NEW YORK – Defending champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and former champions Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks will participate in the 2019 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 33^rd 3-Point Contest, with first-time title partner MTN DEW, is part of State Farm^® All-Star Saturday Night, which also features the Taco Bell^® Skills Challenge and AT&T Slam Dunk.  All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET.  NBA All-Star 2019 will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets.

Expanding to 10 players this year, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest field includes 2019 NBA All-Stars Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets as well as Seth Curry of the Portland Trail Blazers, Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors, Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings.

The two-round competition features:

• Two winners of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award and the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (Stephen Curry and Nowitzki)
• Five 2019 NBA All-Stars (Stephen Curry, Lillard, Middleton, Nowitzki and Walker)
• The two players who have made the most three-pointers in an NBA Finals series (No. 1 Stephen Curry and No. 2 Green)
• Four of the current top five in three-point field goal percentage this season (Seth Curry, Stephen Curry, Harris and Hield)
• Three of the current top five in three-pointers made this season (Stephen Curry, Hield and Walker).

Here is a closer look at the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest participants:

• Devin Booker, Suns (3^rd appearance): In addition to winning last year’s 3-Point Contest with a record 28-point final round, Booker reached the final round of the 2016 event as a rookie. On Jan. 24, the 22-year-old guard became the fifth-youngest player in NBA history to score 5,000 career points.

• Seth Curry, Trail Blazers (1^st appearance): In his first season with Portland, the younger Curry brother is shooting an NBA-high 48.5 percent from three-point range. Seth, who attended Charlotte Christian School and finished his college career at Duke, was an NBA G League All-Star in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

• Stephen Curry, Warriors (6^th appearance): An NBA All-Star Game starter for the sixth consecutive year, the two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player ranks third on the all-time list for three-pointers made (2,344). With 215 three-pointers this season, he has become the first player in NBA history to make at least 200 threes in seven straight seasons. Stephen starred at Charlotte Christian School and Davidson College near Charlotte.

• Danny Green, Raptors (1^st appearance): Green, who is shooting 42.0 percent from three-point range this season, shares the record for most three-pointers made without a miss in an NBA Finals game (five). He played four years at the University of North Carolina and won a national championship in the 2008-09 season.

• Joe Harris, Nets (1^st appearance): A full-time NBA starter for the first time in his five seasons, Harris ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (45.3) while averaging a career-high 13.3 points.

• Buddy Hield, Kings (1^st appearance): The Bahamian guard ranks third in the NBA in three-point field percentage (45.9) and fourth in three-pointers made (183) while averaging a career-high 20.4 points in his third season.

• Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (2^nd appearance): Lillard has made a three-pointer in 60 consecutive regular-season games, the longest active streak in the NBA. An NBA All-Star for the fourth time, Lillard set a Portland team record with 10 three-pointers against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 28.

• Khris Middleton, Bucks (2^nd appearance): The first-time NBA All-Star is averaging a career-high 2.3 three-pointers made per game. He is the first player to play in the NBA G League before becoming an NBA All-Star.

• Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (6^th appearance): This marks the first 3-Point Contest appearance in 11 years for Nowitzki, who made his event debut in 2000 and was crowned champion in 2006. He ranks 11^th on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list (1,935). Playing his record-tying 21^st NBA season, Nowitzki was selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to play in the 2019 All-Star Game as a special roster addition.

• Kemba Walker, Hornets (2^nd appearance): Walker has made the fifth-most three-pointers in the NBA this season (165). The Hornets’ franchise leader in points and three-pointers made has been selected to his third All-Star Game in a row and named a starter for the first time.

2019 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest Rules
The MTN DEW 3-Point Contest is a two-round, timed competition.  Five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc.  Four racks contain four NBA regulation balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points).  The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five locations.  Every ball on this rack is worth two points.

The players have one minute to shoot as many of the 25 balls as they can.  The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.  The player with the highest score in the championship round is the winner.  Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.

Below is the roster for the 2019 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest and a list of previous winners.

About MTN DEW
MOUNTAIN DEW^®, a product of PepsiCo North America Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, MOUNTAIN DEW exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to the original MOUNTAIN DEW and DIET MOUNTAIN DEW^®, the permanent DEW^® product line includes MTN DEW ICE™, MTN DEW^® KICKSTART™, MOUNTAIN DEW CODE RED^®, MOUNTAIN DEW PITCH BLACK^®, MOUNTAIN DEW VOLTAGE^®, MOUNTAIN DEW WHITE OUT^® and MTN DEW^® Label Series. For more information, check out mountaindew.com, facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on Twitter @mountaindew.

About State Farm^®
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its nearly 19,000 agents and approximately 65,000 employees serve approximately 83 million policies and accounts – approximately 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and approximately 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2018 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

About NBA All-Star 2019
NBA All-Star 2019 in Charlotte, N.C., will bring together the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.  The 68^th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Spectrum Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 17^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 34^th year of NBA All-Star coverage.  Spectrum Center will also host MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 15 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 16.  The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles and NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day will take place at Bojangles’ Coliseum.