( dpa ) - The competition is set for Dwyane Wade to go for the hat trick in the NBA's Skills Challenge.
Wade of the Miami Heat will look to win his third consecutive title, when he takes on versatile point guards Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, the New Jersey Nets' Jason Kidd and the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night on February 16 in New Orleans, the league announced Monday.
The All-Star guard defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the finals of the 2006 Skills Challenge in Houston, and bested the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant last year in Las Vegas.
Introduced in 2003, the competition consists of four players in a two-round timed "obstacle course" of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. The two players with the fastest times from the first round advance to the finals with the order of competition determined by inverse order of the first round times.
The Skills Challenge is held Saturday night, which also features The Three-Point Shootout, Slam Dunk and Shooting Stars competitions, leading up to the NBA All-Star Game on February 17.