NBA All-Star Weekend: Steph Curry defeats Sabrina Ionescu to win best three-pointer in basketball

CNN
—

We know Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu They are great three-point shooters. But this weekend, We have to know who is the best.

Curry narrowly defeated Ionescu on Saturday when the two sharpshooters faced off during All-Star Weekend in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA three-point contest to settle a long-running controversy.

The Golden State Warriors star scored 29 points, while the New York Liberty star scored 26 points.

Ionescu said on the TNT broadcast that she's excited to “change the narrative” among NBA and WNBA players.

“It was amazing,” Ionescu said. “Just to be able to have this be the first of this type of event and for us to come out here and put on a show but understand what this means. Excited to change the narrative and be able to do it alongside the greatest to ever do it.”

Curry, who was wearing a three-point champion belt, was complimentary of the event and Ionesco.

“It couldn't have been any better as they took their chance in front of that stage, and we ran with all that hype, and to deliver like that, it set the bar, and it was unbelievable to watch,” Carey said. “So, this might be something — I don’t know if anyone can fill that spot, but it might be something we have to do more often.”

Curry is a two-time NBA champion and holds the league's all-time record Most career 3-pointers made (3,642).

However, in 2023, Ionescu set the WNBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single season (128). She also set an all-time WNBA and NBA record for three-point contests last season, hitting 37 points out of a possible 40.

According to the official statement, Curry was shot NBA balls from the three-point line in the NBA, while Ionescu used them WNBA Equations – The line is a little closer and the ball is a little smaller.

However, confident of her abilities ahead of the match, Ionescu said she wanted to level the playing field. “I'll shoot from the NBA line…let's get it,” she said Written on Xformerly known as Twitter.

As part of the contest, both Curry and Ionescu's charities will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA. The couple will also have the opportunity to raise money for the NBA Foundation, which aims to promote economic empowerment in the Black community, with each regular shot worth $1,000, each money ball $2,000 and a special 29-foot, 9-inch 3-pointer. It's called the $3,000 “STARRY Range Ball.”

“I think this is the coolest thing ever,” Carrie said TNT said In late January.

“I like the confidence, I like the competition. It's a new format at this point.”

Meanwhile, G League player Mac McClung won his second straight NBA dunk contest, sealing the victory by leaping over Shaquille O'Neal in stunning fashion, as the Osceola Magic guard became the fifth player in league history to defend his title.

McClung's jump over the 7-foot-1 O'Neal earned a perfect score of 50 from the judges, as he snatched a basketball from the NBA legend's hands and dropped it into the net, despite being nearly a foot shorter.

The 25-year-old told TNT afterwards that he was “honoured” to win back-to-back titles but criticized his performance, adding: “I wish I could have done more for the fans.”

He earned the only perfect score of the night with this stunning dunk, while his previous efforts, including one in which he jumped over two people, gave him a strong start in the competition.

He defeated the Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown, while the Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the New York Knicks' Jacob Toppin were eliminated in the first round.

Traditional Three-point contest Competing for the title was Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young.

In the end, Lillard, the star of the Milwaukee Bucks, succeeded in defending his three-point title, becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008.

All-Star Weekend will culminate with the All-Star Game on Sunday at the Indiana Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which will see the best of the best compete against each other.

The game reverted back to the traditional Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format this year, with many of the league's biggest stars lining up in Indianapolis.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are the captains of the East and West, respectively, while Joel Embiid is the biggest name to miss due to surgery. Knee injury earlier this month.

Work on Saturday I started With the NBA's bid for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) as Virginia Union played Winston-Salem State.

The all-round skills of the players were on display on Saturday evening with the Skills Challenge, before the Three Point Contest showcased some of the best talent from deep and the Slam Dunk Contest concluded the evening.

And on Sunday, the G League – the NBA's minor league affiliate – will host its own series of events starting at 1:30 PM ET at G League Park at the Indian Convention Center before the crown jewel of the weekend, All-Star Weekend. The match will take place at 8 pm EST.

TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is a division of Warner Bros. Television. Discovery (WBD), which owns CNN.

CNN's Ben Church contributed to this report.