Haynes: Blazers G Damian Lillard To Participate In Skills Challenge At All-Star Weekend

Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Damian Lillard is expected to participate in the Skills Challenge during All-Star Saturday in Houston.

Damian Lillard has been invited to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Houston, CSNNW.com has learned.

According to a person close to the rookie point guard, the three-time Rookie of the Month has every intention of accepting the invitation.

The Skills Challenge is a timed obstacle course that requires players to dribble around cones, pass the ball through hoops and make lay-ups. Lillard will be the first member of the Blazers to participate in the event, which was added to All-Star Weekend in 2003.

All-Star Saturday's format is changing slightly this year. The four events -- Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest -- will pit the two conferences in a competition, with running point totals from event to event. There will also be honorary captains overseeing the proceedings: Chris Paul (Western Conference) and Dwyane Wade (Eastern Conference). The winning conference gets to donate $350,000 to charity; the losing conference has to settle for $150,000.

Earlier this week, Lillard was formally invited to the Rising Stars Challenge (formerly known as the Rookie/Sophomore Game) on All-Star Friday.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter