BANG: Steph Curry defeats Sabrina Ionescu in groundbreaking All-Star 3-point challenge

[Allen]

Steph Curry defeats Sabrina Ionescu in groundbreaking All-Star 3-point
challenge
Curry edged out Ionescu in a masterclass of shooting, sportsmanship and
respect

>Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors participates in a
3-point challenge against Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty
during the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium on
Feb. 17, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly
acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty
Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Danny Emerman is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter
By DANNY EMERMAN | deme...@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: February 17, 2024 at 7:21 p.m. | UPDATED: February 17, 2024
at 7:32 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/02/17/steph-curry-defeats-sabrina-ionescu-in-groundbreaking-all-star-3-point-challenge/


The forever face of the Warriors franchise and the Bay Area basketball’s
first daughter each promised to compete, and they delivered.

Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all-time, defeated New York Liberty
star Sabrina Ionescu in an inaugural inter-sex 3-point challenge at
All-Star weekend. The contest turned out to be a masterclass — as
expected for the pair of iconic sharpshooters — and a display of
sportsmanship, grace and mutual respect.

Ionescu hit her first seven shots and finished with 26 points, matching
the high score by anyone not named Curry. Going second, the Warriors
superstar registered 29 points to narrowly win the unprecedented NBA vs.
WNBA 3-point challenge.

“I think a night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys
that if you can shoot, you can shoot,” Ionescu, a Walnut Creek native,
said on TNT. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or boy, it just matters
the heart you have and wanting to be the best that you can be.”

The 3-point shootout was birthed last year, with Ionescu’s
record-breaking performance in the WNBA 3-point contest. She made 25 of
27 attempts, including 20 straight at one point, leading Curry to marvel
on social media, “Ridiculous.” Ionescu challenged Curry to a shoot-out
in a friendly reply, and the NBA made it happen for All-Star Saturday in
Indianapolis.

From Curry’s standpoint, he didn’t have much to gain by facing Ionescu.
How would potentially losing a contest to Ionescu look? What could he
possibly gain from defeating Ionescu, who shot from NBA distance?

Any number of fairly admirable, fairly likely motivations could then be
reasonably projected onto Curry. He cares about growing the women’s
game. He wants to be a role model for both boy and girl ballers. He’s
doing the NBA, ever-interested in synergy, a solid by lifting up its
sister league and adding a signature event to an All-Star Saturday that
has gone stale.

It still wasn’t quite “Battle of the Sexes” in terms of cultural stakes,
but some bad faith actors are sure to make their archaic feelings known
online about the credibility of women’s basketball — and women’s
athletics in general. Neither Curry nor Ionescu would ever give any
oxygen to that discourse, instead showering each other with praise and
respect.

“It was just a conversation around promoting the WNBA, the NBA, merging
our two worlds,” Curry said before the event. “I don’t know what’s gonna
come out of it, but I think me and Sabrina talked about it like, how
cool an opportunity it is to do something that’s never been done before
in our game. And for her to have a presence on this stage is gonna do a
lot to inspire the next generation of young boys and girls that want to
compete and see themselves in either one of us.”

Before the match, each shared pleasantries and introduced their charity
foundations. The contest was not just a show of sportsmanship but of
philanthropy. It was all about positivity, not conflict and animosity.

Ionescu went first, sinking her first seven shots. She finished with 26
points out of a possible 40 — the same number that Damian Lillard hit to
win this year’s NBA 3-point Challenge.

Ionescu then applauded along as Curry approached her high score on the
last rack. Many NBA players, including Kyrie Irving and even Curry’s
longtime teammate Klay Thompson, were pulling for her. But Curry had
other plans. As he’d said earlier, “There’s only one outcome, though,
it’s that I win.”

After Curry surpassed Ionescu on the final rack, finishing with a score
of 29, they met outside the 3-point arc and hugged.

“That was amazing,” Ionescu said on TNT. “Just to be able to have this
be the first of its kind event and come out here, put on a show. But
understanding what this means, excited to change this narrative and be
alongside the greatest to ever do it.”

[Robin Miller]

This is such a great story, particularly in the midst of such a
challenging Warriors' season.

--Robin