Bay Area 18-year-old wins $100K for winning shot against NBA star Damian Lillard

SAN FRANCISCO - One Bay Area college student is $100,000 richer after defeating NBA player and Bay Area native Damian Lillard in a challenge during an NBA All-Star event.

It was Oakley vs Oakland: Jaren Barajas won a MrBeast challenge when he defeated the Milwaukee Bucks player in a 3-point shooting contest as time expired.

The 18-year-old was randomly selected from the crowd, but he played basketball at Freedom High School in Oakley, graduating just last year.

While it took a couple of attempts, Barajas eventually banked a shot, scoring the moneyshot before Lillard could make three shots. Lillard made two out of three shots before Barajas won.

Lillard needed to make three long logo 3s to win, while Barajas had to hit just one basket from half court — and with the clock winding down and Lillard having missed after they’d announced those would be the final attempts by both players, Barajas let it fly once more and sunk his shot.

Barajas was not only racing against the Oakland native, but also a three-minute timer. With just around 10 seconds to spare, Barajas made the winning shot.

Barajas wasn't confined to a specific number of shots, he only had to make a shot before Lillard.

Had the teen lost, the $100,000 would have gone to charity, according to YouTuber MrBeast.

In between shots, former NBA star Kenny "The Jet" Smith gave Barajas a pep talk and advice on making a shot.

When asked what he would use the money for, Barajas said he would put the money towards helping his family and help pay for college.

Barajas wasn’t even supposed to be here, even though the teen had been hoping to attend ever since Chase Center became the 2025 host for the NBA’s midseason showcase.

"I got surprised with these tickets yesterday, so I didn’t even know I was coming to the game, so to have this experience it’s so surreal," Barajas told the Associated Press. "I’m so thankful."

Barajas is a freshman studying business at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg.

Barajas was still just trying to catch his breath after the experience of a lifetime.

"I just beat Damian Lillard."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.