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we know steph curry and sabrina ionescu They’re great three-point shooters. But this weekend, You have to find out who is the best.
On Saturday, the two sharpshooters met in the first 3-point contest between the NBA and WNBA during All-Star Weekend, settling a long-running debate, with Curry narrowly defeating Ionescu.
The Golden State Warriors star had 29 points and the New York Liberty star had 26 points.
Ionescu said on TNT that he is excited to “change the narrative” between NBA and WNBA players.
“It was amazing,” Ionescu said. “This was the first event of its kind, and just being able to come out here and put on a show made me realize what this meant. To change the narrative, and to do it with the greatest person of all time. I’m excited about what we can do together.”
Curry praised the event and Ionescu while wearing his 3-point championship belt.
“It couldn’t have been better in the sense that both of us took the chance in front of this stage and ran around with a bang. And to perform like that, she set the standard. .It was incredible to watch,” Curry said. “So this might be something. I don’t know if anyone can fill that role, but it might be something we need to do more often.”
Stacey Revere/Getty Images
Stephen Curry prepares to shoot in a 3-point challenge with Sabrina Ionescu.
Curry won the NBA three-point contest twice and holds the league record. Made the most three-point shots in his career (3,642).
However, in 2023, Ionescu set the WNBA record for most 3-pointers in a single season (128). She also set a WNBA and NBA all-time scoring record by scoring 37 out of 40 in the 3-point contest last season.
According to the official release, Curry Shot is NBA 3-point line NBA ball used by Ionescu Equivalent to the WNBA – the lines are a little closer and the ball is a little smaller.
However, Ionescu said before the match that he was confident in his abilities and wanted to level the playing field. “I’m going to shoot from the NBA line…let’s do it,” she said. I wrote to Xformerly known as Twitter.
As part of the contest, Curry and Ionescu’s respective charities will receive donations from the NBA and WNBA. The two will also have the opportunity to raise money for the NBA Foundation, which aims to further the economic empowerment of Black communities, with each Regular Shot valued at $1,000 and each Moneyball shot valued at $2,000. He also has a special three-point shot of 29 feet, 9 inches. It’s called the “STARRY Range Ball,” valued at $3,000.
Curry: “I think this is the coolest thing ever.” told TNT In late January.
“I love being confident and I love competing. It’s a new format on that stage.”
Stacey Revere/Getty Images
Ionescu became famous for his three-point shot.
Meanwhile, G League player Mac McClung won the NBA dunk contest for the second year in a row, leaping over Shaquille O’Neal to seal the victory, making the Osceola Magic guard the fifth player in league history to defend the title. became.
McClung’s leap over the 7-foot-1 O’Neal earned him a perfect 50 points from the judges as he wrested the basketball from the NBA legend’s hands and dunked it into the net, despite being nearly a foot shorter. .
Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Mac McClung beats NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal by dunking the ball.
The 25-year-old said afterwards on TNT that he was “honored” to have won back-to-back titles, but was critical of his performance, adding: “I wish I could have given the crowd more.”
His incredible dunk earned him the only perfect score of the night, but he got off to a strong start in the tournament, leapfrogging two competitors with his previous efforts.
He defeated Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks were eliminated in the first round.
traditional three point contest Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young competed for the title.
In the end, Lillard, an All-Star guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, successfully defended his 3-point contest title, becoming the first to win consecutive honors since Jason Kapono did it in 2007 and 2008. He became a player.
All-Star Weekend culminates with the All-Star Game on Sunday at the Indiana Pacers’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the best of the best compete against each other.
This year’s game returned to the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, with many of the league’s biggest stars converging on Indianapolis.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will be captains of the East and West divisions, respectively, while Joel Embiid is the biggest player missing after undergoing surgery for an injury. I injured my knee earlier this month..
Saturday’s action started The NBA’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were featured when Virginia Union took on Winston-Salem State University.
On Saturday night, the players’ all-around skills were showcased in the Skills Challenge, followed by the best talent from deep in the Three-Point Contest, and the Slam Dunk Contest capped off the night.
And on Sunday, the NBA’s minor league affiliate, the G League, will hold its own series of events starting at 1:30 p.m. ET at G League Park at the Indian Convention Center before the weekend’s crown jewel, the All-Stars. to hold. The game will take place at 8pm ET.
TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which owns CNN.
CNN’s Ben Church contributed to this report.
