Who is Mike Bass? Is He Responsible For Canceling Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu’s All-Star Contest?
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier today that there won’t be a repeat of last year’s Steph Curry-Sabrina Ionescu 3-Point Contest during NBA All-Star weekend. Shams tweeted out a statement from the NBA’s Mike Bass to share the news, which has led many fans to wonder who this mystery man is exactly. Is he the one responsible for canceling the event?
While it would be a fun NBA subplot in a season full of them if Bass were some kind of nefarious anti-commissioner hell-bent on Adam Silver’s destruction, the reality is far less exciting. Bass is the Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for the NBA, which basically means he’s responsible for the league’s public relations and messaging.
Given that the Curry-Ionescu battle was such a huge hit last year with a Curry 29-26 win, fans were hoping for a repeat. Though Bass issued the statement, the decision not to run the event wasn’t his. This is a classic case of “Don’t shoot the messenger,” as fans are undoubtedly disappointed they won’t get a rematch between two of the best long-range snipers in the game.
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
Bass has worked for the NBA since 1997, and he’s had his Executive Vice President title since 2012. He’s also had a huge role in promoting the WNBA and helping it reach its current level of success.
So why won’t there be another Curry-Ionescu showdown?
According to Bass’ statement, it can be inferred that the league only wanted to do the event if it could make it bigger and better than last year. Shams tweeted back in November that there were “strong discussions” of bringing it back, possibly with the additions of Curry’s former teammate Klay Thompson and WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark.
A Splash Brothers reunion versus reigning WNBA champ Ionescu and reigning Rookie of the Year Clark would have been must-see TV. But it was reported two weeks ago that Clark declined the invitation, choosing to make her 3-Point Contest debut at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend in July.
Just because it’s off this year doesn’t mean the event’s gone for good. Curry and Thompson aren’t getting any younger, but they’re arguably the two greatest shooters in basketball history and two of the best long-range marksmen in the game. Ionescu and Clark are only going to keep getting better, so hopefully we can see this all play out next year in Los Angeles.
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