The inception of the first NBA vs. WNBA 3-point competition at All-Star weekend 2024 in Indianapolis began with an incredible feat of marksmanship in 2023.
Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty won the WNBA’s 3-point contest in July with a record-setting 37-point final round, making 25 of 27 3-pointers and 20 straight at one point. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s 3-point king with 3642 makes and counting, took note of Ionescu’s legendary performance and extended a friendly challenge.
“I got to go after Sabrina’s record, so I got something to shoot for now that she went crazy with the 37 points at All-Star Weekend,” Curry said on ESPN’s NBA Today last July. “So I guess we got to settle that one for sure. Who’s the better 3-point competition shooter?”
Ionescu, a Bay Area native, accepted Curry’s challenge after back-and-forth banter on social media. The NBA handled the rest. And it created a full-circle moment for one of the WNBA’s brightest stars.
“I have this picture up, I think I was about 10 years old and giving him a high five in the tunnel,” Ionescu said of Curry. “Obviously, being from the Bay Area, he was that player that I idolized growing up.
“Ten years ago I never would’ve thought this was possible. Now being the day when we’re able to go out there and play, no matter what happens, it’s a blessing and an opportunity to even be in the same conversation as Steph. To be able to see how much he’s respected me as a player and a basketball player and a person to want to come out here and do this.”
While Curry’s contest against Ionescu was separate from the traditional 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend, the two-time league MVP has participated in the 3-point contest seven times and won twice in 2015 and 2021. And Curry came into Saturday’s competition on fire, as he had made 38-of-75 treys (51%) over the Warriors’ last five games ahead of the break.
Prior to Golden State’s 140-137 defeat of the Utah Jazz on Thursday, Curry had made seven or more 3-pointers in four straight games, the first player in NBA history to do so.
Meanwhile Ionescu, a two-time WNBA All-Star, will begin her fifth season with the Liberty in May. She was the first WNBA player to record a triple-double in three quarters and the youngest to record a triple-double. She was the first WNBA player with more than 500 points, more than 200 rebounds and more than 200 assists in one season. And during her college days at Oregon, she became the only Division I player to record at least 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Ionescu and Curry’s resumes are legendary, as was the trash talk entering Saturday’s special All-Star event.
“He wants to beat me; I can tell you that,” Ionescu said. “He’s not taking it easy. He was out there booing me as I was practicing yesterday and trying to get in my head. Obviously, we’re great friends and I look up to him, but once we get out there, we’re both trying to win. I think it speaks a lot to who we are as individuals and competitors.”
Said Curry: “There’s only one outcome, though, is that I win, right? So I’m excited to go out there and shoot with her. She’s unbelievable. An unbelievable shooter, an unbelievable player, and it’s going to be great for the game to have a little competition.”
Once the Kia Skills Challenge and Starry 3-point Contest concluded, the stage was set, and Ionescu and Curry’s shootout began inside Lucas Oil Stadium. A single round for all the bragging rights. And Ionescu did not want any handicaps. She decided beforehand to shoot from the NBA line with WNBA basketballs.
“I’d rather go down fighting for what I believe I’m capable of doing,” Ionescu said.
Ionescu and Curry both had 70 seconds to take their 27 shot attempts. Each shot triggered a donation from State Farm to the NBA Foundation. Ionescu set the tone with a 26-point round, meaning Curry needed at least 27 to win. Curry started slow. The competition wound up coming down to the final rack. And a last-second money ball gave Curry the 29-26 win. Ionescu’s score (26) was the same as Damian Lillard’s winning score in Saturday’s traditional 3-point contest.
While the night — and the championship belt — went to the NBA’s 3-point king, Ionescu was appreciative of the opportunity to compete against Curry on a national stage.
“That was amazing,” Ionescu said. “Just to be able to have this be the first of its kind event and come out here and put on a show, but understanding what this means and excited to change the narrative and to be able to do it alongside the best to ever do it… Just continuing to be able to use my platform and I think a night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or boy. I think it just matters the heart that you have in wanting to be the best that you can be.”
Said Curry: “This couldn’t have gone any better in the sense of us two taking a chance in front of this stage, one round with all the hype, and to deliver like that. She set the bar and it was unbelievable to watch… I don’t know if anybody can fill these shoes, but this might be something we do more often.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he could be down to watch the superstars run it back in the future. The 2025 NBA All-Star game will be held at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“Are there plans to add more integration of the WNBA women’s game into All-Star festivities? Possibly,” Silver said. “I’ve been encouraged by the amount of interest in Sabrina and Steph engaging in this 3-Point Contest, so of course let’s see how it goes.
“I’ve said this before. I think increasingly in this league, the opportunity to have more female refs, more female coaches, more focus on women’s basketball, more opportunity for these leagues to support each other and cross promote, I think is just fantastic on behalf of the game of basketball.”
