Daily Times

Stephen Curry is headed back to NBA All-Star weekend. Sabrina Ionescu will be waiting for him.

The shootout that both of them wanted is officially a reality, the NBA announced Tuesday. “Stephen vs. Sabrina” will happen as part of All-Star Saturday Night in Indianapolis on Feb. 17. Curry, the NBA´s all-time 3-point king, will take on the reigning WNBA 3-point shootout queen and single-season record holder Ionescu.

“Stage is set! Let’s get it,” Curry posted on social media. Ionescu responded simply: “Let’s go!”

This matchup was months in the making. Curry was wired with a microphone for Golden State´s game last Thursday night against Sacramento and had a discussion with Warriors teammate Brandin Podziemski about Ionescu, who scored an almost-perfect 37 points in the WNBA´s 3-point contest last summer. That topped Curry´s NBA 3-point contest best of 31.

“I think I´ve got to challenge her,” Curry told Podziemski.

Ionescu responded on social media: “Let´s getttttt it!! See ya at the 3 pt line.” In fact, she technically initiated the challenge: Ionescu posed for a photo imitating Curry´s famous lights-out pose while holding her trophy at the WNBA All-Star event and raised the possibility of a matchup.

The NBA was more than happy to make it happen.

Curry will shoot from the NBA 3-point line with NBA basketballs, and Ionescu will shoot from the WNBA 3-point line with WNBA basketballs. At stake: bragging rights and a lot of cash for charity – Curry´s Eat.Learn.Play. nonprofit and Ionescu´s SI20 Foundation will receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA for participating. Every shot they make – $1,000 for regular 3s, $2,000 for money-ball 3s and $3,000 for deeper 3s from nearly 30 feet – will bring a donation from State Farm to the NBA Foundation “to support economic empowerment in the Black community,” the league said.

Curry has four of the five highest single-season 3-point totals in NBA history, with his record of 402 coming in the 2015-16 season. Ionescu led the WNBA with 128 3s last season, while shooting nearly 45% from distance.

“I´m envisioning a Bobby Riggs versus Billie Jean King from 1973, so maybe it´s the modern-day battle of the sexes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I know those two are close. Sabrina being from the bay, we´ve seen her at our games before and everybody loves her and pulls for her. So it´ll be fun to see them shooting against each other.”

No surprise here: Victor Wembanyama is headed to his first All-Star weekend.

The San Antonio rookie and No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft was one of 28 players picked for the Rising Stars games, to be held on the Friday of All-Star weekend, Feb. 16.

No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of Charlotte and No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson of Portland are joining Wembanyama among the rookies selected for the games – the format is a mini-tournament with the seven-player rosters, and a championship game after two semifinals. Henderson is in the event for a third time, after being picked twice when he played for the G League Ignite in 2022 and 2023.

Also picked from the rookie class was Oklahoma City teammates Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, Washington´s Bilal Coulibaly, Utah´s Keyonte George, New Orleans´ Jordan Hawkins, Miami´s Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dallas´ Dereck Lively II and Golden State´s Podziemski.

From the second-year class are Orlando´s Paolo Banchero, New Orleans´ Dyson Daniels, Detroit teammates Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, Utah´s Walker Kessler, Indiana´s Bennedict Mathurin, Sacramento´s Keegan Murray, Portland´s Shaedon Sharpe, Houston´s Jabari Smith Jr. and Oklahoma City´s Jalen Williams.

Reigning slam dunk champion Mac McClung was one of seven G League players picked for the event, along with Izan Almansa, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland, Tyler Smith, Oscar Tshiebwe and Alondes Williams.