Well before the Internet and streaming video made NBA highlights instantly available around the world, a basketball-obsessed kid in Northern Italy memorized the rare clips he came across.
Marco Belinelli remembered highlights of Larry Bird winning the first three NBA All-Star Three-Point Contests, and began to dream it would be him in the competition someday.
His dream came true last year, when Belinelli became the first Italian to win the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest. Like Bird once did, Belinelli hoped to defend his title on Saturday at the Barclays Center. But no shooter was going to be a match for Golden State’s Steph Curry.
Shooting last in the first round, Belinelli needed a score of 23 points to advance. But he finished with 18.
Curry won the title this time, scoring 27 points in the final round in what many called the deepest field the Three-Point Contest has ever had.
“It’s a game,” Belinelli said. “Steph was really hot, he deserved to win this. It’s an honor to be here, to represent the San Antonio Spurs and represent Italy, and I want to say thank you to all the people who were supporting me from all over the world.”
Wearing customized sneakers in the Red, White and Green of the Italian flag, Belinelli also had the words “Family First” inscribed in the shoes. He was introduced as the first Italian-born player to win the NBA title, as five Italian reporters flew to America for the contest and it was aired live at 4 a.m. in Belinelli’s home country.
Belinelli was attempting to be the seventh player to repeat as 3-point shootout champion, and the first since Jason Kapono in 2007-08.
He made his first of the 25 shots in the minute-long round and his first two double-point “money ball” shots, but didn’t have the same hot streak that helped him win last year’s 3-point contest.
“I was the last one, so I was a little bit nervous and a little bit cool,” he said.
Belinelli recognized that Saturday’s field was a loaded one, featuring shooters such as Atlanta’s Kyle Korver, Golden State’s “Splash Brothers,” Klay Thompson and Curry, Houston’s James Harden and Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving.
It didn’t take long for Belinelli to turn his attention back to the second half of the season. He’s headed to Los Angeles on Sunday, where the Rodeo Road Trip will resume against the Clippers on Thursday.
“It was good to try to win another contest,” Belinelli said. “But now we have something more important with the regular season.”