
WNBA All-Star 3-point competitors unveiled: Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu headline field
WNBA All-Star weekend is officially here.
Team Caitlin Clark will go head-to-head against Team Naphessa Collier on Saturday during the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But before Clark teams up with Sabrina Ionescu in the All-Star Game, she will compete in Friday's WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest.
The 3-point contest field includes two former champions, including Ionescu, who currently holds the 3-point competition record in the WNBA or NBA after the New York Liberty star knocked down 37 of 40 3s en route to a victory in 2023. Atlanta Dream All-Star Allisha Gray made history of her own last year when she became the first player in WNBA history to sweep the skills challenge and 3-point contest in the same season. She will defend both on Friday.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 WNBA All-Star's festivities on Friday.
2025 WNBA STARRY® 3-Point Contest
Rhyne Howard currently leads the league in made 3s this season (56), but with Howard sidelined from All-Star activities due to a left knee injury, the door is wide open. Gray is shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc in Atlanta, which marks the highest among the five participants. Clark is shooting 28.9% from 3 this season, down from her average of 34.4% last year, and is looking to snap out of a shooting slump. She has shot 23-of-74 from the field and 6-of-35 from beyond the arc in the past five games as she's dealt with left leg injuries.
The 3-point competition will feature two timed rounds with money balls (two points) and Starry balls (three points) in play. This year, players will also get to place a special 'all money ball' rack, where every ball is worth two points, anywhere among the five shooting locations. The top two from the first round will go head-to-head in a final round.
Here's the full list of competitors:
Kia WNBA Skills Challenge
The WNBA Skills Challenge features a timed obstacle course consisting of bounce passes, a chest pass, a 3-point shot from the top of the arc, an elbow jumper, a corner three, an outlet pass, speed dribbles and a final shot from anywhere on the court. To make it even more challenging, the WNBA is throwing a wrench into things by placing a 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid onto the court. The top two from the first round will advance to the final round.
This year's participants are:
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