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Klay Thompson Picks Sabrina Ionescu to Beat Steph Curry in Three-Point Challenge

Saturday can’t get here soon enough.

Tom Dierberger

Klay Thompson Picks Sabrina Ionescu to Beat Steph Curry in Three-Point Challenge
Klay Thompson Picks Sabrina Ionescu to Beat Steph Curry in Three-Point Challenge /
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Two of basketball’s greatest shooters are going head-to-head Saturday, as Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry will battle New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu in the inaugural NBA-WNBA three-point challenge at All-Star weekend.

Warriors teammate Klay Thompson recently shared his thoughts on which sharpshooter will come out on top.

“I’ve got the Bay Area’s finest—Sabrina all day,” Thompson said in a video posted to social media Tuesday.

“Better than Steph?” the social media administrator asked.

“Oh yeah, all day,” Thompson replied.

Ionescu set a three-point shootout record last season by scoring 37 out of a possible 40 points at the 2023 WNBA All-Star event in July. Shortly after, she challenged Curry to a shootout on social media.

The WNBA and NBA took care of the rest.

Here’s the format for the contest: There will be four ball racks with four game balls worth one point apiece, and one money ball (two points apiece). Curry and Ionescu will each choose where they want to place the fifth ball rack featuring five money balls. 

There will also be two “Starry Range” shots worth three points apiece, set six feet beyond the regulation NBA 3-point line at 29 feet and nine inches away from the basket.

Curry will use NBA balls, and Ionescu will shoot with WNBA basketballs. The Liberty star initially was set to shoot from the WNBA three-point line during the contest, but she requested to join Curry at the NBA arc.

The contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday on TNT.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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