Why will Stephen Curry & Sabrina Ionescu not have a 3-point contest? Understanding Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson's role in absence
A rematch of the Stephen Curry versus Sabrina Ionescu 3-point contest, one of the most anticipated events for the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend, has been called off. Curry and Ionescu rejected the idea of running back their 3-point contest from last year, with Caitlin Clark seemingly playing a key role in their reluctance to compete against each other.
Joe Vardon and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on Thursday that the NBA-against-WNBA contest won't be included in the festivities of the 2025 All-Star weekend. According to the reporters, Curry and Ionescu didn't want to do the same they did last year and wanted to make the event bigger.
Potential additions of Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson to the tandem were rumored in the months leading to the All-Star Game. However, Clark refused to participate in the event via a statement shared by her sports agency, revealing that she wanted her first 3-point contest to be in Indianapolis this summer, as her Fever host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.
Even though the league tried to find alternatives to this contest, including adding it to the revamped All-Star Game format, Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu aren't fond of the idea of doing what they already did last year.
Steph Curry beat Sabrina Ionescu by only three points (29-26) last year in Indiana, which drew a lot of attention from fans. They instantly started thinking about a second edition of this 3-point contest with more players, but the plans fell apart.
Sabrina Ionescu picked Caitlin Clark as partner for potential 3-point contest against Steph Curry, Klay Thompson in November
After winning the 2024 WNBA championship with the New York Liberty, Sabrina Ionescu paid a special visit to her alma mater as the Oregon Ducks faced off against the Maryland Terrapins back in November.
During the pre-game show, Ionescu was asked who she would pick to compete with her in a 2-on-2 3-point contest against Steph Curry and another player. She went with Clark at the time.
"If I would have to choose, I'm taking Caitlin Clark on my team," Ionescu said.
Unfortunately for plenty of fans, the Clark and Ionescu tandem going against Curry and probably Thompson will have to wait. Perhaps the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game offers us a duel between Clark and Ionescu for a contest championship and a sneak peek of what could happen in the NBA in 2026 if the league is still interested in the men-against-women competition.