Sabrina Ionescu to face off with Steph Curry in 3-point shootout at NBA All-Star Weekend
Sabrina Ionescu will be heading to NBA All-Star Weekend next month not as a spectator, but as a participant.
Ahead of Thursday night’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, Warriors star Stephen Curry hinted at a possible 3-point shootout between himself and the former Oregon star at All-State Weekend. Curry, who wore a microphone during the evening, asked teammate Brandon Podziemski, “Do you know who holds the record for the most points in a 3-point competition?”
“Sabrina?” Podziemski replied.
“I think I gotta bring her out and be like, ‘We gotta settle this once and for all,'” Curry said. “I think I’ve got to challenge her.”
“I think I gotta bring her out…we gotta settle this once and for all.”@StephenCurry30 challenges @sabrina_i20 👀 pic.twitter.com/dUG2MFusAX
— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2024
Ionescu, now with the New York Liberty, responded on social media: “Let’s getttttt it!! See ya at the 3 pt line.”
Let’s getttttt it!! See ya at the 3 pt line👀 @StephenCurry30 https://t.co/ES0JlEDJW3
— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) January 26, 2024
The Athletic’s Sham Charania reported that a one-on-one shootout is expected to take place during All-Star Weekend in addition to the traditional 3-point contest.
Curry has won the NBA’s 3-point shootout twice. His status as one of the game’s best long-distance shooters is secure. However, last summer, Ionescu set a record — NBA or WNBA — with 37 points to win the 3-point shootout at the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.
Ionescu was absolutely unreal in the final round, making 20 consecutive baskets at one point and flying through three racks without missing. She made 25 of her 27 shots to capture the crown.
Throwback of Sabrina Ionescu GOING OFF for 37 points in the final round of last summer’s 3-point contest in Las Vegas:
🔥 25-of-27 shooting
🔥 20 made shots in a row
🔥 Made BOTH money ball shots
🔥 3 perfect ball rackspic.twitter.com/liTRhc9kMZ— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 26, 2024
Ionescu set the WNBA record for 3s in a season last year (128), breaking the previous mark set by Diana Taurasi in 2006. The first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, Ionescu was the first player (female or male) in NCAA history with 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds, and 1,000 career assists. She’s also Oregon’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made.
This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend is set to take place Feb. 16-18 in Indianapolis.