Michael Voepel
Indiana Fever guard and All-Star group captain Caitlin Clark will take part in her first 3-point contest as a professional Friday as a part of WNBA All-Star Weekend, the league introduced Tuesday.
She might be joined by the New York Liberty‘s Sabrina Ionescu, the Washington Mystics‘ Sonia Citron, the Los Angeles Sparks‘ Kelsey Plum and the Atlanta Dream‘s Allisha Grey, the defending champion of the occasion.
Individuals additionally had been introduced Tuesday for the talents problem; each occasions might be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with the printed starting at 8 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN. The All-Star Sport is Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC between groups picked by captains Clark and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx.
Final season, Grey received each the 3-point and expertise titles; she is an All-Star starter this season and can attempt to repeat that feat. Grey headlines the talents problem once more and is joined by New York’s Natasha Cloud, the Seattle Storm‘s Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler, and the Lynx’s Courtney Williams.
Ionescu received the 3-point contest in 2023 with a report rating of 37 within the ultimate spherical. Clark was an All-Star as a rookie final season however did not participate within the 3-point contest then.
Clark’s administration group stated earlier this yr when she turned down competing in some vogue at NBA All-Star Weekend that the younger star needed her first 3-point contest to be in Indianapolis on the WNBA occasion.
Clark is understood for her emblem 3-pointers, however she has struggled this season from behind the arc, particularly after quad and groin accidents compelled her to sit down out 9 video games. She is taking pictures simply 28.9% (28 of 97) from behind the arc.
Nonetheless, Clark’s 3-point prowess is prodigious: together with being the Division I profession scoring chief in faculty basketball (3,951 factors), Clark additionally set the Division I mark for profession 3-pointers (548) whereas taking pictures 37.7% at Iowa from 2020 to 2024. And he or she led the WNBA final season with 122 treys whereas taking pictures 34.4%.
Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard presently leads the WNBA with 56 3-pointers and was picked as an All-Star reserve. However she is out the remainder of July with a knee damage and will not take part within the All-Star Sport. She was changed by Minnesota’s Kayla McBride, who’s tied with Plum for second in 3-pointers (50). Grey is fourth with 49, and Ionescu is tied for fifth with 47. Citron, a rookie All-Star reserve, has 33 3-pointers this season.
The Related Press contributed to this story.
