The Curry-Ionescu shootout was the best thing about last year’s All-Star Weekend. So naturally the NBA couldn’t make it happen again.
Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors are hosting the NBA All-Star Game this weekend in San Francisco. Sabrina Ionescu was born in Walnut Creek and went to high school in Orinda. A rematch of last year’s Steph vs. Sabrina three-point contest seems like a natural fit! Which is why the NBA is screwing it up.
NBA-WNBA shootout with Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu is off. NBA’s Mike Bass: “We weren’t able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar off of last year’s special moment. We all agreed not to proceed and will instead keep the focus on All-Star Sunday’s new format.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 13, 2025
The NBA loves to change up the format of All-Star Weekend. From the Elam Ending, to having players draft regardless of conference, to this year’s three-team, round robin format, the league almost tries to make everything as difficult to follow as possible. This year there was a draft by the “Inside The NBA” panelists and a pre-tournament round robin for young players or G Leaguers to qualify. The Skills Challenge has two-player teams, while last year it had three-player teams, and previously it was an individual competition.
So in a way, it’s not a surprise that the NBA powers that be can’t simply run back the dramatic and entertaining “Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge” that was so popular last year in Indianapolis.
Anthony Slater and Joe Vardon reported that Curry and Ionescu, who won a WNBA title with the New York Liberty and an Olympic gold medal last summer, “were not interested in a rematch.” The dream plan, according to unnamed sources, was a two-on-two men-versus-women event that would include WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, and possibly Splash Brother Klay Thompson.
That plan fell apart because Clark announced she wanted to reserve her star power for the WNBA’s own All-Star Weekend this year, which is being hosted by Clark’s Indiana Fever. It’s understandable, as she’s the WNBA’s most popular player and may not want to spread herself too thin. From her college season that led directly into her first WNBA season, Clark also might simply want to allow people to miss her.
But the NBA has known for weeks that Clark didn’t want to be part of this event. They likely knew even before Clark’s public statement. So why couldn’t the NBA have found one other WNBA star to compete in the two-on-two matchup? Kelsey Plum is a two-time WNBA champion and gold medalist who made almost as many three-pointers as Clark last season, at a higher percentage. Or Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin. Or reach into the college ranks and invite UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
The NBA didn’t do any of this and let the event die. Even with two players with local ties, a few months before a new WNBA team is playing their first season. Adam Silver took a rack of money balls and punted them into the stands.