
The final round came down to Towns against Luke Kennard and Trae Young, with Towns posting a spectacular 29 points in the championship round. I still get chills remembering his final rack - he needed to make four of his last five shots to surpass Kennard's score, and the big man drained them with ice in his veins. His victory wasn't just impressive - it was revolutionary. For seven feet tall to dominate what's traditionally been a guards' competition signals how the game continues to evolve. The percentage of three-point attempts by centers has increased by roughly 47% over the past five seasons alone, and Towns represents the culmination of that trend.
What struck me most about that night was the sheer relief when Towns completed his final rack without incident. We'd all watched Stephen Curry's awkward fall during the 2020 contest that left him with a tailbone injury, and there's always that underlying tension when players compete outside their regular element. To everyone's relief, Towns walked away from the incident unhurt as he was able to finish the game and celebrate properly with his Minnesota teammates. This matters more than casual fans might realize - star players risking injury in what's essentially an exhibition always gives front offices heart palpitations.
The statistics from that contest still fascinate me. Towns made 22 of 30 shots in the final round, which translates to a ridiculous 73.3% accuracy under extreme pressure. Compare that to the NBA's regular season three-point percentage leader, which typically hovers around 43-45%, and you appreciate how extraordinary these performances are. Personally, I believe the three-point contest has surpassed the dunk contest in pure entertainment value - the tension builds progressively rather than coming in sporadic bursts, and the skill level has become consistently elite.
Looking back, Towns' victory wasn't just about one night - it symbolized basketball's ongoing positionless revolution. When a center can outshoot the league's best guards from beyond the arc, it fundamentally changes how teams must construct their defenses. The ripple effects were visible throughout the 2022 playoffs, where we saw big men like Al Horford and Bam Adebayo stretching defenses in ways that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. For my money, the 2022 Three-Point Contest will be remembered as the moment the basketball world fully embraced that no position is exempt from shooting excellence.
