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We know Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu are great three-point shooters. But this weekend, We have to find out who is the best.
Curry narrowly defeated Ionescu on Saturday as the two sharpshooters faced off in the first three-point contest between the NBA and WNBA on All-Star Weekend to settle a long-standing debate.
The Golden State Warriors star scored 29 points, the New York Liberty star scored 26.
Ionescu said on the TNT broadcast that she was looking forward to “changing the narrative” between NBA and WNBA players.
“That was incredible,” Ionescu said. “Just to have the opportunity for this to be the first event of its kind and for us to come here and put on a show but understand what that means. I look forward to changing the narrative and doing it alongside the best to ever do it.”
Curry, wearing a three-point belt, praised the event and Ionescu.
“It couldn't have gone better in the sense that we both took the opportunity in front of that stage, ran with all the hype and delivered like that, she set the bar, it was incredible to see,” Curry said. “So this could be something – I don't know if anyone can fill those shoes, but it could be something we need to do more often.”
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Stephen Curry prepares to shoot in a three-point duel against Sabrina Ionescu.
Curry is a two-time NBA three-point champion and holds the league record for most three-pointers made in a career (3,642).
However, in 2023, Ionescu set the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a season (128). She also set a WNBA and NBA all-time record in three-point contests last season with 37 of 40 possible points.
According to the official press release, Curry fired NBA balls from the NBA three-point line while using Ionescu the WNBA equivalents – the line is a little closer and the ball is a little smaller.
However, Ionescu was confident in her abilities before the game and said she wanted to level the playing field. “I’ll shoot from the NBA line…let us know,” she said wrote on Xformerly known as Twitter.
As part of the competition, Curry and Ionescu's respective charities will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA. The pair will also have the opportunity to raise money for the NBA Foundation, which aims to provide economic empowerment for the Black community, with each regulation shot receiving $1,000, each money ball receiving $2,000, and a special 29-foot -9-inch three-point throw called “STARRY Range Ball” worth $3,000.
“I think this is the coolest thing ever,” Curry said TNT said End of January.
“I love the confidence, I love the competition. It’s a new format on this stage.”
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Ionescu has become known for her threesomes.
Meanwhile, G League player Mac McClung won his second straight NBA dunk contest, sealing his victory by passing Shaquille O'Neal in spectacular fashion. 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 grabbed a basketball from the NBA legend's hands and threw it into the net despite being nearly a foot shorter.
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Mac McClung threw the ball over NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
The 25-year-old subsequently told the TNT show that he was “honored” to have won back-to-back titles, but was critical of his performance, adding: “I wish I could have given the audience more.”
This stunning dunk gave him the only perfect score of the night, while his previous attempts, including one in which he jumped over two people, had given him a strong start to the competition.
He defeated Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat and Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks were eliminated in the first round.
In the traditional three-point contest, Malik Beasley, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Trae Young fought for the crown.
In the end, Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks' All-Star guard, successfully defended his three-point title, becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008.
All-Star Weekend culminates in Sunday's All-Star Game at the Indiana Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse, pitting the best of the best against each other.
The game has returned to the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format this year, with many of the league's biggest stars competing in Indianapolis.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are the captains of the East and West teams, respectively, while Joel Embiid is the biggest name out, having undergone surgery for a knee injury earlier this month.
Saturday's action began with the NBA's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) presentation as Virginia Union played Winston-Salem State.
The players' all-round skills were showcased in the Skills Challenge on Saturday evening, before the Three-Point Contest showcased some of the best talent from deep and the Slam Dunk Contest rounded off 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 p.m. ET at G League Park at the Indian Convention Center before the weekend's crowning jewel, the All-Star Game takes place at 8:00 p.m. ET.
TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is the division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which owns .
's Ben Church contributed to this report.