https://newsletter.threefourtwo.com/p/sabrina-ionescu-wnba-all-star

Sabrina Ionescu put up one of the most impressive shooting displays I have ever seen. It was also one of the more important shooting displays I have ever seen. 

By now you know that Sabrina Ionescu lost her mind in the WNBA’s All-Star 3-Point Contest on Friday. Got 37 out of a possible 40 points, setting the single-round record in both the WNBA and the NBA. 20 consecutive makes, a near minute of not missing. Just an unbelievable display of shooting. There have been 27 seasons of the WNBA; Sabrina Ionescu won the 10th 3-Point Contest. And this is where it becomes important. 

As a wise man once said “that math is not mathing.” 

Stick with me. 

In 2006, the WNBA announced their first 3-Point Contest. In doing my Googles, I found the press release. That initial contest was initially scheduled to “take place at 1:30 PM, prior to the East and West All-Star Practices.” The event was “open to the public and free of charge.” It was televised live on NBA TV at 1:30 PM EST on a Tuesday afternoon in July. 

In furthering my research, I believe that event took place prior to the All-Star Game on Wednesday instead. It was announced to have six participants and ended up with four. I could not find anymore information or footage of it. 

In 2007, Washington Mystics guard Laurie Koehn won the 3-Point Contest, setting a then-record 25 points, tying Craig Hodges’s NBA mark in the process. This event also took place prior to the WNBA’s All-Star Game. The only way that I found any of this out was by clicking on a 2007 article on the WNBA reaching a new television deal with ABC. Becky Hammon won in 2009; Katie Douglas won in 2010. The contest did not return until 2017 where it (again) took place during halftime of the All-Star Game. That three point contest is easily available on YouTube. We entered the Allie Quigley era rather [checks notes] quickly. 

Think about this. Las Vegas has been home to the WNBA All-Star Festivities three times: in 2019, 2021, and 2023. In 2019, the WNBA actually had an WNBA All-Star Friday Night. In 2021, the contest was at halftime. In 2023, it was on a Friday afternoon. 

What made Ionescu’s performance so important was the moment. The 3-Point Contest (and Skills Challenge) returned to being a stand alone event the day prior to the All-Star Game, and it got thismoment. I fondly remember my co-host Nekias Duncan trying to figure out where the 3-Point Contest was in 2022. We fast forward a year, and the biggest complaint is “why was this on during the day?” 

Progress is not always linear, folks, but you will see it.

—Steve