Steph Curry defeats Sabrina Ionescu in first ever WNBA & NBA 3-point contest

While the NBA’s All-Star Weekend still had its regular 3-point contest, there was a unique spin on the event this year with the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry going head to head with WNBA sensation and New York Liberty sniper, Sabrina Ionescu to establish who is superior from beyond the arc.

Steph Curry edges Sabrina Ionescu in 3-point showdown

Again, it would be fair to say that there were no losers on Saturday night when Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu went up against each other in a 3-point contest, but as is always the case, somebody had to be declared the winner. To that effect, it was the Warriors talisman who came out on top with 29 points. Interestingly, Ionescu chose not to shoot from the women’s 3-point line of 20 feet, 6 inches, opting instead to use the NBA’s regulation line distance of 23 feet, 9 inches, though she did still use a WNBA ball.

Following a fan vote to determine who would begin the contest, Ionescu was granted the opportunity to begin and she made it count. With five racks of five balls placed at different points around the 3-point line, the 26-year-old showed that she was worth the hype. Of the five racks that Ionescu was provided with, 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” and placed according to the preference of each competitor. To her credit, Ionescu drilled every shot from her first rack and eventually ended with 26 points. Unfortunately, the man they call ‘Chef Curry’ did what he does best which is to come in clutch, sinking some critical shots from his final rack.

Steph Curry took Sabrina Ionescu very seriously

Given how much Curry has achieved in his career, one would think he would have been relaxed coming into this challenge, even more so after predicting earlier in the week that he would win, however, the Warriors star was anything but chill. Ionescu on the other hand, appeared as calm as could be coming into the contest, speaking casually with those who were on hand. Curry by contrast openly admitted his apprehension when asked about his feelings ahead of the showdown. “I’m so nervous, man,” he told a reporter in the locker room while changing into his uniform. “The whole world is going to be watching.”

To be fair, it was Ionescu who initially issued a challenge to Curry after setting a record for both leagues by scoring an unbelievable 37 points in the 3-point contest at last year’s WNBA All-Star Weekend. With that tally, the Liberty star actually broke Curry’s previous record of 31. Ultimately, the question of who is the best overall sharpshooter may have been answered for the moment, but given the level of attention that the contest garnered, we’ve got to imagine this isn’t the last time that it will be asked. In other news, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard became the first player to win the NBA’s 3-point contest in two consecutive years since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008. The Bucks new star did so after a 26-point haul.