NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge: who has won it the most times?

Steve Nash, Dwyane Wade and Damian Lillard share the record for the most wins in the NBA Skills Challenge, which this year features a revamped format.

Skills Challenge becomes four-round team contest

Held as part of All-Star Saturday Night, the 2022 Skills Challenge will involve three teams of three players, in a departure from its previous guise as an individual contest.

Each team will take part in three initial rounds, before the two teams with the best scores progress to a final stage. Rounds 1 and 2 will focus on shooting and passing, respectively, before the three teams complete a relay-format obstacle course in round 3. In the final round, half-court shots will be used to decide the winner of the Skills Challenge trophy.

The format of the Skills Challenge has evolved throughout the years. In its most recent iteration, it was a straight-knockout tournament in which individual participants went head to head on obstacle courses similar to this year’s round 3. The first to finish in each two-man match-up qualified for the next round.

The Skills Challenge's all-time leaders

Nash, Wade and Lillard have each won the Skills Challenge twice.

Two-time NBA MVP Nash came out on top for the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2010, and three-time NBA champion Wade triumphed two years in a row for the Miami Heat in 2006 and 2007.

Lillard’s first victory came in 2013, before the Portland Trail Blazers point guard teamed up with the Utah Jazz’s Trey Burke to win a relay-style Skills Challenge in 2014.

2022 Skills Challenge: who's participating?

The three teams taking part in the 2022 Skills Challenge are:

Team Rooks:

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder

Team Cavs:

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

Team Antetokounmpos:

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Alex Antetokounmpo, Raptors 905

Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

2022 Skills Challenge: exactly what each round involves

Round 1: shooting

Players will take part individually, with their two team-mates rebounding. They will take shots from five spots on the court, located between 10 and 30 feet from the basket. Shots will be worth one to five points. The score achieved by each three players will be added together, with the team achieving the highest total winning 100 ‘challenge points’.

Round 2: passing

Players will participate together. They will have 30 seconds to complete passes into moving targets located at varying distances, with successful passes worth two, four or six points. The team with the highest total points will win 100 challenge points.

Round 3: team relay

All three players on each team have to complete a timed relay course. They must first throw an outlet pass into a moving target from the baseline, before dribbling down the court through three moving pylons. They must then make a short shot in the lane, before sinking a three-point shot from the corner. Finally, they must dribble to the other end of the court and make a basket. The team with the fastest overall time will win 200 challenge points.

Final round: half-court shot

In the final round, the three players on each team must each make half-court shot. The team that records a successful shot from all its players in the shortest time will win the Skills Challenge. If there’s a tie, the round is repeated.

See also:

All-Star Saturday Night: live with AS USA

After kicking off All-Star Saturday Night at Cleveland's Rocket Mortage FieldHouse, the Skills Challenge will be followed by the 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. You'll be able to follow all the action with AS USA's live-text coverage, as Dane Arlauckas talks you through each event.