2022 All-Star

Karl-Anthony Towns triumphs in 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

Minnesota's All-Star center shows off his versatility with a winning performance in All-Star weekend's long-range showcase.

Updated on September 21, 2022 7:37 PM

Karl-Anthony Towns bests Luke Kennard and Trae Young, becoming the first center to win the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest.

• MTN DEW 3-Point Contest Winner: Karl-Anthony Towns

CLEVELAND — A big win for big men? Karl-Anthony Towns certainly challenged the stereotypes when the Timberwolves center won the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest in record fashion, becoming one of the tallest players to do so at 6-foot-11.

He also did it in smashing style by beating guards Trae Young, whose range extends to midcourt, and Luke Kennard, one of the game’s most efficient long-distance shooters.

Towns scored 29 points in the final to surpass Kennard by three. Neither Kennard or Young had a chance to tie or beat Towns with their final shot. He became the tallest winner since 7-0 Dirk Nowitzki in 2006 and the first center to do so.

Towns is on record proclaiming himself “the best-shooting big man of all time” and said Saturday’s win is “a nice thing to put on my resume.”

“I’m super happy to win,” he said. “I have such high standards for myself. Nobody can be harsher on my game than me. I didn’t come here to compete. I came here to win.”

I told ya…

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) February 20, 2022

Towns is shooting 41% from deep this season and 39.6% for his career. He said he’d been “begging the NBA for years” to participate and was motivated when the call finally came to be a contestant in Cleveland.

Towns said he was an underdog in the contest “because I’m a big” and was anxious to make a statement.

“This is for all the tall kids who were told they can’t succeed unless they play with their back to the basket,” he said.

— Shaun Powell, NBA.com

2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest Recap

Karl-Anthony Towns becomes rare big man and first true center to win 3-Point Contest.

MTN DEW 3-Point Contest participants

• CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
• Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
• Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
• Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
• Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
• Luke Kennard, LA Clippers
• Patty Mills, Brooklyn Nets

About the 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest

NEW YORK – NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks headline the 2022 MTN DEW^® 3-Point Contest, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting competition also features guard Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, guard Luke Kennard of the LA Clippers, guard CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers and guard Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets.

The MTN DEW^® 3-Point Contest is part of State Farm^® All-Star Saturday Night, which also includes AT&T Slam Dunk and the Taco Bell^® Skills Challenge. All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET.

A first-time MTN DEW^® 3-Point Contest champion will be crowned this year. LaVine, a two-time AT&T Slam Dunk champion, will make his third consecutive appearance in the MTN DEW^® 3-Point Contest. Young will compete for the second time. Bane, Mills, Towns and VanVleet are first-time participants, as are Ohio natives Kennard and McCollum.

Closer look at the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest field

The MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will again feature THE DEW ZONE,^™ two deep shot locations positioned equidistant between the traditional racks at the top of the 3-point arc and the adjacent “wing” rack. Each of the two ball pedestals in THE DEW ZONE is located 6 feet behind the 3-point line and holds one special green ball, the “3-Ball.” Shots made with the green ball are worth three points.

🌟 The 2022 #MtnDew3PT field! 🌟@DBane0625 @LukeKennard5 @ZachLaVine @CJMcCollum @Patty_Mills @KarlTowns @FredVanVleet @TheTraeYoung #StateFarmSaturday: Feb 19, TNT pic.twitter.com/LgJidMkrUu

— NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2022

In addition to THE DEW ZONE, the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will have five main shooting locations: four racks containing four official NBA game balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points), and one special rack with all money balls. Each participant can place the rack with all money balls at any of the five main shooting locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points.

Each competitor will have 70 seconds (1:10) to shoot as many as the 27 balls as he can, with a maximum possible score of 40 points in a round. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round will advance to the championship round. The player with the highest score in the championship round will win the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest. Click here for a complete explanation of the rules and a diagram showing the shooting locations.

MTN DEW 3-Point Contest Winners