CURRY TOPS GRIPPING SHOOTOUT WITH IONESCU
INDIANAPOLIS—Stephen Curry sank his last four shots from the right corner to defeat Sabrina Ionescu, 29-26, in a three-point NBA-Women’s NBA challenge in the NBA AllStar Saturday festivities.
Ionescu set the score to beat, matching the best numbers by any player in the NBA threepoint contest, only for Curry to rally late for the victory. He then hugged Ionescu as both celebrated a contest to remember.
“I knew I had to get hot,” Curry said of his closing run to win the challenge champion’s belt.
The first-ever shootout of the sexes was a groundbreaking showdown between elite guards—Golden State’s Curry, the NBA’s all-time, three-point basket leader, and WNBA single-season three-point record holder Ionescu of the New York Liberty.
“A night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot,” said Ionescu. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy. I think it just matters the heart that you have and wanting to be the best that you can be.”
Both shot from the NBA three-point range, Curry with an NBA ball and Ionescu with a slightly smaller WNBA ball.
“This couldn’t have gone any better in the sense of us two taking the challenge in front of this stage. To deliver like that, like she said, the ball was unbelievable to watch,” Curry said. “I don’t know if anybody can fill these shoes, but this might need to be something we more ofdo ten.”
Ionescu challenged Curry after she made 37 of a possible 40 points in last year’s WNBA 3-Point Contest, the best score in any single round of a WNBA or NBA three-point competition. “That was amazing, just to be able to have this be the first of its kind event and come out here and put on a show, understanding what this means,” Ionescu said. “Excited to change the narrative and be able to do it alongside the greatest to ever do it.” Curry hoped the matchup would inspire young talent to appreciate shootgreat ing.
“For her to have a presence on this stage is going to do a lot to inspire next generthe ation of young boys and girls that want to compete and see themselves in either of us,” Curry said.