Fan beats Damian Lillard to win $100,000 in MrBeast Logo Shot Challenge – NBA.Com
“I just beat Damian Lillard,” Jaren Barajas said after banking in a halfcourt shot during Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.The Associated PressNBA fan Jaren Barajas wins the MrBeast $100,000 Challenge at the buzzer, sinking a 3-pointer before Damian Lillard could hit 3.• Get NBA League Pass TODAY
• NBA All-Star 2025: Complete coverageSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jaren Barajas shoots on his backyard hoop maybe once a month these days. He’s a busy 18-year-old college student now, so basketball has taken a back burner to academics.On Sunday night with the world watching, Barajas somehow beat Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in a 3-point shooting contest during the All-Star Game and won $100,000.“This is going to mean the world to me, it’s going to help my family a lot and definitely my future,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll help me pay for my education, which it will.”Lillard needed to make three long logo 3s to win, while Barajas had to hit just one basket from way back — and with the clock winding down and Lillard having missed after they’d announced those would be the final attempts by both players, Barajas let it fly once more and sunk his shot.100K AT THE BUZZER ‼️🚨💸Jaren wins the @MrBeast $100,000 challenge 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DcI1hj6nxk— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2025Off the backboard, no less, just as his father had always taught him: use the glass. It was his sixth or seventh attempt, neither Barajas nor his dad could remember for sure.“It was coming down to the wire, we had 30 seconds left and my dad always tells me use the backboard,” Barajas said. “That’s what I had to do to make it go in.”He wasn’t even supposed to be here, even though the teen had been hoping to attend ever since Chase Center became the 2025 host for the NBA’s midseason showcase.“I got surprised with these tickets yesterday, so I didn’t even know I was coming to the game, so to have this experience it’s so surreal,” Barajas said. “I’m so thankful.”Jaren, the NBA fan that won the @MrBeast $100,000 Challenge, talks about how it all came together! #NBAAllStar https://t.co/uS9fGQqD0e pic.twitter.com/Jme1yKZB8Q— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2025His dad, Michael, monitored ticket prices then finally found something in his range Saturday and went for it.He shared the great news with his son and they arrived early to the arena from the East Bay suburb of Oakley, then by sheer luck Jaren was asked whether he might like to participate. The father and son couldn’t believe their good fortune — dad fought his emotions afterward.“He wanted to go to the game, prices were pretty high so I kept watching the prices come down and once I found them where I could afford them, I bought them and surprised him with them yesterday,” Michael Barajas said. “I can’t believe we’re right here, but I’m glad I did it. He deserves it and I’m proud of him.”Former Warriors star Baron Davis came by to congratulate Jaren, while many strangers cheered him and asked for photos.“Oh, man, that was amazing, clutch performance at the buzzer, Steph Curry-style,” a beaming Davis said. “In the Bay Area. Give this man his money.”The NBA said it would donate $50,000 to Oakland native Lillard’s newly established scholarship fund benefitting nine high schools in the East Bay as well as $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland and San Francisco.Michael Barajas, who describes himself as “semi-retired,” knows the prize money will not only help with his son’s college expenses but also provide Jaren a chance to give back in some way.The teen is a freshman studying business at Los Medanos College, a two-year school in nearby Pittsburg.“It was all luck, meant to be, I don’t know,” Michael Barajas said, “I can’t believe it.”Jaren was still just trying to catch his breath after the experience of a lifetime.“I just beat Damian Lillard.”The All-Star guard paid a visit to his high school in Oakland and set up 9 students with $25,000 scholarships.The Currys are using their platform to highlight basketball, fashion, food, friends and giving back during 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend.Durant spent 3 seasons with the Warriors, winning 2 titles: ‘This is always going to be a part of my DNA, this is in my blood.’Silver touches on the Luka-AD blockbuster trade, the state of the game and the ever-changing NBA audience.The All-Star guard paid a visit to his high school in Oakland and set up 9 students with $25,000 scholarships.The Currys are using their platform to highlight basketball, fashion, food, friends and giving back during 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend.Durant spent 3 seasons with the Warriors, winning 2 titles: ‘This is always going to be a part of my DNA, this is in my blood.’Silver touches on the Luka-AD blockbuster trade, the state of the game and the ever-changing NBA audience.RotoWire highlights the best players to start at each position heading into Week 18 of fantasy basketball.RotoWire highlights the top performers heading into Week 18 of fantasy hoops.Shaq’s OGs win the All-Star Game’s first 3-team, 4-game mini-tournament, while Steph Curry wins MVP in his home arena.OKC holds the top spot and the Top 10 is mostly unchanged after NBA All-Star 2025 in San Francisco.The 8-year NBA veteran joins Monaco following a trade-deadline deal that sent him from the Pelicans to the Thunder.The team and the NBA are in the process of reviewing and gathering information on the incident.
Source: https://www.nba.com/news/college-student-beats-damian-lillard-in-all-star-shooting-contest
