Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will return to defend his crown at the NBA's Three-Point Contest.
On Thursday, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com shared the full list of contenders who will challenge the defending champion during All-Star Weekend as well as their three-point totals for the 2016-17 season:
| Player | 3-Pointers | 3-Point Percentage |
| Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets | 170 of 440 | 38.6% |
| Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers | 102 of 258 | 39.5% |
| Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors | 162 of 379 | 42.7% |
| Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks | 129 of 339 | 38.1% |
| C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers | 127 of 300 | 42.3% |
| Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors | 149 of 370 | 40.3% |
| Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets | 135 of 336 | 40.2% |
| Nick Young, Los Angeles Lakers | 128 of 302 | 42.4% |
The contest will take place Feb. 18 as part of All-Star Saturday in New Orleans. The NBA passed along a look at the field:
The list is almost as notable for who isn't on it. Two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry is not in the field despite leading the league with 4.1 made threes per game. The Warriors guard, whose name is synonymous with the three-pointer, beat Thompson in the 2015 contest.
Elsewhere, Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter won't be present even with a league-leading 46.2 percent mark from downtown. Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick is fourth in the league at 43.6 percent but isn't on the list, either.
Thompson is the main attraction in the field, especially after he tied Curry's final-round record with 27 points in last year's Three-Point Contest. NBA.com noted Thompson's inclusion means this will be the fifth consecutive season in which a Warriors player has participated in the event (Curry from 2013 to 2016 and Thompson from 2015 to 2017).
It won't just be the Thompson show, though.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving will look to dethrone the Warriors guard in a different fashion after hitting the winning three in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Irving, who participated in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 contests, took home the title in 2013 in Houston.
He is Thompson's primary challenger from a championship pedigree, considering there is no three-point crown between Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Wesley Matthews, Nick Young, C.J. McCollum and Eric Gordon.
There will be plenty of talent on display, though. Walker and Lowry will join Irving and Thompson in the All-Star Game, which means the defending champion will have his work cut out for him as he looks to state his case as the league's best three-point shooter.
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