s_knight8

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/8272997p-9203685c.html

LOS ANGELES - Peja Stojakovic says his NBA Three-Point Shootout career
is over.
The Kings' forward lost his touch in the final round of Saturday
night's contest and failed to join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as
winners of three consecutive titles.

Stojakovic said it's time for the contest to proceed without him.

"This was my fourth year," he said. "I'm done. It's time for the new
guys to have their chance."

Like Stojakovic, Lenard said he did not practice for the event.

"Believe it or not," Lenard said, "that was my first time going out
around on the racks (Saturday night). I just wanted to come in and be
relaxed. I knew it was going to be a tough one with Peja being
champion. Everybody was expecting him to win. So I think they put a
lot of pressure on him to come out and be the three-time champion."

Afterward, Stojakovic said he was disappointed to hear that he had
been quoted by the Associated Press as guaranteeing a victory and that
the only way he could lose was by going into the worst slump of his
life.

"I did not say that," he said. "You know I don't talk like that. I
would never say anything like that."

His teammate, Vlade Divac, would say that and more - tongue in cheek,
of course. To hear Stojakovic make such a bold claim would be almost
unbelievable - much more surprising than for him to lose a three-point
shooting contest.

dusk47

I hate it when stars do that. I wanna see the NBA's best go at it every year.