Sabrina Ionescu sets 3-point contest record: ‘I knew they were going in’

Sabrina Ionescu won the 3-point shooting contest at WNBA All-Star weekend in scintillating fashion Friday, breaking the all-time record for most points scored in the contest in WNBA and NBA history.

The New York Liberty guard hit all but two of her shots in the final round, scoring 37 out of a possible 40 points to set the single-round record. That number surpasses the NBA record of 31, previously held by Steph Curry (2021) and Tyrese Haliburton (2023). It also breaks Allie Quigley’s WNBA record of 30 set in 2022.

While Ionescu missed her first shot, she went on to hit 20 in a row and 23 out of 25 for the round.

Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) just set the all-time record for NBA or WNBA with a score of 37 PTS in the FINAL ROUND of the #Starry3PT Contest to be crowned the NEW 3-PT CHAMPION 🏆 | @starrylemonlime pic.twitter.com/YcGy3fDfBq

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 14, 2023

“UNBELIEVABLE!!! This record won’t ever be broken,” Quigley wrote on Twitter.

Curry also celebrated the record-breaking performance, noting that Ionescu’s shooting display was “RIDICULOUS!” Ionescu later challenged him to a shootout.

After her victory, Ionescu said that she’d been practicing with the help of Liberty teammate and Quigley’s wife Courtney Vandersloot, who gave her some tips. But it was her confidence heading into the final round that set her apart.

“Yeah, I knew they were going in,” Ionescu said of the performance. “There’s adrenaline. It was the final round. I had just lost in the Skills [Challenge] and I wasn’t going to lose again.”

The fourth-year guard is shooting 44.6% from 3-point range this season, a career best. Her 54 made 3-pointers rank second in the league.