Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

NBA All-Star Weekend throwback: Michael Jordan’s Three-Point Contest

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 6:59 PM ET

Michael Jordan is often regarded as the greatest player in NBA history. He’s also one of the greatest dunkers in history. MJ famously won two Slam Dunk Contests.

Fans know this about Jordan. What most don’t know is that MJ once participated in the Three-Point Contest and it didn’t go so well…

A rough night in Miami

It was All-Star Saturday night in Miami. This was in 1990 and Jordan was slated to participate in the Three-Point Contest. The format that year had two players competing at each basket simultaneously.

Jordan drew his Chicago Bulls teammate Craig Hodges, one of the league’s best pure shooters.

The results were brutal. Hodges scored 20 points in the first round. Jordan managed just five points, which remains the lowest score in a single round of the Three-Point Contest to this day.

Jordan was eliminated after the opening round. It was a quiet, humbling exit for the league’s biggest star. Hodges went on to win the contest, and Jordan cheered for his teammate from the sidelines, even though the loss clearly bothered him inside.

Jordan never entered the Three-Point Contest again. The very next season, he began his run of six championships and six Finals MVPs.

What stands out most about the 1990 moment is not the failure itself, but Jordan’s willingness to compete in an event where he was not the favorite. He refused to let his reputation hold him back.

As Jordan later said during his Hall of Fame speech: “Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion.”

Jordan wasn’t afraid to fail, and that’s what made him great.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: