This Saturday night in Orlando, the NBA will hold its 26th annual Three-Point Shootout. The list of winners is overflowing with some of the greatest sharpshooters in league history – Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price, Steve Kerr, Jeff Hornacek, Ray Allen and Peja Stojakovic.

We have seen eight different winners in the past nine years, after there were eight unique winners over the first 14 All-Star weekends. There were just three winners – Bird, Dale Ellis and Hodges – from 1986 to 1992.

James Jones, the reigning champion, will defend his title against Miami teammate Mario Chalmers, Ryan Anderson of the hometown Magic, Anthony Morrow of the Nets, and All-Stars Kevin Love and Kevin Durant.

Unlike the Slam Dunk contest, which features four relative unknowns (we know our RealGM readers are very familiar with the quartet), Love and Durant bring star power to this competition.

We have taken a look at the shooting percentages for each winner of the Three-Point Shootout (25 contests, 17 winners) to try and predict who will win the 2012 event.

Here is a list of the winners and their percentage from downtown during the season in which they won the contest:

2011: James Jones, Miami – 42.9%
2010: Paul Pierce, Boston – 41.4%
2009: Daequan Cook, Miami – 38.7%
2008: Jason Kapono, Toronto – 48.3%
2007: Kapono, Miami – 51.4%
2006: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas – 40.6%
2005: Quentin Richardson, Phoenix – 35.8%
2004: Voshon Lenard, Denver – 36.7%
2003: Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento – 38.2%
2002: Stojakovic, Sacramento – 41.6%
2001: Ray Allen, Milwaukee – 43.4%
2000: Jeff Hornacek, Utah – 47.8%
1999: No All-Star Weekend, Lockout-Shortened Season
1998: Hornacek, Utah – 44.1%
1997: Steve Kerr, Chicago – 46.4%
1996: Tim Legler, Washington – 52.2%
1995: Glen Rice, Miami – 41%
1994: Mark Price, Cleveland – 39.7%
1993: Price, Cleveland – 41.6%
1992: Craig Hodges, Chicago – 37.5%
1991: Hodges, Chicago – 38.3%
1990: Hodges, Chicago – 48.1%
1989: Dale Ellis, Seattle – 47.8%
1988: Larry Bird, Boston – 41.4%
1987: Bird, Boston – 40%
1986: Bird, Boston – 42.3% 

The average three-point shooting percentage for the winner of the contest is 42.7%. Nine of the 25 winners had a shooting percentage within two points of the average.

2012 Three-Point Percentages:

Jones, Miami – 42%
Chalmers, Miami – 45.6%
Anderson, Orlando – 43.4%
Morrow, New Jersey – 40.2%
Love, Minnesota – 34.8%
Durant, Oklahoma City – 36.5%

Comparing the mean shooting percentages of Shootout winners to the percentages of the six entrants this season, the most likely winners appear to be Jones and Anderson. Both players are seven-tenths of the percentage off the mean. Anderson, in his fourth NBA season, has never shot higher than 39.3% over the course of a full year.

Jones has shot better than 41.1% from deep in four of his last five seasons. You can take your pick between the two, but history is leans towards a second-straight title for Jones.