It was supposed to be a case of deja vu for the Phoenix Suns’ backcourt combo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker at the NBA’s All-Star Saturday competitions on Sunday.
But unfortunately for Booker, a mild left knee sprain sustained in Thursday night’s 120-98 win over the Golden State Warriors has ruled him out for the festivities.
He is listed as day-to-day and will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. will replace Booker in both the All-Star Game and three-point contest.
Paul will be still part of the pregame festivities, though, as he aims to show off his shooting, dribbling and passing abilities in the NBA Skills Challenge.
Here’s a look at the pair’s highs and lows from the contests in years past:
Chris Paul
Paul has appeared in four NBA skills contests. He participated in his first two seasons as an NBA player with the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans).
In 2006, Paul finished behind Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who won the contest by completing the contest in 26.1 seconds.
A year later, Paul was once again one-upped by Wade, who is one of three NBA players to ever win the competition more than once.
Paul’s third and final appearance in the contest occurred in 2011, when he went viral online after missing a layup during the opening portion of the event.
The 2011 edition of the skills contest saw Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry clinch his first title in the event, finishing the course in 28.2 seconds.
Fast-forward a decade and the 35-year-old Paul is still on the prowl to bring a skills contest crown to the Valley.
If he does, he’ll join Steve Nash as the only member of the franchise to do so, with Nash winning the contest in 2005 and 2010.
The Suns guard will be joined in the competition by Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Portland’s Robert Covington, New York’s Julius Randle, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic in this year’s skills contest.
Devin Booker
(Photo by Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Booker would have been looking to clinch his second three-point contest crown, having previously done so in 2018.
The sixth-year pro first appeared in the event in 2016, when Warriors guard Klay Thompson won it all.
It would’ve been the fourth straight three-point contest for the 24-year-old. After winning it in 2018, Booker also advanced to the finals in 2019 and was second last year to Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield.
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