In the first-ever competition between members of the WNBA and the NBA, former Oregon Ducks star Sabrina Ionescu was narrowly defeated by Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time leading three-point scorer. Ionescu scored 26 and Curry scored 29 of 40 possible points.
Before Steph and Sabrina’s head-to-head showdown, eight NBA players competed in the NBA’s annual three-point contest. For the second year in a row, Damian Lillard took home the trophy, scoring 26 points in the final round. Other than Curry’s 29 points, 26 was the highest score of any shooter on Saturday night.
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The origin of this contest began after Ionescu set the all-time three-point contest record (37/40 possible points) in 2023. Minutes after her victory, she and Curry suggested a head-to-head competition between the two of them on Twitter. Then in January, the NBA announced that the competition would take place during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
After the contest, during Ionescu and Curry’s on-court interviews, TNT’s Ernie Johnson highlighted Ionescu’s trailblazing impact on the WNBA and women in sports. This competition was the first time a member of the WNBA has competed against an NBA player in an official capacity.
“I think a night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that, if you can shoot, you can shoot,'” Ionescu said after the contest.
Sabrina Ionescu can certainly shoot, and although she couldn’t win Saturday night, she showed a lot of people that she is one of the best shooters and best basketball players in the world.
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