#Stephen Curry wins unprecedented 3-point contest against Sabrina Ionescu

Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu might have signed up for a win-win situation when they agreed to go head-to-head in an unprecedented 3-point shootout, but someone had to lose.

Curry made sure he came out with the victory on All-Star Saturday night, scoring 29 points.

Ionescu, 26, didn’t want to shoot from the women’s 3-point line of 20 feet, 6 inches. Instead, she leveled the playing field and shot from the NBA line of 23 feet, 9 inches, but she did shoot a WNBA ball.

Fans were allowed to vote on who would shoot first, which resulted in Ionescu starting. With five racks of five balls placed at different points around the 3-point line, she got hot early. Four of the racks had four standard balls worth one point and one “money ball” worth two points. The fifth rack was filled with solely “money balls” placed to the preference of each competitor.

Ionescu made every shot from the first rack, ending with 26 points. That was tied for the highest score of the night until Curry took over. He came in clutch when it really mattered as he always does, thriving under pressure to make some crucial buckets on his last rack.

Ionescu, 26, looked like she was enjoying a stroll in the park when she arrived for the competition, making casual conversation as she walked through the tunnel. Curry, on the other hand, didn’t hide his emotions before the contest. “I’m so nervous, man,” he told a reporter in the locker room as he prepared to change into his uniform. “The whole world is going to be watching.”

While Ionescu issued the challenge, she did so after setting a record for both leagues with a whopping 37-point round in the 3-point contest during last summer’s WNBA All-Star Weekend. She missed only two shots, setting a tough precedent for Curry. He’d won the NBA’s 3-point shooting competition twice in his career (2015, 2021), yet Ionescu was ready for the challenge.

Also Saturday, Damian Lillard represented the Milwaukee Bucks in the 3-point contest and won it all with a 26-point final round. That was the same score it took for each of the finalists to advance out of the first round.

Lillard became the first back-to-back 3-point champion since Jason Kapono in 2007 and ’08. He’s also the first Buck to win the contest since Ray Allen in 2001.

While fans will hope to see Lillard compete again next year, they can also potentially look forward to seeing Curry and Ionescu in action again.

The Bay Area native would be an easy addition to the 2024 All-Star Game, as the events will be hosted by Curry’s Golden State Warriors.