After The Epic Sabrina Ionescu-Steph Curry 3-Point Duel, We Might Get A 2-On-2 Edition Next Year With Caitlin Clark & Klay Thompson

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Steph Curry
TNT

Even if the Slam Dunk Contest is slowly dying and G League player Mac McClung is building his own little dynasty out of that event, the inaugural NBA vs. WNBA 3-point shootout at NBA All-Star Weekend was a big hit when New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu gave the GOAT shooter Steph Curry a real run for his money in a showdown that went Steph’s way, 29-26.

Pretty awesome. Damian Lillard won the actual 3-Point Contest earlier in the evening, yet this was a lot more interesting. Even more compelling was the talk afterwards of a potential 2-on-2 matchup in 2025, where Ionescu would likely enlist eventual Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Ionescu implied that Steph already has a running mate in mind — and who else would it be other than his fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson?

Sign me up for this! Clark is the one women’s player I’ve seen who has shooting range comparable to the likes of Steph (and Dame). Klay isn’t the player he once was, but in a setting like this, he can still knock down treys with the best of them. Steph and Klay are far and away the best perimeter shooting backcourt of all-time.

You’d think that Ionescu and Clark would have a tough time hanging with the four-time NBA champions. However, let’s look back at the peak of Ionescu’s 3-point exhibition prowess, when she netted 37 points in a single round of racks in 2023.

When Clark had the chance to break the women’s all-time NCAA scoring record, well, this is what happened:

Crossing over the NBA and WNBA when possible is a great twist to an otherwise rather sleepy period in the NBA season. It’s usually at this point where teams really start to lock in and make playoff pushes. But the All-Star festivities have lost some of their luster over the years, too.

Curry and Clark are pure box office draws, while Ionescu has certainly established herself as one of the best all-around players in the WNBA. She just so happens to be a lights-out shooter from downtown as well.

Good on Ionescu for holding her own against Steph. Talk about an incredible amount of pressure. I’m sure 99.9% of us, even with comparable shooting ability, would wilt under that bright of a spotlight.

Almost don’t want to include them so as to dignify them, but if anyone heard Kenny Smith’s commentary, best to just ignore it and move on. The Jet was out of his element and out of pocket on this one.

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