College Freshman Beats Damian Lillard in All-Star Shooting Contest, Wins $100,000: ‘So Surreal’

A college freshman is six figures richer after beating Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard in a high stakes shooting contest.

Jaren Barajas, a business student at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, Calif., won $100,000 after besting Lillard in MrBeast’s three-point shootout contest during the NBA’s All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 16.

“This is going to mean the world to me, it’s going to help my family a lot and definitely my future,” Barajas said, per the Associated Press. “Hopefully it’ll help me pay for my education, which it will.”

In the head-turning match, held at San Francisco’s Chase Center, Barajas was selected at random from the crowd. To win, he had to make one shot from the logo at half-court before Lillard made three from the same spot.

After taking turns for several rounds, Lillard scored two baskets and Barajas had zero. He needed to make one before Lillard scored his third in order to win. After Barajas’ final chance (and some sideline advice from Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry), he made the basket as the buzzer went off, sparking a roaring celebration from the crowd.

“Kenny tried to give me advice. He said ‘Hold your follow-through.’ Shaq told me to shoot a bit higher,” Barajas told FOX affiliate KTVU. “The last shot came down right before the buzzer. I threw it up there and it went in.”

Asked if he knew the ball would go in, Barajas said yes, pointing out that that shot was “definitely more aligned” than his previous attempts. “I held my follow-through at the end so Kenny’s advice [worked].

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He also credited an old-school tip from his father for helping him sink the winning shot.

“It was coming down to the wire, we had 30 seconds left and my dad always tells me use the backboard,” Barajas said, per the AP. “That’s what I had to do to make it go in.”

Barajas cemented the win by jumping into a life-size cube full of cash. Lillard also helped throw the cash prize on Barajas.

The moment almost didn’t happen as Barajas revealed his father, Michael Barajas, “surprised” him with tickets to the game the day before after searching for ticket prices he could afford. Barajas told KTVU he was at his grandfather’s 80th birthday when he found out he and his dad were going.

“I couldn’t keep a smile off my face after that … [the seats] were a couple of rows from as tall as you can get.”

Barajas said after he arrived early, around 3:30 p.m., he was approached by someone who asked if he was interested in going to the court.

“I didn’t even know I was coming to the game, so to have this experience it’s so surreal. I’m so thankful,” said Jaren to the AP. His father added, “It was all luck, meant to be, I don’t know. I can’t believe it.”

He thanked his father for taking him to the game and “letting me shine in the moment.”

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Barajas plans on saving “a lot of” the money he won, and putting another portion toward college and helping his family, he said in a video shared on the NBA’s official X account. “It’s been tough a little bit but this will help a lot. Help with my future and my family.”

“I still can’t process that this is happening,” he added. “To meet all those players I grew up watching … a crazy experience.”

If Lillard, an Oakland, Calif., native won, $100,000 would be donated to charity. Although the NBA star lost, the league announced via X that it would still give $50,000 to the Damian Lillard Scholars Program and $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oakland and San Francisco.

As for Lillard, even he was a fan of the buzzer-beating win.

“It was dramatic, he made it as the clock was going off,” he told the AP of the final seconds. “I love being part of stuff like that where you can impact somebody else.”

Still nearly breathless after his stunning win, Jaren the outlet: “I just beat Damian Lillard.”