Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu Not Participating in WNBA 3-Point Contest
Right after Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark made history breaking the WNBA single-game assist record in a loss to the Dallas Wings, the participants for the 3-Point Contest at All-Star weekend were announced, with a couple notable omissions. Clark herself and defending champion Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty.
Just announced: Caitlin Clark will NOT be participating in the 3-Point Contest. For the Fever, Erica Wheeler will be participating in the Skills Challenge. pic.twitter.com/EUSb9HmVLm
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) July 18, 2024
The reveal obviously caught fans off guard given Clark is the biggest draw in the league and known for her deep threes, and since Sabrina is fresh off going head-to-head against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the 3-Point Contest for the NBA.
no disrespect to anyone else but having a 3-point contest without caitlin and sabrina is a massive fumble of the bag
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) July 18, 2024
The natural reaction is to jump on the league, however the reason for each's absence remains to be seen and it is certainly possible both players opted not to participate, instead deciding to get some rest. Clark will be getting her first extended time off in recent memory after the All-Star Game itself, while Ionescu will be heading to Paris to compete in the Olympics with Team USA. Clark was coy when asked about her possible participation before the game against Dallas, which was perhaps a result of her already knowing she would not be a part of it for whatever reason.
Caitlin Clark on possibly appearing in the All-Star weekend 3-point contest:
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) July 17, 2024
“My focus is on this game tonight, and then we’ll turn to All-Star after that.”
Last year, 3-point contest participants were announced the day before the event. pic.twitter.com/YxDypMqyx5
Regardless, the All-Star contest itself should have extra juice since Caitlin will be commanding Team WNBA, coached by Chery Miller, in taking on the Olympics squad she was left off of. Clark will be joined by Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese and her Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell in attempting to take down Team USA.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!