Paul Pierce puts a new spin on the All-Star Weekend 3-point contest

Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce offered an idea for how the NBA could change its 3-point contest at this year’s All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. After Pierce criticized the Atlanta Hawks’ return of Trae Young in their trade with the Washington Wizards, he suggested the association should spice up its annual 3-point contest.

Pearce says the current players should be approved former 3-point contest champion to team up with, and face off in groups of two, he said, along with Kevin Garnett, per KG Certified.

“I’d like the current guys who are in the three-point competition, whoever they’re announcing, to team up with the former champions who are retired,” Pierce said, prompting Garnett to ask if the contestant picks the former three-point champion or if it’s out of their hands.

“You can choose your OG,” Pierce replied. “Well, like, some of the former winners like myself, Ray Allen, Stojakovic, pair him with Steph, and then they both shoot at the same time and combine the score and see which team wins.

Paul Pierce says he would pair up with Dame Lillard, who of course is currently injured. But it’s a new twist to this year’s 3-point contest and boosts Pierce’s chances of re-entering the contest he won against Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry in 2010.

Paul Pierce criticizes Hawks trade of Tree Young to Wizards

Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce doesn’t hold back in his moves in the NBA, including the 3-point contest on All-Star Weekend, and the recent changes, which didn’t change when the Hawks pulled the trigger on sending Trae Young to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

While Pierce doesn’t think the Hawks maximized their return in trading Young to the Wizards, he is not surprised move, he said, by no given fouls.

“I’m never shocked by what the Atlanta Hawks are doing, as a middling franchise, as a franchise that’s not respected as an organization because of the ownership,” Pierce said. “They never do anything that surprises me.”

Paul Pierce breaks down the Hawks, calls them a “mediocre franchise” and says they’ll never win a championship in his lifetime — adding that if they do, they’ll be crawling from Los Angeles to New York on their knees 😳

(🎥 @NFGShov / https://t.co/gpKKMfKBZK) pic.twitter.com/Is8uOki9c5

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 9, 2026

Only time will tell how much the Hawks will improve as a team after their emergency trade with the Wizards.