Steph vs. Sabrina lived as much as the hype at NBA All-Star Weekend

INDIANAPOLIS — Residing as much as web hype is hard. And Saturday’s first-of-its-kind 3-point showdown between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu had plenty of buzz main as much as it. Throughout the festivities of NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, the query posed to seemingly each participant and individual concerned, irrespective of the venue and irrespective of the occasion, was easy: “Steph or Sabrina?”

It took seconds into the competition to understand the hype was warranted.

Sabrina Ionescu opened the competition — through which she opted to shoot from the NBA 3-point line — and missed simply as soon as within the first two racks, together with hitting all 5 of her cash ball makes an attempt on the opening one. She tallied 14 factors via the primary 10 photographs and completed with a rating of 26.

Steph Curry responded in sort, saving his streak for the again half of the spherical. And he wanted each certainly one of them, as his last shot on the ultimate rack — his chosen cash ball rack — gave him 28 factors, the victory and the inaugural 3-point champion belt.

“I noticed the primary rack, I believe she made the primary six, I imagine, perhaps seven. I used to be having flashbacks of watching this summer time,” Curry stated. “It doesn’t matter what competitors, whether or not it was this or the common 3-point competitors, we might have each superior to the following spherical. So it added a whole lot of stress, for certain.”

There was definitely already a whole lot of stress and concentrate on the occasion. Each gamers got here in chilly, having not carried out earlier within the night time. Each had only one spherical to dwell up-to-the-minute.

And whereas that is coming mid-season for Curry, Ionescu is months away from her season even starting.

All that makes Ionescu’s efficiency from the bounce remarkably spectacular. It instantly energized the occasion and, in some ways, legitimized it.

Whereas the announcement of this showdown led to weeks of build-up, in actuality, this was for much longer within the making. Steph holds the document for factors within the NBA 3-point contest, scoring 31 of 40 on All-Star Saturday night time in 2021.

Sabrina, in the meantime, obliterated that document together with her gorgeous exhibiting on the WNBA All-Star weekend, recording 37 of a doable 40 factors by hitting 25 of her final 26 photographs. It stands as the best efficiency in any skilled 3-point contest, WNBA or NBA.

In January, Steph fairly coyly laid out the problem whereas mic’d up on TNT, with it quickly reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic as an occasion added to All-Star weekend.

The weeks of debate and debate that adopted led to the occasion feeling like the largest deal on one other night time the place All-Star Saturday was in any other case as soon as once more filled with duds.

Sabrina vs. Steph, although, didn’t observe the underwhelming script. The sector was by no means louder on the night than it was after she blazed via her first 10 photographs. The group was by no means extra invested than it was in that occasion.

Ionescu was exceptional, matching the best rating of the night time from any NBA participant within the contest. In actual fact, her 26 factors was precisely as many as Damian Lillard had in his last spherical to win the 3-point contest.

“Actually, simply pleased that we had been capable of get on the market and begin taking pictures,” Ionescu stated. “Clearly there was a whole lot of buildup to this and pleasure round it. So I used to be simply excited to have the ability to lastly have the chance to get on the market and simply shoot, to be trustworthy.”

The grander results of the night time was the doorways opened. And large image, it’s Sabrina’s phrases that may resonate longest.

The WNBA’s greatest shooter went toe-to-toe with the best shooter of all time. The visible of Ionescu pushing Curry to the wire isn’t going to be forgotten by the essential viewers it would attain.

“I believe the media has modified the dialog for little girls and boys watching us play, it doesn’t matter what gymnasium you present as much as, don’t low cost who’s to your left and to your proper,” Curry stated. “If they’ll shoot, they’ll shoot. We will compete and have enjoyable. Hopefully we will be fashions of what that appears like on the largest stage.

“Long run, we’ll see,” Curry continued “She’s simply getting began on her profession, so I’ll let her converse to that. However we’ll proceed to search out superior methods to additional the dialog on how superb the ladies’s recreation is, getting the eyeballs on it and proceed to create power round it. This was a small step in that course.”

That final level feels extra related. The door is now broad open for future variations of this occasion.

Caitlin Clark’s identify was talked about greater than as soon as on the night time by these in attendance, assuming she enters the WNBA this spring.

Lillard captured his second straight 3-point contest title.

Steph Curry is able to run it again once more subsequent season.

“We’ve been speaking about discovering other ways to alter this up subsequent yr,” Ionescu stated. “I believe he has a associate in thoughts that’s going to hitch him. So I’m open to any associate that would assist me win and take that belt.”

Photograph by Joe Murphy/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures

By residing as much as the hype on Saturday, Steph vs. Sabrina stole the present and set the stage for a probably larger future, on and off the courtroom.

“Clearly very grateful for everybody that’s form of helped make this dream we each had a risk,” Ionescu stated. “We’re very excited to see form of what the long run has to carry with extra individuals having the chance to do stuff like this.”