Sharp-shooting superstars Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry will compete for the ultimate 3-point-contest crown with a head-to-head matchup during next month’s NBA All-Star weekend.
The Liberty’s Ionescu and the Golden State Warriors’ Curry, having both already conquered their leagues’ 3-point challenges, are set to participate in their unprecedented shootout on Feb. 17 at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, organizers announced Tuesday.
The event, billed as “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” marks the first official 3-point contest between the NBA and WNBA.
Ionescu set the record for both leagues last July by scoring 37 out of a maximum 40 points in the final round of the WNBA’s 3-point challenge — a feat that included 20 consecutive makes from deep. It was her first time winning the event.
“I knew they were going in,” Ionescu said at the time. “I was telling my agents over there, I didn’t even wait for the ball to get through the net. As soon as I shot it, it looked good and I just went down and kept grabbing [basketballs] and was listening to the fans as they were cheering, knowing that they went in. So they were my validation.”
Curry, a two-time NBA three-point contest winner, described her performance as “RIDICULOUS” in a celebratory social-media post, to which Ionescu replied, “Shoot out??”
And now it’s happening.
The duo will follow their leagues’ respective 3-point rules, with Curry, 35, shooting from behind the NBA 3-point line with NBA balls, and Ionescu, 26, using the WNBA line and WNBA balls.
“Stephen vs. Sabrina” is set to take place between the NBA’s standard 3-point challenge and the slam-dunk contest.
Curry, a nine-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion, entered Tuesday having made a league-record 3,577 3-pointers in his career. Ionescu, the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, made 128 3-pointers last year to set the WNBA’s single-season record.
