Steph Curry, Sabrina Ionescu 'privileged' to face off at NBA All-Star weekend - 'Uncharted territory'
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Published 14/02/2024 at 21:18 GMT
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu feels she and Steph Curry are "changing the narrative" around women’s basketball by participating in a three-point contest at the NBA All-Star weekend. Curry, the Golden State Warriors point guard, added that they were both "honoured and privileged" to be participating in the challenge, which will be held on Saturday, February 17.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors poses for a photo with Oregon Ducks Basketball player, Sabrina Ionescu
Image credit: Getty Images
Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu have spoken about the significance of their three-point contest at the NBA All-Star weekend.
The challenge, which was announced last month, is scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 17.
Curry is a two-time winner of the NBA's three-point challenge and has a record of 31 points, but Ionescu hit 37 out of a possible 40 points when she won last year’s WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas.
The New York Liberty guard then jokingly issued a challenge to Curry on social media, which eventually led to the face-off at the NBA All-Star weekend.
"There's going to be a young kid who hasn't maybe watched many WNBA games but is going to watch this, and they're going to have that dream of one day maybe shooting against their idol," said Ionescu during a press conference with Curry.
"We're a small piece of changing the narrative. This isn't really scripted. This isn't something we're doing to try to check something off the box. We're really excited for the opportunity. It's really organic."
Ionescu is set to shoot from the NBA’s three-point line, rather than the WNBA’s shorter line.
"Personally, I shoot from that range to begin with," she explained. "I practice from that range in wanting to just be a better shooter, a better basketball player and get better as a whole.
"It was a no-brainer from when it was first presented that I wanted to shoot from the NBA line. And continue to just prove that we're capable, and we're willing. Very thankful that I was given that opportunity, and I'm going to capitalise on it."
The 26-year-old Ionescu grew up in San Francisco and often attended Golden State Warriors matches to watch Curry.
In turn, Curry took his daughters to watch Ionescu in 2020 when she played a match for the Oregon Ducks in California.
The point guard has often shown his support for the WNBA, and discussed how the three-point contest against Ionescu could add to the league’s rapid growth.
"You look for opportunities to just raise the bar on what it means to be a basketball fan," Curry said. "It's an authentic competition between two great shooters who've had success in the 3-point contest. However it plays out, this is what sports is about: competing.
"The attention and just the level of play growing [is] every single year [in the WNBA.]
"Then you cap that off with the fun and entertainment aspect of what happened at All Star Weekend and what Sabrina was able to do.
"With NBA All-Star weekend we can keep that narrative going. It's uncharted territory, and I think we're both honoured and privileged to be the first to do it."
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