Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu: Historic NBA All-Star 3-point contest

List of career achievements by Stephen Curry – Stephen Curry Shooting (cropped) (cropped) – CC BY-SA

The Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu are poised to face off in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA three-point shootout in the upcoming All-Star Weekend. The competition is set to take place on Saturday, February 17, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

According to an NBA official release, Curry was to shoot NBA balls from the NBA three-point line, while Ionescu was supposed to use the WNBA equivalents. However, Ionescu posted on X that she intends to join Curry and shoot from the NBA line, showing her confidence.

On Tuesday, Curry commended her for choosing to shoot from the NBA line, which is farther than the WNBA line. “She even stepped it up, she said she was gonna shoot from the NBA 3-point line,” Curry said. “I love the confidence. I love the competition. Obviously, I’m coming to win and hope she does too. It’s gonna be great, I think the fans will love it.”

This first-of-its-kind contest, dubbed “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” has been eagerly anticipated by fans ever since the stars themselves playfully started hinting at a potential showdown on social media. Ionescu challenged Curry to a 3-point competition after she won the 2023 WNBA All-Star 3-point contest with a record-breaking 37 points on 25-of-27 shooting.

Curry, fueled by his NBA record of 3,577 made 3-pointers, brought up the challenge again during a pregame interview on January 25. Ionescu readily accepted, even upping the ante by declaring she’d shoot from the NBA 3-point line.

Ionescu said she is eager to test her skills against one of the best shooters of all time and to represent the WNBA in this historic event. Their playful jabs and compliments fueled excitement for the clash, making this match not just a historical event but a highly anticipated battle of skill and sportsmanship.

In this contest, each shot from both players will be worth a donation to the NBA Foundation which aims to empower the Black community. Each shot will have a different value, depending on the type and distance of the shot. The regular shots will be worth $1,000, the money balls $2,000 and the special 29-foot-9-inch three-pointer called the “STARRY Range Ball” worth $3,000.