All-time NBA 3-point leader Steph Curry will battle WNBA star and Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis on Feb. 17, the league announced Tuesday.
It will be the first time an NBA player and WNBA player face off in the 3-point challenge.
Curry is a two-time 3-point challenge winner (2015, 2021) at All-Star weekend. During the 2023 WNBA All-Star 3-point contest, New York Liberty star Ionescu scored a record 37 points (25-of-27 shooting) to break Curry’s record of 31. After breaking the record, Ionescu challenged Curry to go head-to-head. Curry hinted that this matchup might be coming while mic’d up talking to rookie Brandin Podziemski before the Warriors’ game against the Sacramento Kings last week.
Ionescu accepted the challenge on social media. While the rules stipulate that Ionescu will be shooting from the WNBA 3-point line, which is 1 foot and 9 inches closer to the basket than the NBA 3-point line, Ionescu said on social media she would like to step back and shoot from the NBA 3-point line during the contest.
Ionescu is a two-time WNBA All-Star guard who set a single-season 3-point record with the New York Liberty in 2023. The 26-year-old Walnut Creek native was the top-ranked guard coming out of Miramonte High School in 2016.
Curry was not named an All-Star starter last week when the starting lineups were announced, marking the first time since 2013 that a healthy Curry has missed that list. The 35-year-old has been named a starter in all nine of his previous All-Star appearances and still has a shot to make the Western Conference squad as a reserve when the full teams are announced Thursday on TNT.
Podziemski recognized, too
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Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski will join Curry in Indianapolis as part of the All-Star weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge. The league invites 28 young players — 21 rookies and sophomores, and seven G League players — to be split into four teams and participate in a tournament. Four former NBA players will draft four teams from the player pool to compete.
Podziemski is averaging 9.2 points per game, shooting 46.2% from the field and 38.8% from 3 in his rookie year. He was drafted as the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara.
