Curry beats Ionescu in debut NBA vs. WNBA challenge

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry defeated New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge at Saturday's All-Star festivities.

Colloquially deemed "Stephen vs. Sabrina," Curry, who went second, tallied 29 points to win the inaugural event.

Ionescu put Curry under pressure off the bat, drilling her first seven heaves en route to finishing with 26 points - the same score put up by Damian Lillard to win the NBA's Three-Point Contest earlier Saturday.

"To deliver like that, she set the bar," Curry said of Ionescu on the broadcast after his win. "It was unbelievable to watch. This might be something that - I don't know if anybody can fill these shoes, but it might be something that we gotta do more often."

Along with bragging rights, Curry also walked away with a new championship belt, which was unveiled shortly before the competition got underway.

Curry is the NBA's all-time leader in made 3-pointers, converting 3,642 to date in his 15-year career. Though Ionescu has played just four WNBA seasons, she holds the record for the most made threes in a single season after hitting 128 in 2023 on a 44.8% clip.

She also broke the Three-Point Contest record for both men and women by tallying 37 points in the WNBA's All-Star event last season.

"If you can shoot, you can shoot," Ionescu said of going toe-to-toe with Curry, courtesy of TSN. "It doesn't matter if you're a girl or boy; I think it just matters the heart that you have and wanting to be the best that you can be."