INDIANAPOLIS — Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu won her second WNBA 3-Point Contest on Friday night to complete an epic Liberty sweep after Natasha Cloud captured the Skills Challenge title just moments before.
Despite not having practiced shooting off the rack in a long time, Ionescu caught fire in the final round, registering a whopping 30 points for the win.
Only Ionescu, though, would be “disappointed” in finishing with what tied the second-highest score ever posted in the WNBA 3-Point Contest.
“I missed a few easy ones there that I definitely could’ve made,” Ionescu said. “So sorry about that. But just happy to be here and obviously happy to have won with my teammate, Natasha Cloud.”
Cloud had been telling Ionescu since they both committed to participating in WNBA All-Star Friday night that they had to sweep the night.
After Cloud took care of business in the Skills Challenge, she knew Ionescu would deliver a show.
“To come out on top and a Liberty biberty night, this is just also refreshing, right?” Cloud said. “We had a hard start to the season. This is the break and the reset for us, and to come out with some wins and this good confidence going into the second part of the season here, but it’s a great night for the community and organization.”
Ionescu may be a seasoned veteran by now and look comfortable when she lines up to start, but even she admitted to feeling nervous because of the amount of pressure she puts on herself to perform at a high level.
She hopes that when people watch her they see what can happen if you believe in yourself, “fight your own demons” and “put yourself at risk of failure.”
That’s what she had to do Friday night in Indianapolis.
When Ionescu heard the signal to start, though, she locked in and blocked out all that was around her.
Ionescu is one of only two players to eclipse 30 points in this contest. The other is Allie Quigley, who logged 30 points in her 2022 win.
Her near-perfect 37-point performance in 2023 still stands as the NBA and WNBA record in the event.
“Thirty is not too bad, so happy with 30 as well,” Ionescu said. “Just want to be where my feet are at. Not beat myself up too much about not getting the record. And maybe I’ll get it one day.”
After her win, she called Stephen Curry to show him her trophy after the four-time NBA champion beat her the last time she participated in a 3-point contest in Indianapolis.
Ionescu said she’s unsure whether she’ll defend her title at next year’s event, saying there’s a lot of unknown factors that could sway her decision.
As for her $62,575 prize, Ionescu said she promised Mystics rookie Sonia Citron before the event that she’d give her half if she won because she knows how much courage it takes to participate in the nationally televised event as a rookie.
“I obviously have to hold up my end of the bargain,” Ionescu said.
The other half will be donated to her SI20 Foundation.
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