NBA All-Star Weekend: Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu go head-to-head to be crowned the best three-point shooter in basketball

CNN
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We know Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu They are great three-point shooters. But this weekend we will find out who is the best.

The two sharpshooters will face off at All-Star Weekend in the first three-point contest between the NBA and WNBA to settle a long-running controversy.

The duo called each other out earlier this year, and now the stage is set to find out which player is the best three-point shooter in the sport.

“I don't think any of us knows the seriousness and scale of this matter,” Ionescu He said on Tuesday. “We're just excited to be able to do this.”

Curry agrees: “That's what sports are all about, competition… you're looking for opportunities to raise the bar.”

Curry and Ionescu will compete in their designated contest on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, after the traditional three-point contest and before the dunk contest.

Saturday evening's event begins at 8pm ET with the Skills Challenge and is available to watch on TNT.

Curry is a two-time NBA champion and holds the league's all-time record Most career 3-pointers made (3,642).

However, in 2023, Ionescu set the WNBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single season (128). She also set an all-time WNBA and NBA record for three-point contests last season, hitting 37 points out of a possible 40.

According to the official statement, Curry was willing to shoot NBA shots from the NBA three-point line, while Ionescu was supposed to use the WNBA equivalents — the line is a little closer and the ball is a little smaller.

But UNESCO is confident in its abilities, and said it wants to achieve equal opportunities.
“I'll shoot from the NBA line…let's get it,” she said Written on Xformerly known as Twitter.

As part of the contest, both Curry and Ionescu's charities will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA. The couple will also have the opportunity to raise money for the NBA Foundation, which aims to promote economic empowerment in the Black community, with each regular shot worth $1,000, each money ball $2,000 and a special 29-foot, 9-inch 3-pointer. It's called the $3,000 “STARRY Range Ball.”

“I think this is the coolest thing ever,” Carrie said TNT said In late January.

“I like the confidence, I like the competition. It's a new format at this point. Obviously I'm coming to win. I think it is.”

Traditional Three-point contest It will see Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Trae Young try to showcase their accuracy from deep and win the title.

All-Star Weekend will culminate with the All-Star Game on Sunday at the Indiana Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which will see the best of the best compete against each other.

The game reverted back to the traditional Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format this year, with many of the league's biggest stars lining up in Indianapolis.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are the captains of the East and West, respectively, while Joel Embiid is the biggest name to miss due to surgery. Knee injury earlier this month.

Work on Saturday Begins With the NBA showcasing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) as Virginia Union plays Winston-Salem State at 2 p.m.

The all-round skills of the players will be on display on Saturday evening with the Skills Challenge starting at 3pm ET, before the Three Point Contest showcases some of the best talent from deep. Curry vs. Ionescu and a Slam Dunk Contest then bring the evening to an end.

And on Sunday, the G League – the NBA's minor league affiliate – will host its own series of events starting at 1:30 PM ET at G League Park at the Indian Convention Center before the crown jewel of the weekend, All-Star Weekend. The match will take place at 8 pm EST.

TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is a division of Warner Bros. Television. Discovery (WBD), which owns CNN.

CNN's Ben Church contributed to this report.