By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The upcoming NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis officially receives a boost with the anticipated matchup of sharpshooters and former three-point contest champions Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu.
After both sides pointed to the shootout last week, the addition to the All-Star Game schedule became official on Tuesday.
Set for February 17, one day before the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest, the Starry 3-Point Contest, and the Kia Skills Challenge accompany the NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge on the Saturday schedule.
Per the press release: “NBA all-time 3-point leader and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and WNBA single-season 3-point record holder and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu will compete in “Stephen vs. Sabrina,” the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night.
The competition will air on TNT after the STARRY® 3-Point Contest and before the AT&T Slam Dunk. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
As part of the competition, Curry’s Eat.Learn.Play. nonprofit and Ionescu’s SI20 Foundation will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA. In addition, each shot made by Curry and Ionescu will trigger a donation from State Farm to the NBA Foundation to support economic empowerment in the Black community. Each regular 3-pointer made will be valued at $1,000, the money ball at $2,000 and the “STARRY Range Ball” – a deep 3-pointer from 29 feet, 9 inches away – at $3,000.
“Stephen vs. Sabrina” will follow standard STARRY 3-Point Contest rules. Curry will shoot from the NBA 3-point line with NBA basketballs, and Ionescu will shoot from the WNBA 3-point line with WNBA basketballs.
Ionescu challenged Curry to a 3-point competition after she recorded 37 points (out of a possible 40 points) in the final round of the STARRY WNBA 3-Point Contest at AT&T WNBA All-Star 2023, setting a WNBA and NBA single-round event record and winning the contest for the first time. Curry raised the challenge once again when he was mic’d up during Golden State’s Jan. 25 game against the Sacramento Kings on TNT. Ionescu responded on social media officially accepting the challenge.
Curry, a two-time NBA 3-Point Contest champion, has made an NBA-record 3,577 3-pointers in the regular season. In 2023, Ionescu set a WNBA single-season record with 128 3-pointers.”