2025 NBA 3-Point Contest Odds and Best Bets

The NBA’s 3-point contest is my favorite All-Star event of any sport every year. For starters, I’ve always enjoyed watching players shoot, and it just gets better as more guys improve their form and become better shooters.

Over the past few years, we’ve gotten to see Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard — three of the top five players in made threes all time — win this contest, often in spectacular fashion. I also love the format and the drama it can create. The last rack of balls can be full of must-make shots for someone hoping to make the finals or win the contest.

Luckily, the league hasn’t tinkered with the content too much. The new STARRY balls add an interesting element of being set up at a longer distance and possibly messing with someone’s rhythm. It’s must-watch TV for me, and I can’t wait for this year’s edition.

3-Point Contest Odds and Best Bets

Here are the current odds to win the 3-point contest, per FanDuel Sportsbook:

The ‘Big’ Guys

We’ve seen bigs like Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Love win this contest as well as taller wings like Joe Harris and James Jones. Shooting the ball 27 times from deep in 70 seconds is a tiring exercise for players who rely on having to jumping when they shoot. Taller players don’t need to make a big leap every time they shoot, which saves time and keeps them from getting fatigued. In this year’s contest, there is not a true big. The tallest player is 6-foot-8 Cameron Johnson, who has had a good year shooting threes, but there is a problem with him that I’ll mention in just a bit. The second tallest is Cade Cunningham, who is 6-6, and every other player is 6-5 or shorter. Cade is having a great season, and I would love to back someone of his size at +1200, but he’s just not a great shooter. Cunningham shoots 34.5% from beyond the arc and is the only player in this year’s contest who shoots less than 38% from deep. Even at such a big price, I can’t suggest you bet on Cade.

The Catch-and-Shoot Guys

There are two kinds of three-point shots. One is a catch-and-shoot attempt where a player has his feet set with their hands ready to receive the ball and shoot it. That is not how players shoot in the contest. They have to grab the ball from the rack, get set and then release. It’s a much different process, and guys who are more catch and shoot shooters tend to struggle in the 3-point contest. This year, Cameron Johnson, Norman Powell and Buddy Hield qualify for this category. All three shoot predominantly catch-and-shoot threes and see a big drop in their make percentage when having to pull up to shoot threes. Let’s cross them all off the list.

The Pull-Up Shooters

The other kind of three-point shot is a pull-up shot. That is when a player stops dribbling, quickly plants his feet and brings the ball up to shoot it. That is much more similar to the way players have to shoot in the 3-point contest and, I think, the reason that good pull up shooters have dominated this event in the past. Two-time defending champion Damian Lillard is one of the best pull-up three-point shooters in history and clearly deserving of being the favorite again. It’s probably not a bad idea to bet him to become the third player to three-peat in the three-point contest at a price of +300, but I’m not into numerology and simply can’t justify betting anyone at such a lower number in a small-sample-size event. I’m crossing Lillard off the list, and I’m also getting rid of Darius Garland. The Cleveland Cavalier shoots well on pull-up threes, but he’s only 6-1 and not someone I think deserves to be the third favorite at +550.

There are two guys who are good pull up shooters from deep and priced behind several players I have them ahead of on the odds. Tyler Herro is 6-5 and shoots almost 38% on 4.8 pull-up three-point attempts per game. That’s one of the highest numbers in the league. Herro fits the profile for a 3-point contest winner as well as anyone competing, and I’ll happily bet him to win at +750. My other bet is on a guy who is only 6-2, but at +850, I think Jalen Brunson is worth a wager. He’ll need to jump more than I’d like, but Brunson has strong legs and is used to being tired from playing under Tom Thibodeau. He’s a great pull-up shooter and is actually a more efficient shooter than Lillard, who is the same height. I’m betting on Tyler Herro and Jalen Brunson to win this year’s 3-point contest.

Bets

Tyler Herro to Win the NBA’s 3-Point Contest (+750, FanDuel)
Jalen Brunson to Win the NBA’s 3-Point Contest (+850, FanDuel)