More than two years after he first took the title, Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek will defend his championship.
Three-point shooting championship, that is.Hornacek, winner of the AT&T 3-Point Shootout during the 1998 NBA All-Star Weekend, is among a field of eight chosen to compete in the long-distance contest during this season's All-State Game festivities at The Arena in Oakland.
His competition, according to a lineup released by the NBA on Tuesday, will be Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Hubert Davis, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Terry Porter and Bob Sura.
Hornacek, who defeated Davis in a final-round shoot-off to claim the shooting title in '92, has played in one NBA All-Star Game. Hornacek represented the Phoenix Suns at the 1992 affair in Orlando, where he hit 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points in 24 minutes of action.
Playing now in what he says will be final NBA season, the 14-season vet currently leads the league in free-throw shooting percentage. He has hit 96-of-100 this season, including a streak of 67 in row (from Nov. 12 through Jan. 6) that is the sixth-longest known streak in NBA history.
Hornacek, the Jazz's third-leading scorer behind Karl Malone and Bryon Russell, has hit 20-of-53 from 3-point range this season, a .377 clip not nearly good enough to rank
among the current league leaders. He hit his only try from behind the line in the Jazz's last game, a 112-75 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night at the Delta Center.
The Jazz, who play host to Minnesota on Wednesday night before heading out on a two-game road trip to Vancouver and Sacramento, have two top candidates to make the Western Conference All-Star team as reserves, two-time NBA MVP Malone and John Stockton, the league's all-time assists leader.
Malone ranked fifth among forwards and Stockton sixth among guards in last week's Western Conference voting update, and neither is expected to earn a starting position for the Feb. 13 game in Oakland.
The 3-point contest will be held Feb. 12, as part of NBA All-Star 3000 Saturday Night activities highlighted by the return of the Slam Dunk Championship. The 49th NBA All-Star Game, televised by NBC, tips off at 4 p.m. the next day.
Hornacek did not practice Tuesday with the Jazz, and was unavailable for immediate comment. He made a visit to the doctor's office, instead, for an examination of his sore back. His status for Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves remains uncertain.