INDIANAPOLIS — New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu won her second 3-point contest Friday night to kick off WNBA All-Star Weekend, becoming the second player to win multiple shootouts.
Ionescu won by scoring 30 of the possible 40 points in the second round, beating reigning champion Allisha Gray, who had 22. Ionescu’s 30 points tied Allie Quigley for the second most in a WNBA 3-point contest. Ionescu holds the record of 37, set in 2023.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get it when I missed a few on the front end,” Ionescu said of the record. “But I mean, I could have gotten close. I just missed some easy ones at the end. I think I knew I was high up there, and I kind of locked out a little bit and started like listening to the crowd. But I mean, 30 is not too bad. So I’m happy with 30 as well.”
More than chasing her record, Ionescu was looking to avenge the last 3-point contest she participated in — a February 2024 shootout against Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry during NBA All-Star Weekend.
Earlier Friday, Ionescu said going up against Curry was the most pressure she had felt at an All-Star event. This time around, she was focused on having fun and not taking it too seriously. Ionescu didn’t practice leading into the contest, and the first time she shot off a rack was during warmups just moments before the competition started.
“I remember being a kid and always watching these events and finding my favorite shooter just by watching,” Ionescu said. “I want to be able to be that person that can show up when time permits and be a part of All-Star Weekend and kind of showcase to the world how you can believe in yourself, how you can put the work in. And whether you win or not, it takes guts to be able to go out there when the lights are the brightest.”
Ionescu wasn’t the only Liberty player to take home hardware Friday. In the opening event, teammate Natasha Cloud won the skills challenge, setting up what the duo called a “Liberty Biberty takeover” of the evening.
Cloud recorded the fastest times in both rounds of the competition, clocking 34.1 seconds in the first round and 35.5 seconds in the second. She beat Erica Wheeler by 1.1 seconds in the final.
Cloud won despite missing all three of her shots from the corner over a windmill — the hardest shot of the night.
“I was really just making sure I was making those passes through the target, that I was sprinting in between to cut down on the time from making the passes and then the shots,” Cloud said. “And with the shots, if it didn’t feel right, I didn’t care.”
As Cloud scored her final layup, Ionescu ran down the court to bear-hug her teammate. Cloud then went to center court and picked up her girlfriend, New York teammate Isabelle Harrison, and kissed her. Cloud said her prize money would go toward a down payment on a house for them.
“That’s Izzy B’s money,” Cloud said. “She told me to go win this money for a home, and that’s what it’s going down to.”
Cloud received $55,000 from Aflac as part of a partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and an additional $2,575 from the league. Ionescu won $62,575 — $60,000 from Aflac and $2,575 from the league.
Ionescu promised half of her winnings to Sonia Citron, the Washington Mystics rookie who was eliminated in the first round of the 3-point contest, and the other half to her charitable foundation, SI20.
“I told Sonia that I would give her half if I won when we were sitting on the bench. Being the only rookie, she was nervous, and I was nervous for her,” Ionescu said. “Obviously have to hold up my end of the bargain. So half is going to go to her.”
Cloud said the Liberty’s sweep Friday night should set them up for a strong second half of the season after an up-and-down first half. The Liberty are just the third team to win both challenges in the same year.
“I’ve been talking about it since we both entered the skills and 3-point challenge, been talking to Sab about sweeping the night,” Cloud said. “But today is the day, and it was a good night. I was really thankful for the opportunity … to come out on top in the ‘Liberty Biberty’ night. I think it’s also just refreshing. … It’s a great night for the Liberty organization.”