3-point sharpshooters: Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu challenge
A viral moment has turned into an All-Star moment.
Last July, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu put the world on notice with her performance in the Starry 3-Point Contest at 2023 WNBA All-Star, missing only two shots during her final round for a final score of 37 (out of a maximum 40 points).
Her total set a record for a 3-point Contest — NBA or WNBA — and the hoops world took notice, including the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader.
Stephen Curry called Ionescu’s All-Star performance “ridiculous” then recently brought it up again to Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski before a Kings-Warriors matchup.
Shortly after the exchange was broadcast on TNT, it was posted on X at 10:31 p.m. ET. Just 33 minutes later, Sabrina responded at 11:04 p.m. ET
Let’s getttttt it!! See ya at the 3 pt line @StephenCurry30 https://t.co/ES0JlEDJW3
— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) January 26, 2024
All that was left was to work out the details, which were announced on Tuesday.
When a WNBA superstar with the greatest 3-point round in history meets the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history, who has the upper hand?
Stephen Curry
When it comes to 3-point shooting, there aren’t many records that Curry does not own.
On Dec. 14, 2021, Curry passed Ray Allen to become the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made when he splashed No. 2,973. Since then, he’s become the first player to surpass 3,000 career 3-pointers and continues to set the bar that all other shooters chase.
He’s far ahead of the next active player, leading by more than 700 3-pointers all while continuing to widen the game, making a league-high 4.7 3-pointers per game on 40.3% shooting.
When it comes to the Starry 3-point contest, Curry has won the event twice (2015 and ’21), been runner-up three times (’10, ’16, ’19) and failed to make the final round twice (’13, ’14).
NBA-best round: In the opening round of his 2021 win, Curry set the NBA single-round scoring record with a score of 31 out of the maximum 40 (including the money ball rack and two deep 3-point shots). It was matched by Tyrese Haliburton in 2023, but has not been topped by an NBA player.
Sabrina Ionescu
Ionescu didn’t just have the single greatest 3-point contest round of all time in 2023, she also had the best 3-point shooting season in WNBA history.
Last season, she finished third in the league in 3-point percentage (44.8%), while leading the league in total 3-pointers made (128) and 3-pointers made per game (3.6).
Only four players win WNBA history have averaged over three 3-pointers per game: Diana Taurasi (six times), Jewell Loyd (3.0 in 2023), Kelsey Plum (3.1 in 2022) and Ionescu (3.6 in 2023).
Taurasi — the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and leader in career 3-pointers made — averaged 3.6 in 2006, but did not match the accuracy of Ionescu, shooting 39.7% compared to Sabrina’s 44.8%.
Volume and accuracy: There have been 47 instances of a WNBA player attempting at least 200 3-pointers in a season. Sabrina’s 286 attempts are the fourth-highest ever and her 44.8% is by far the highest. Only two other players have shot over 40% while attempting that many 3s: Plum (42% in 2022) and Sugar Rodgers (41.3% in 2016).
Ionescu just finished her third WNBA season (her rookie campaign in 2020 was limited to three games due to injury), which makes her resume nowhere near as long as Curry’s. But Curry, who is in his 15th season, only has three seasons in which he shot greater than Ionescu’s 44.8% and his career-high 45.5% happened more than a decade ago (2011-12).
The same can be said for the disparity of their 3-point contest experience. While Curry has won two titles in seven tries, Ionescu is one for one.
The question is: Can she make it two-for-two against someone seen by many as the greatest shooter in the game’s history?
