The current NBA and WNBA 3-point leaders reportedly will battle it out for long-range supremacy during All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis next month.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Thursday, citing sources, that Warriors guard Steph Curry will face off against New York Liberty star — and close friend — Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point shootout during the All-Star festivities.
Curry appeared to challenge Ionescu to the 3-point competition from afar during a conversation with Brandin Podziemski before the Warriors’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at Chase Center, and the Liberty guard responded on social media.
The reported looming battle between Curry and Ionescu comes roughly six months after the Liberty point guard challenged the Warriors guard to a shootout after winning the 3-point competition at the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend.
Curry accepted the challenge last July, and now he appears to be making good on his word.
Ionescu, who was born in Walnut Creek, California, and went to Miramonte High School in Orinda, California, led the WNBA in 3-pointers during the 2023 season with 128.
Curry entered the Warriors’ game on Thursday leading the NBA with 172 3-pointers in 38 contests, and dropped another five in the first quarter against the Kings.
The four-time NBA champion and the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft have developed a close friendship over the years, with Curry serving as a mentor to Ionescu, who starred at the University of Oregon.
While Ionescu supported Curry during Warriors playoff runs, the two-time NBA MVP has reciprocated by taking his daughters Oregon games in 2020.
“I love having a relationship with [Curry], just being able to remember when I was little, watching him and kind of emulating my game after him, to now being able to call him or text him any time that I need help with something,” Ionescu told ESPN in 2020.
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Curry and Ionescu worked out together, making sure to practice social distancing.
Though Ionescu has a twin brother, Eddy, she considers Curry to be another sibling, as she told NBC Sports Northwest in 2020.
“It’s really crazy to think of, you know, I don’t really see him as a basketball player,” Ionescu told NBC Sports Northwest’s Dwight Jaynes in an interview published, fittingly, on Siblings Day. “I see him as a person and a friend, almost like a big brother. It’s been cool to see our relationship grow and continue to grow.”
Curry and Ionescu surely have engaged in friendly competitions during private workouts, but now they are about to put on a shooting display for the whole world to see.
Let the best sharpshooter win.
