James Jones becomes fourth Heat player to win 3-point shootout

Heat fans are probably used to this by now.

This past Saturday at All Star Weekend, for the fourth time in Heat history and the third time in the last five years, a heat player has taken home the trophy for winning the 3-point competition.

This time around it was James Jones, joining Glen Rice, Jason Kapono, and Daequan Cook as Heat players who have won the contest.

Jones beat out the Boston Celtics', Paul Pierce, last years winner, and NBA all time leading 3-point shooter (3-pointers made) Ray Allen.

"We've had our struggles with the Celtics in the past, but the Heat came out on top Saturday," Jones joked with reporters after the contest.

The award is a testament to the all the grueling work Jones had to put in in order to get himself back to being the deadly long range shooter that has defined him for most of his career. In 2008, right before his first season with the Heat was set to begin, Jones ruptured a tendon in his right wrist, his shooting hand, and there was some serious doubt as to how effective he could ever be again, even after intensive rehab.

Jones, a Miami native, cites the time he spent recovering as the low-point in his professional career. "As a shooter, I felt like I was really starting to find my niche in this league. To have that injury, my walls came crumbling down." Jones said.

As the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman reported, the Heat's medical staff actually had to rebuild Jones' wrist. His tendons had to be repaired and other tendons actually had to be inserted in.

It wasn't until the beginning of this season that fans truly got an understanding of how intricate of a piece Jones could be for the Heat. For about the first month of the season, Jones lead the league in 3-pointers made and is currently proving to be a defensive presence, taking over injured forward, Udonis Haslem's role as team leader of charges taken.

So while a 3-point trophy may not be exactly the kind of keepsake that Jones was hoping for at the beginning of the season, it should serve as a reminder to him of all he withstood to get back to this point.

"I always wanted to prove myself that I could be labeled one of the best shooters in this game," Jones said. "I think I proved it here today."