Sabrina Ionescu had nothing but pride about her performance against Steph Curry in their All-Star three-point challenge. "I didn’t back down from the challenge and going up against the best shooter this game has ever seen — and shooting from the NBA line to show all those young kids to not be scared in doing something that has never been done before," Ionescu told ESPN's Malika Andrews. Ionescu put up 26 points, matching the best scores from NBA talent like Damian Lillard. However, some clutch moneyball shooting from Curry sealed a close win for the Warrior legend. Furthermore, as Ionescu alluded to, she did it all from the NBA line, as opposed to the WNBA one.
Many fans hoped that the event would become a staple, potentially allowing for a rematch between Ionescu and Curry. After all, it was Curry who initially issued the challenge. Curry first proposed the idea while discussing Ionescu with his teammate, Brandon Podziemski. "I think I've got to challenge her. I think I gotta bring her out, we gotta settle this once and for all," Curry told his rookie teammate. The veteran three-point star was referring to the fact that Ionescu had sunk 37 threes at last year's WNBA All-Star Game. That surpassed Curry's own All-Star Weekend record of 31.
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Who Is Sabrina Ionescu?
Sabrina Ionescu is one of the hottest stars in the WNBA. She carved a legendary individual career for herself at Oregon, winning National Player of the Year in 2020 and finishing her career as the only NCAA player in history with 2000 points, 1000 assists, and 1000 rebounds. However, Ionescu was never able to capture an NCAA title. The closest she came was reaching the Final Four in 2019. Oregon were amongst the title favorites for the cancelled 2020 March Madness tournament.
After her standout career with the Ducks, Ionescu was the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. However, her first years in the league were derailed by injury. However, now healthy, Ionescu is finally finding her form. She has made back-to-back all-star and all-WNBA second-team appearances. Furthermore, she reached the WNBA Finals in 2023 as part of a stack New York Liberty superteam. As long as injuries do not becoming a larger problem for her, Ionescu's star will only continue to grow.
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