Over the past few days, rumours surrounding a three-point shootout between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu became the hottest topic of the NBA. Today, the league confirmed that the two basketball phenoms will go head-to-head in the first-ever crossover event between the NBA and the WNBA.
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During the All-Star Weekend’s eventful Saturday night, Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will compete in a 3-point challenge. The contest is expected to take place after the STARRY 3-Point Contest concludes.
The two sharpshooters will shoot from their respective league’s three-point line. Steph will use the NBA regulation ball, shooting from the NBA’s standard line. Whereas, Sabrina will use the WNBA regulation ball, shooting from the WNBA’s standard line.
In anticipation of the historic event, fans may be wondering about the difference between the two three-point lines. In the NBA, the three-point line is 23ft 9” at the top of the key and reduces to 22ft at the corners. Whereas, the three-point line for the WNBA is slightly closer to the basket – 22ft 1.75” at the top of the arc and 22ft in the two corners.
What are the rules of the Stephen Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu shootout?
The “Stephen vs Sabrina” contest will follow the standard 3-Point Contest rules that we’ve been accustomed to seeing. Each of the players will have 4 racks with 4 game balls (worth 1 point) and 1 money ball (worth 2 points). The 5th rack will consist of all money balls and the spot for the same can be decided by the participants.
The league also introduced a new rule to the contest a few years ago – the “Starry Range” shot (worth 3 points). These two shots are set slightly further away than the regular attempts.
To make things more competitive, the Eat.Learn.Play. nonprofit (Curry’s choice) and the SI20 Foundation (Ionescu’s choice) will receive generous donations from State Farm – $1,000 for every regular 3-pointer made, $2,000 for every money ball made, and $3,000 for every Starry Range ball made.
After the NBA revealed the details of the contest between the two high-profile superstars, Sabrina Ionescu made an interesting comment. The WNBA’s New York Liberty star took to X (formerly “Twitter”) and revealed that she would also join Curry and use the NBA’s standard 3-Point line instead of the WNBA’s line.
It is commendable to see Ionescu putting her competitiveness on full display. Hopefully, she can present a formidable challenge to the NBA’s all-time three-point leader.
