Sabrina Ionescu Gets Liberty Sweep With Historic 3-Point Contest
Ionescu's 11 wound up pulling off a historic heist for both herself and the New York Liberty on Friday night in Indianapolis.
Sabrina Ionescu made history in the All-Star Game prelude at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, earning her second triumph in the WNBA 3-Point Contest. Ionescu is now 2-for-2 in the long distance shootout, having previously prevailed in the 2023 showing in Las Vegas.
Ionescu did not match her historic 37-point tally from the final round of her maiden voyage (a record for either gender) but still put up 30 in the final round to beat out defending champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta). The point guard becomes the second player in WNBA history to earn multiple triumphs in the 3-Pointer Contest, joining the recently-retired Allie Quigley, who earned four between 2017 and 2022.
While it was clear that Ionescu wouldn't duplicate her Sin City shooting, she sank 11 consecutive triples on the middle racks to create a sizable lead. Gray put up a respectable 21 in return and graciously accepted her defeat, being the first to congratulate Ionescu upon her confirmed triumph.
Imagine getting 30…and it’s somehow a downgrade
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) July 19, 2025
Check out Sab’s final round:#WNBA #LightItUpNYL pic.twitter.com/zHPYhPWAlX
Combined with Natasha Cloud's win in the Skills Challenge staged just before Ionescu's output, the 2025 Liberty becomes the third team in WNBA history to sweep both events. Gray did so by herself for last season's Atlanta Dream while Liberty legend Becky Hammon won the 2009 3-Point Contest in the same year her then-San Antonio Silver Stars teammate Sophia Young shared the Skills Challenge win in a team setting.
The event offered slight redemption for Ionescu, who narrowly fell to fellow deep shooting legend Stephen Curry in a co-ed competition during the 2024 NBA All-Star festivities, also held in Indianapolis. Ionescu, in fact, outright apologized for missing several shots during her final round, staying true to her competitive nature.
"I'm pretty disappointed. I feel like I missed a few easy ones there that I definitely could have made, so I'm sorry about that," Ionescu said with a smirk to ESPN's Holly Rowe in the aftermath. "But I'm just happy to be here, and obviously, happy to have one with my teammate, Natasha Cloud, who won the skills competition as well."
Ionescu will rep a team captained and curated by injured Indiana star Caitlin Clark in the main event on Saturday night, which will pit her against Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.