SI

Klay Thompson Open to NBA Three-Point Contest With Curry, Clark, Ionescu

This would be must-see TV.

Tim Capurso

Curry and Ionescu after the Stephen vs Sebrina three-point challenge during NBA All Star Saturday Night.
Curry and Ionescu after the Stephen vs Sebrina three-point challenge during NBA All Star Saturday Night. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Last season, the NBA put an intriguing twist on the three-point contest, a part of the league's All-Star Weekend since 1986, when it decided to add an intersport one-on-one showdown between Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.

The contest, won by Curry, earned the seal of approval from the majority of basketball fans. And it appears the league has even bigger plans for the contest, as there have been rumblings that Curry's former teammate Klay Thompson, as well as Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, could join the fray.

Thompson, following the Dallas Mavericks' 130-108 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday, was asked about potentially being a part of such a contest—and the veteran sharpshooter was open to the possibility.

"It’d be fun," Thompson said, via Mavericks beat writer Landon Thomas. "I don’t know the details but if the opportunity presents itself that would be cool to be a part of."

The NBA reportedly has been recruiting Curry, Clark, Ionescu and Thompson to participate in a contest similar to the Steph vs. Sabrina event from last year's All-Star Weekend, according to a November report from ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania.

For her part, Ionescu, during a Nov. 9 appearance on the Big Ten Network's Big Ten Tailgate ahead of an Oregon vs. Maryland football game, made it clear that, if given a choice, she'd want Clark as a teammate if the NBA adopted a 2 v 2 three-point contest.

"I mean, if I had to choose, I would take Caitlin Clark on my team," she said.

The NBA, in an effort to drum up interest in the Sunday slate on All-Star Weekend, reportedly plans to move the Steph vs. Sabrina contest from Saturday to Sunday, in between games of the league's new All-Star Game format it also plans to unveil this year, according to Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal.

Curry, a 10-time All-Star, is the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made. Thompson, his former Warriors teammate, ranks fifth on that list and has made 41.1 percent of his career attempts from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Ionescu, who has knocked down a robust 2.7 triples per game in her career, and Clark, who led the WNBA in three-pointers made in her rookie season, are two of the deadliest shooters in women's pro basketball.

Putting them all together on the court would be must-see TV.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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