It’s been beautiful to watch the WNBA grow over the past year!
Last year, our beloved home team, the New York Liberty, came so close to winning the 2023 championship against the Las Vegas Aces. We’ve been itching to see our girls again, and we got to get a sneak peek of what one of our stars is planning to bring to the court this upcoming season.
During NBA All-Star Weekend, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and the Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry faced off in a one-of-a-kind competition: NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge at 2024 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.
Ionescu made NBA and WNBA fans proud, showing up and almost giving the greatest 3-point shooter in history a run for his money.
The contest took place in Indianapolis Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, and was met with excitement for both players.
TNT’s Ernie Johnson introduced the showdown dubbed “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” as if it was a marquee boxing match — complete with a heavyweight belt presented to the winner. The concept for the event evoked memories of 1973’s “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, which King won in three sets.
Initially, Curry was supposed to take his shots from the NBA 3-point line using NBA basketballs, while Ionescu was going to shoot from the WNBA line using WNBA balls. But, according to CBS Sports, Ionescu opted to shoot from the NBA line.
“Personally, I shoot from that range to begin with,” Ionescu said. “I practice from that range wanting to be a better shooter and a better basketball player. … Knowing I had that opportunity to pick what line I wanted to shoot from, it was a no-brainer from when it was first presented that I wanted to shoot from the NBA line.”
Ionesco, shooting first, scored 26 points. She started off strong, making seven of seven shots before missing her first.
Curry told NBC that he had “déjà vu” watching the first rack when Ionescu started off going 5 for 5, referring to her record-breaking performance last year in Las Vegas at WNBA All-Star weekend, where Sabrina missed only one shot.
Steph went on to make 29 points, beating Ionescu for the evening.
The idea to have Curry and Ionescu face each other came about after Ionescu’s amazing performance at last year’s WNBA 3-point contest. That night, Sabrina set a new record, scoring 37 points on 25-of-27 shooting and squashing Curry’s contest record of 31 points, according to NBA.com.
After the contest in Vegas, Sabrina took to Twitter, where she playfully challenged Steph to a match.
“Stephen vs. Sabrina” followed regular Starry 3-Point Contest rules, the NBA said.
- There were four ball racks, each with four game balls, worth 1 point each, and one money ball, worth 2 points, the NBA said. A fifth rack featured all money balls.
- There were also two Starry Range shots, each worth 3 points, according to the NBA.
- Both Curry’s nonprofit organization, Eat.Learn.Play., and Ionescu’s SI20 Foundation will receive donations from the NBA and the WNBA as a part of the competition, the NBA said.
- On top of that, State Farm committed to donating to the NBA Foundation to “support economic empowerment in the Black community” for every shot made by either player.
Immediately after the contest, Sabrina asked for a rematch. We can’t wait to see part 2!