Who do you think owns the record for most points ever scored in a round at a professional 3-point contest? The obvious guess would be Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter in NBA history. True, he’s won the NBA’s 3-point contest twice in 2015 and 2021, but his best round ever pales in comparison to another.
The catch is that it didn’t come in the NBA. No.
The all-time record for most points scored in a round at a 3-point contest belongs to New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who notched 37 points in July’s WNBA 3-point contest.
Over the past several months, the groundwork has been laid for the two shooting stars to face off in one final contest. Ionescu challenged Curry on X, formerly known as Twitter, last July, and Curry indicated that he was up for the challenge as well. “I gotta go after Sabrina’s record,” Curry said on ESPN at the time. “I’ve got something to shoot for now that she went crazy with the 37 points in their All-Star weekend. We’ve got to settle that for sure to see who’s the best three-point competition shooter.”
Well, the two shooters will get their wish. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, they will face off at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis in a 3-point shootout that will determine which of the two can call themselves the world’s best shooter.
The exact nature of the contest still remains to be seen. Will Ionescu be competing in the NBA’s 3-point contest, or will this event be separate? If so, will Curry compete in both? The details will likely emerge as we get closer to the event itself. Curry hinted that the event would be coming when he was mic’d up before Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
The NBA’s All-Star Weekend hasn’t held quite the same appeal in recent years. The game is moving back to an East vs. West format after the experiment of having players draft their own teams failed. The dunk contest was losing interest as well before G-Leaguer Mac McClung won it last season. Now, the NBA has another novel event to look forward to in Indianapolis. The NBA and WNBA’s 3-point champions will face off for the ultimate shooting trophy.
