Ionescu, Ex Liberty Teammate To Partake in WNBA 3-Point Contest
It's anything but an All-Star break for Sabrina Ionescu.
In addition to working with Courtney Vandersloot at Skills Challenge, the New York Liberty point guard will partake in the WNBA's 3-Point Contest on Friday in Las Vegas (4 p.m. ET, ESPN). The outside showcase, part of the WNBA's All-Star festivities in Sin City, will also feature former Brooklyn sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb.
Ionescu and Whitcomb, now repping the Seattle Storm, will be joined by DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas), and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
Along with Carrington and Young, Ionescu is making her maiden voyage in the 3-Point Contest. As it stands, she ranks second in successful triples (54) and fourth in percentage (44.6 percent). Ionescu notably built one of her finest metropolitan hours through outside shooting on June 9's win over Atlanta, setting a franchise record with eight three-pointers in a single game en route to a career-best 37 points.
This will be the 10th edition of the WNBA's three-point event. Whitcomb was the last seafoam-branded participant, which also featured current Liberty rep Jonquel Jones (then playing for the Connecticut Sun). On the current leaderboard, Whitcomb's successful 37 from deep is tied with another New Yorker, Breanna Stewart, for the eighth-best tally in the Association. The Liberty got a taste of what Whitcomb still has to offer in their final Barclays Center effort before the break: she put in 19 points, all but three in the second half, as New York staved off an upset bid from Seattle on Saturday afternoon.
In just two seasons in New York (2021-22), Whitcomb sank 135 triples as a member of the Liberty, which ranks 13th in franchise history. Her 38.9 percent success rate ranks fifth among qualified shooters.
"She's one of the best, if not the best, three-point shooters in the league," Ionescu said of Whitcomb in July 2021. "She's coming in and giving us such a lift...we're all leaning on her for advice and leadership."
Ironically, Vandersloot's wife Allie Quigley is the most lauded competitor in the 3-Point Contest, winning four of the nine efforts to date. Ionescu and Vandersloot will come off the bench for a team captained by Stewart in the All-Star's main event on Saturday night at Michelob Ultra Arena (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
That group and more will re-don seafoam on July 19 when they take on the Dallas Wings in a matinee (1 p.m. ET, YES/NBA TV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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