Sabrina Ionescu Sets NBA and WNBA 3-Point Contest Record
Sabrina Ionescu Smashes the NBA and WNBA 3-Point-Contest Record
New York Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu made history on July 14 when she scored a record 37 points in the WNBA 3-point-shooting contest in Las Vegas. Not only did she smash the WNBA record (set by Allie Quigley, who scored 30 points in 2022), she also broke the NBA record that was previously held by Stephen Curry and Tyrese Haliburton, both of whom scored 31 points in previous All Star–weekend contests. In fact, Curry was so impressed, he tweeted a video of Ionescu's history-making performance alongside one single word: "RIDICULOUS!"
Ionescu began her record-making run by missing the first shot. But from there, nothing could stop her. She went on to score 20 baskets in a row and ended up missing just two attempts total, making 25 out of 27 shots. A perfect run would have given her 40 points, with Money balls being worth two points and Starry balls being worth three each. The Seattle Storm's Sami Whitcomb came in a distant second with 24 points.
Per ESPN, Ionescu revealed she was confident going into the 3-point-shooting contest even though she lost the Skills Challenge earlier in the evening. "Yeah, I knew they were going in," she said. "There's adrenaline. It was the final round. I had just lost in the Skills [Challenge], and I wasn't going to lose again."
She continued, "I've put in a lot of work to be able to shoot like I have been from the 3-point line. This one's pretty rewarding."
Next up for Ionescu is the WNBA All-Star Game on July 15. Check out her incredible performance in the video above.
