SAN FRANCISCO — 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 backburner 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.

Barajas called the moment “life-changing.”

“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.”

Dramatic Finish to Contest

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.

Off 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.”

Lillard loved the fantastic finish.

“It was dramatic, he made it as the clock was going off,” said Lillard, an Oakland native. “I love being part of stuff like that where you can impact somebody else.”

Unexpected Opportunity

Barajas 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.”

His 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.”

Impact Beyond the Contest

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.

Lillard appreciated how well it worked out to impact so many.

“I knew that it would be a win-win situation. I knew that it would be helpful for my scholarship partnership that I just started and I knew it would be extremely helpful to someone else,” Lillard said. “That was the reason I did it. I went out there and I made the first two and I’m not going to say I lost on purpose, but I didn’t, I was trying to make the shot. I was trying to get a quality make. I was just happy to see his real excitement. That’s life-changing for somebody.”

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. So, he will transfer eventually.

“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.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA