No Ordinary Joe! Former UVA Star Harris Wins NBA 3-Point Contest

A special 2018-19 season got even better for former University of Virginia star Joe Harris Saturday evening (February 16), when he won the 2019 Mountain Dew NBA 3-Point Shooting Contest. Harris, who is showing this season why the Brooklyn Nets signed him to a 2-year, $16-milliion deal last summer, outlasted a field that featured three former 3-Point Contest champions, including last year’s winner Devin Booker, 2006 champion Dirk Nowitzki, and 2015 winner Stephen Curry.

Harris was the first shooter of the night. If there was any added pressure as a result, he didn’t show it, totaling 25 points to kick off the event. Curry, a Charlotte native, dazzled the hometown fans in Round One, making his last 10 shots on his way to a 27-point performance. Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield amassed 26 points to make the finals along with Harris and Curry.

Just as he did in Round One, Harris drained all five shots at the moneyball rack. This time he totaled 26 points, which was good enough to edge Curry by two and Hield by seven.

The ever-humble Harris had the following to say about his victory in this articlethis articlethis article on NBA.com.

“Steph is the greatest shooter of all time,” Harris said. “Shooting off the rack is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry. I don’t want anyone to get it twisted at all. For me to come in and win on my first time, it’s surreal. It’s been an honor for me to be here, for me to participate this weekend, and it’s something I’ll remember for a long time.”

Harris is in the midst of his best season as a professional since being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 33rd pick in the 2014 Draft. In this third season in Brooklyn, “Joey Buckets” is averaging a career-high 13.9 points while making a career-best 47.1% of his 3s and 50.1% of his field goals. The ascending Nets boast a 30-29 record at the all-star break and currently sit at No. 6 in the Eastern Conference Playoff standings.

Before heading to the NBA, Harris was a foundational piece in the success Virginia has enjoyed under head coach Tony Bennett. As a senior he helped the Hoos breakout on the national scene with a 30-7 record and a No. 1 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Virginia finished with a 30-7 record in Harris’ final college year, capturing the ACC regular season and postseason titles. The latter was the program’s first since 1976.

Here is some Twitter reaction to Harris’ 3-point championship …

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