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VIDEO: Revisiting Sabrina Ionescu's special 3-point showcase that paved way for a showdown with Steph Curry
Sabrina Ionescu is widely regarded as one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time, irrespective of gender. In 2023, she set the single-season WNBA record with 128 3-pointers, shooting 44.8% from downtown. This achievement earned her a spot in the three-point shooting contest at the 2023 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
The New York Liberty star showed up big in the moment, catching fire in the competition and scoring 26 points in the first round.
However, she saved her best for last, setting the single-stage record for both the NBA and WNBA three-point shooting contests with 37 points out of a possible 40 in the final round, where she was anointed the "greatest performance ever seen in this contest" by the commentators.
She won the 3-point shooting contest in her first attempt and ended the competition with a challenge for NBA 3-point king Stephen Curry.
Curry accepted the challenge, and the two faced off in a nail-biting contest in the 2024 NBA All-Star Saturday.
Sabrina Ionescu shot first, using WNBA basketballs from an NBA three-point line. The New York Liberty sharpshooter tied the all-time record with 26 points in the first round, making her first seven shots and going 8-for-9 on money balls. However, she slowed down at the end, making only five of her final 10 shots.
Steph Curry was left with a challenge, but Sabrina Ionescu's slight stutter may have cost her the competition. The Golden State Warriors legend had two perfect racks and went 5-for-5 from both the left wing and the right wing. Strategically, he chose his final rack as the money rack at the right corner, needing three off five shots to win. He missed the first shot and then drained the final four to end with a score of 29-26.
Curry was ceremonially awarded a title belt for the "Steph vs. Sabrina" 3-point contest.
Caitlin Clark could soon face off against Sabrina Ionescu and Stephen Curry
Steph Curry has been consulting with the NBA to improve the format of the NBA All-Star Weekend, which has suffered from diminishing popularity in recent years because of the All-Star game's flawed format and declining participation from superstars. But last year's NBA-WNBA three-point shootout was a hit, which appears to be returning in 2025 but with a twist.
Shams Charania reported in November that Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu plan to bring their 3-point shootout back to the stage for the 2025 All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, and they are aiming to bring Curry's former "Splash Brother" Klay Thompson and Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark into the competition. Caitlin Clark is women's basketball's biggest name.
She came close to breaking Sabrina Ionescu's single-season record in her very first season itself, making 122 three-pointers in her rookie season. It has also been reported that this time, the shooting 3-point contest will be played exclusively with NBA-standard basketballs.
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