Liberty Star Sabrina Ionescu Denied Stephen Curry Rematch

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu won't have a chance for revenge against Stephen Curry this All-Star Weekend.

Feb 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) after the Stephen vs Sebrina three-point challenge during NBA All Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is getting a rare weekend off.

The newly-minted WNBA champion's chance at revenge against Stephen Curry will be denied: per Shams Charania of ESPN, this weekend's All-Star festivities in San Francisco will not feature a sequel of last year's co-ed three-point shootout between Ionescu and Curry.

"We weren't able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar off of last year’s special moment," NBA executive vice president and chief communications officer Mike Bass said of the cancelation, per Charania. "We all agreed not to proceed and will instead keep the focus on All-Star Sunday’s new format.”

NBA-WNBA shootout with Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu is off. NBA's Mike Bass: "We weren't able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar off of last year’s special moment. We all agreed not to proceed and will instead keep the focus on All-Star Sunday’s new format.”

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 13, 2025

Ionescu and Curry, Bay Area legends long lauded for their respective prowess from the outside, took it outside during last year's All-Star Saturday showing in Indianapolis. With both players shooting from the NBA three-point line and using their respective league's basketballs, Curry secured a narrow 29-26 victory. It was the first officially sanctioned one-on-one matchup between and NBA and WNBA player.

The showing, billed as "Stephen vs. Sabrina," earned positive reviews from critics and audiences and rumors persisted that a rematch would be staged this weekend in the Bay Area, especially with Curry's Golden State Warriors hosting and Ionescu's hometown of Walnut Creek sitting just over a half-hour away.

Rumors persisted that certain innovations would be introduced to up the ante, including the potential involvement of reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and moving the co-ed contest to halftime of Sunday's main event. As mentioned by Bass, the 2025 All-Star Game will be moving to a four-team tournament format featuring teams represented by NBA on TNT personalities Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Candace Parker, and Kenny Smith.

Ionescu, currently competing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league partly founded by Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart, mentioned that she planned to be in attendance earlier this winter considering how close it is to home while Curry will be partaking in his 11th All-Star Game.

New York will still be represented in All-Star Saturday's outside affairs, as Knicks captain/point guard Jalen Brunson will partake in the NBA's 3-Point Contest for the second consecutive season.

Those seeking some semblance of a Liberty fix will likely turn to Friday's All-Star Celebrity Game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), which will feature former New Yorker Kayla Thornton in her first unofficial public appearance as a member of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's newest squad set to tip off in May.

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