Bahamian professional basketball player ‘Buddy Hield’ Misses NBA All-Star three-point title

By Sherrica Thompson

Staff Writer

#USA, February 24, 2023 – Bahamian professional basketball player Chavano Hield, known to fans as “Buddy Hield” missed a big title on Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Utah when he finished in second place in the NBA three-point shooting contest as part of the NBA All-Star weekend.

Hield and NBA teammate Tyrese Haliburton from Indiana Pacers advanced out of the first round, which featured eight current NBA long-range shooting artists and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Hield accumulated 23 points in his first round and 25 points in his Championship round; however, he was edged by Lillard, who scored 26 points in both his first and the final round to best Hield, claiming the title.

Hield, a Freeport native, was appearing in his third three-point shooting contest.  He is also the winner of the three-point contest for 2020.

Despite Saturday’s title miss, the thirty-year-old Bahamian has had a successful basketball career over the years.  He was named the Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016.  In 2016, he received four major national player of the year awards, the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, Sporting News Player of the Year, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Hield was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans and was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2017.  He was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in 2022.