Liberty Teammate Jonquel Jones Ready to Challenge Sabrina Ionescu in 3-point Contest

Stephen Douglas | Jun 21, 2024

Oct 18, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) and forward Jonquel Jones (35) during pregame warmups prior to game four of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Liberty beat the Cameron Brink-less Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, 93-80. Sabrina Ionescu scored a season-high 31 points and had her best shooting performance of the season, making 6-of-11 three-point attempts. Teammate Jonquel Jones chipped in with 22 points, the second highest total of the game and hit 2-of-5 three's of her own. After the game a reporter asked if Jones might consider challenging Ionescu in the 3-Point Contest during All-Star weekend.

Jones' response was confident and resulted in a lighthearted moment between herself, Ionescu and coach Sandy Brondello.

“I’ll beat her too” 😂😅

Somebody send @jus242 that invite to the 3 PT contest 👀

🌟Vote Libs for All-Star: https://t.co/GVBxBhScs7 pic.twitter.com/pE5JOmhhak

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) June 21, 2024

"Look, I always say when they invite me I'll do it," said Jones. "So if they invite me, I'll beat her too."

As the reporter pointed out, Jones is shooting 44% from three this season, which is actually about 10 percentage points higher than Ionescu this year. The big caveat is that Ionescu is the defending champion in the event. In fact, she put on a performance so impressive in last year's contest they invited her to NBA All-Star Weekend to take on Stephen Curry.

Anyone confident enough to step on the court for this contest with Ionescu probably deserves a shot, but Jones certainly has the resume to earn the opportunity. She has a higher career three-point percentage than Ionescu by 0.4%, even if Ionescu takes 4.1 more attempts per game. So good luck to Jones or anyone else who does get an invite.