The Stephen Curry show is unreal!!4 straight games with 7+ Triples. One man show.

 

Over the course of her childhood, Sabrina Ionescu resided in the Bay Area of California. She was a fan of attending Golden State Warriors games, particularly to see Stephen Curry. During the year 2020, while Ionescu was a senior at Oregon, Curry took his daughters, Riley and Ryan, to one of the Ducks’ games that was played at Cal. On the other hand, Ionescu, the standout guard for the New York Liberty, will have the opportunity to do something that she could never have dreamed; she will be competing against Curry in a three-point shooting contest during NBA All-standout weekend in Indianapolis. The tournament was announced one month ago, and on Tuesday, Ionescu and Curry participated in a video conversation with the media to discuss it. Curry is the only player in NBA history to win the 3-point challenge twice, in 2015 and 2021. The three-point battle that Ionescu won at the WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas in July of last year was won by Ionescu, who scored 37 of the possible 40 points. The fact that Ionescu nailed 20 consecutive shots at one point caused it to become a phenomenon on the internet and broke Curry’s record of 31 points scored.

Ionescu jokingly sent out a challenge to Curry on social media afterward, and then the two spoke to each other. Their conversation was the genesis of this event. Both said it shows the connection between the NBA and WNBA.

Ionescu, 26, said while there might still be basketball fans who are dismissive of the WNBA, events like this represent the mutual respect between the two leagues’ players.

“There’s going to be a young kid who hasn’t maybe watched many WNBA games but is going to watch this, and they’re going to have that dream of one day maybe shooting against their idol,” Ionescu said. “We’re a small piece of changing the narrative. This isn’t really scripted. This isn’t something we’re doing to try to check something off the box. We’re really excited for the opportunity. It’s really organic.”

It was initially announced that Ionescu would shoot from the WNBA’s shorter 3-point line, which is set at 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches at the top of the key, compared with the NBA’s 23 feet, 9 inches. But Ionescu requested to shoot from the NBA line, the same as Curry.

“Personally, I shoot from that range to begin with,” Ionescu said of the NBA line. “I practice from that range in wanting to just be a better shooter, a better basketball player and get better as a whole. It was a no-brainer from when it was first presented that I wanted to shoot from the NBA line. And continue to just prove that we’re capable, and we’re willing. Very thankful that I was given that opportunity, and I’m gonna capitalize on it.”

Curry, 35, has long been a proponent of the WNBA, and the Warriors will have a WNBA expansion franchise that begins play in 2025.

“You look for opportunities to just raise the bar on what it means to be a basketball fan,” Curry said. “It’s an authentic competition between two great shooters who’ve had success in the 3-point contest. However it plays out, this is what sports is about: competing.

“The attention and just the level of play growing (is) every single year (in the WNBA.) Then you cap that off with the fun and entertainment aspect of what happened at All Star Weekend and what Sabrina was able to do. With NBA All-Star weekend we can keep that the narrative going. It’s uncharted territory, and I think we’re both honored and privileged to be the first to do it.”

Curry said his daughter Riley saw a graphic on television about the contest and asked him about it. Even though she is a fan of Ionescu, Curry said Riley will still be rooting for her dad.

“We’re having this moment and reshaping how people think about just competition in general,” Curry said. “You’ve got kids that are in gyms, boys and girls playing. Whatever else comes out of it, we’re going to continue to tap in and invest in moments like these that can move the needle.”