The upcoming three-pointer shootout between Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu is perhaps the most anticipated event at this year’s All-Star weekend, after the All-Star Game. Curry and Ionescu are the best three-point shooters in the NBA and the WNBA respectively, accruing the highest scores in the three-point contests in their respective leagues. The matchup between the two became inevitable after Ionescu broke the record for the highest number of threes made in a shoot-around during the WNBA’s All-Star weekend last year.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets legend Carmelo Anthony is one of the most recent basketball personalities to share his thoughts on the intriguing contest. In a recent episode of the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Melo praised the initiative as a special hallmark in promoting women’s sports across the United States.
In conversation with Mikal Bridges and The Kid Mero, Anthony remarked,
“Sabrina’s [Ionescu] nice, bro…Honestly, speaking honestly, She ain’t gonna beat Steph…I’m not here to debate nobody…I think Steph is the greatest shooter of all time.“
However, Anthony pointed out events like these could change the landscape of women’s sports, bringing in more eyeballs and revenue. The 39-year-old added, “I love this concept. I love it for the business of basketball, like in women’s sports. Because, for the longest time, women have complained, ‘Why we don’t get paid the way they do in the NBA?’ So now, you get a chance to put somebody on that stage who can actually sell…along with Steph. This is a moment I think is going to spark some s**t in sports.”
Carmelo Anthony also predicted that the growing popularity of women’s sports could mean that women’s basketball might surpass some of the other sports in terms of popularity. Moreover, after learning the 3-point records of both Steph and Ionescu in their leagues, Melo seemed beyond impressed. The former Nuggets star wants both the players to give their best and warned Steph not to go easy on Sabrina when it’s time to face off against her.
The ‘Battle of the Sexes’ could turn out to be an intense matchup this February. Even though Curry is the better contested shooter of threes between the two, fans shouldn’t rule out Ionescu in a contest like this. The event will certainly not be a walk in the park for the 35-year-old NBA superstar, that’s for sure.
Stephen Curry is excited about facing Sabrina Ionescu in a 3-point challenge
Stephen Curry is as excited as the fans to face New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu for the 3-point shooting challenge. The challenge materialized after Ionescu created the WNBA record for most three-pointers made in a season, scoring 37 points on 25 of 27 shooting last summer. She soon reached out to Stephen Curry with this challenge, who was more than eager to face the 26-year-old star, who has also pledged to shoot from the NBA-mandated 3-point line.
Curry is extremely excited and pleased with the NBA for introducing such a platform. Though he claimed to be “coming to win,” he shouldn’t take Ionescu’s shooting lightly. If we were to tally Steph and Sabrina’s three-point records, Sabrina leads the way by miles compared to the 4x NBA champion. The league will donate money to Sabrina and Steph’s chosen charities for every shot they make, thus making this challenge benefit a noble cause.
