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We know Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu Great three-point shooters. But this weekend, We have to find out who is the best.
First NBA vs. Curry narrowly beat Ionescu on Saturday to settle the long-running debate when the two sharpshooters went head-to-head during the WNBA three-point contest during All-Star Weekend.
The Golden State Warriors star had 29 points to the New York Liberty star's 26.
Ionescu said on the TNT broadcast that he's excited to “change the narrative” between NBA and WNBA players.
“It was amazing,” Ionescu said. “It has to be the first of these events, to come out here and put on a show, but to understand what it means. It's exciting to change the narrative and to be able to do it with the best that can do it.
Curry, wearing the three-point champion belt, praised the event and Ionescu.
“We both took the opportunity to be in front of this stage and run with all the hype, and to deliver like that, she set the bar and it was incredible to watch,” Curry said. “So, it might be something — I don't know if anyone can fill these shoes, but it might be something we need to do more often.”
Stacey Revere/Getty Images
Stephen Curry prepares to shoot a three-point challenge against Sabrina Ionescu.
Curry is a two-time NBA three-point contest champion and holds the league record Most career three-pointers were made (3,642)
However, in 2023, Ionescu set the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a season (128). She set the WNBA and NBA all-time scoring record in three-point contests last season, recording 37 of a possible 40 points.
According to the official release, the curry shot NBA balls from the NBA three-point line, when used by Ionescu WNBA equivalents – the line is a bit closer and the ball is a bit smaller.
But Ionescu said he wanted to level the playing field, confident of his ability before the match. “I shoot from the NBA line… and get it,” she said Wrote in XFormerly known as Twitter.
As part of the contest, Curry and Ionescu's respective charities will receive donations from the NBA and WNBA. The pair will have the opportunity to raise money for the NBA Foundation, which aims to further economic empowerment in the black community, with each regular shot worth $1,000, each money ball worth $2,000 and a special 29-foot-9-inch three-pointer called the “STARRY Range Ball” valued at $3,000.
“I think it's the best thing ever,” Curry said told TNT Late January.
“I love the confidence, I love the competition. It's a new format on that stage.
Stacey Revere/Getty Images
Ionescu is known for his three-pointers.
Meanwhile, G Leaguer Mac McClung won his second consecutive NBA Dunk Contest, leapfrogging Shaquille O'Neal in spectacular fashion to seal the win, making the Osceola Magic guard the fifth player in league history to defend his title.
McClung's 7-foot-1 O'Neal leap earned a perfect 50 from the judges as he snatched a basketball from the NBA legend's hands and put it into the net, albeit nearly a foot short.
Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Mack McClung dunked the ball over NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
The 25-year-old said after the TNT broadcast that he was “honoured” to win back-to-back titles but criticized his performance, saying “I wish I could have given the crowd more”.
He got his only perfect score of the night with that showstopping dunk, while his earlier efforts, including one where he jumped over two people, gave him a strong start to the tournament.
He beat Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, while Jaime Jacques Jr. of the Miami Heat and Jacob Taubin of the New York Knicks were eliminated in the first round.
Traditional A three-point match Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrus Halliburton, Damian Lillard, Larry Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young competed for the crown.
In the end, Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks All-Star guard, successfully defended his three-point tournament title, becoming the first player to win back-to-back crowns since Jason Capono did so in 2007 and 2008.
All-Star Weekend culminates Sunday with the Indiana Pacers' All-Star Game from Cainbridge Fieldhouse, which sees the best of the best compete against each other.
With many of the league's biggest stars lining up in Indianapolis, this year's traditional Eastern Conference vs. The game has returned to the Western Conference format.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James lead the East and West respectively, while Joel Embiid is the biggest name to miss out on surgery. Knee injury earlier this month.
Saturday action started The NBA's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) showcased as Virginia Union played Winston-Salem State.
The players' all-around skills were on display with Saturday evening's skills challenge, with the deep three-point contest and slam dunk contest showcasing some of the best talent from the evening.
And on Sunday, the G League — the NBA's minor league affiliate — will host its own series of events at G League Park at the Indian Convention Center beginning at 1:30 p.m. before the crowning All-Star of the weekend. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET.
TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and abbreviated as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WPT), owned by CNN.
CNN's Ben Church contributed to this report.
