An exciting competition is coming to NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis next month.
Golden State Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry and New York Liberty star point guard Sabrina Ionescu will participate in a three-point shootout that will surely produce fireworks.
The one-on-one challenge will take place after the league’s three-point contest Feb. 17 and will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.
According to the rules provided by the NBA, Curry will shoot from the NBA three-point line with NBA basketballs, while Ionescu will shoot from the WNBA three-point line with WNBA basketballs.
On Jan. 25, Curry hinted at the possibility of going up against Ionescu when he was mic’d up during the pregame for a matchup against the Sacramento Kings:
Ionescu won the 2023 WNBA three-point contest with an astonishing performance in which she made 25 of her 27 attempts and finished with 37 points, the most in WNBA or NBA history.
Curry set the previous mark of 31 points when he won the NBA three-point shootout for the second time in 2021. His first win came in 2015, which was also the year of his first NBA championship with the Warriors.
Ionescu first suggested an intergender three-point contest after her win last summer:
Curry didn’t take long to accept her challenge:
Of course, this will mark the first time that a WNBA player participates in a three-point contest against an NBA player. WNBA stars have routinely participated in NBA All-Star Weekend in the past, usually as part of the celebrity game and the shooting stars competition.
Curry was not voted as a starter for the Western Conference in this year’s All-Star Game, but it’s expected that he will earn his 10th career selection. If he is selected, it will mark the first time he will play in the game as a reserve.
However, Curry will have all eyes on him when he goes one-on-one with Ionescu in their highly anticipated showdown.