INDIANAPOLIS — Sabrina Ionescu admitted that she started listening to the crowd toward the end of the final round of Friday’s 3-point competition. She had already hit 11 3s in a row in the middle of her round, electrifying the crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. All she needed to do was close the competition strong.
Perhaps only Ionescu would call out what she didn’t do after recording 30 points in the final round, tying the second-highest score in the event’s history, and after becoming only the second player ever to win multiple 3-point contests. But Ionescu is the WNBA’s best 3-point shooter, and she cemented her crown with another dazzling display.
“I haven’t done this in a little while so to be able to be back in a shootout is always fun,” Ionescu said.
Ionescu called Stephen Curry after winning her second WNBA 3-point competition to show off her trophy. Curry beat Ionescu in a one-on-one shooting competition at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, and she was excited to make her return. Ionescu didn’t take any practice shots off the rack until just before the competition, and she said she felt no added pressure after seeing New York Liberty teammate Natasha Cloud win the skills competition.
Things we love: THIS!
Two teammates take home the prize as contest winners for Friday Night All-Star action!
Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud run the night 💪 pic.twitter.com/Y3JBhK6mVD
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
It was a night for New York to remember.
“For me to be able to share it with my teammate, who I share the locker room with every day, is really special,” Ionescu said.
As a team, the Liberty would receive an A+ for Friday night’s results. But here are grades for all the participants in Friday night’s events.
Skills competitionSkylar Diggins, Seattle Storm: C
Diggins was one of two Storm players who participated in Friday night’s event, and she had the second-best betting odds pre-competition. But she missed her first two jump shots from each of the wing, elbow and corner, and then she dropped the basketball when picking it up before the final layup sprint. She was still shaking her head about missing out on the potential prize money when she caught up afterward with members of the Seattle organization, including Nneka Ogwumiked and coach Noelle Quinn.
Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx: C+
Williams had the difficult task of opening the night’s festivities as the first competitor in the skills challenge, not knowing what time would be necessary to move on. The two-time All-Star guard has been one of the stars of the weekend, as she and her Minnesota teammate Natisha Hiedeman have streamed their time in Indy on Twitch. But Williams didn’t set a high enough bar in her only skills challenge round. She threw two errant chest passes and missed the first try of her right wing and left elbow jumpers. It didn’t take her long to know she didn’t set a high enough mark (42 seconds). After Natasha Cloud finished her first round with a 34.1 second run, Williams leaned back on the bench in some frustration.
Last one up in Round 1 🔥
Allisha Gray puts up a time of 39.4 seconds in Round 1 of the 2025 Kia Skills Challenge pic.twitter.com/UH5luMXezD
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream: B-
Gray entered the event looking to duplicate her winning performance from the 2024 All-Star Game in Phoenix. She even won Team Collier’s halfcourt shooting contest during Friday’s practice, earning her a little more money. But she left Friday’s skills challenge without taking home a big check. She threw three off-target chest passes and then missed her first 3-pointer from the right wing, a four-play stretch which doomed her repeat chances.
Erica Wheeler, Seattle Storm: B+
Wheeler was scheduled to participate in last year’s All-Star skills competition when she was still playing with the Fever, but she was replaced when travel issues prevented her from getting to Phoenix in time. So after putting up a 36.5-second first round on Friday, she said that she felt a jolt and some comfort from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd, which still shows her love. Wheeler was patient on all of her first-round jumpers and her outlet pass. Although she missed her first layup attempt — the only player in the competition to do so — she still advanced to the final round.
Her final round was slightly slower — 37.5 seconds — and Wheeler anxiously watched as Cloud just barely edged her. Though Wheeler missed out on a $55,000 paycheck from the Aflac/WNBPA bonus, she still seemed to be in good spirits postgame, running up to Cloud almost immediately to congratulate her.
Natasha Cloud KIA Skills Challenge CHAMPION! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mHkERQ0mR5
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
Natasha Cloud, New York Liberty: A
Cloud said that Ionescu, the 2022 skills champion, told her to be patient while maneuvering through the course. Cloud was patient yet fast, finishing with the best time in the first round (34.1), despite missing all three of her right-wing 3-point attempts.
Cloud struggled on shooting elements in the final, but she showed why she is one of the league’s fastest players with the ball in her hand as she closed out the competition. She made the outlet pass on the first try and finished the layup to edge Wheeler by 1.1 seconds. Ionescu watched from the other end of the court and immediately beelined to her teammate once Cloud’s victory was decided. She said she would use the $55,000 paycheck for a downpayment on a house, which sounds like a smart investment!
3-point contestSonia Citron, Washington Mystics: C+
Citron was the lone rookie involved in the events, and she put up a solid showing in her debut performance. She was perfect on her five 3-pointers from the top of the key but had poor placement on her moneyball rack, making only one of her attempts from the right wing (which was also the chosen spot for Plum and Gray). Had she picked the middle of the floor, perhaps Citron could have pulled off an upset.
There is another bright spot for Citron here: Ionescu said that she would give half of the $60,000-winning check to the Mystics rookie if Ionescu won the competition, commending her for participating as rookie. Ionescu confirmed she would do so post-competition. Not a bad payday at all for finishing last!
Lexie Hull, Indiana Fever: C+
Hull was the only Fever player to participate in Friday’s events, after Caitlin Clark had to withdraw due to injury. Clark and several Indiana teammates cheered on Hull from courtside, but there was no homecourt advantage. Hull missed her first four 3-pointers, and although she made four of her final five shots, she came up short with her first-round score of 20.
Kelsey Plum starts off the STARRY 3-Point Contest with 22 PTS 🎯 pic.twitter.com/24ihUEOVgY
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks: B-
Plum entered the event looking to improve on her debut 3-point contest performance in 2022, when she scored only 14 out of a possible 34 points. She was much improved in her second time in the competition, finishing with a solid first-round score of 22 after getting hot in the back half of the competition. She temporarily looked poised to advance to the final, but Gray knocked out Plum with a strong closing stretch later.
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream: B+
Gray looked to become the first repeat 3-point shootout contest champion since Allie Quigley in 2021 and 2022, and the event’s second multi-time winner. Her first round was a good start toward that goal, as she tied Ionescu with 25 points and was consistent throughout, making at least three jumpers on each rack. Ionescu’s final total of 30 seemed to throw off Gray, however, as she missed her first four attempts. She was eliminated by the third rack, when she went 0 for 5 at the top of the key. Gray’s final score of 22 was still tied for the highest of anyone but Ionescu, and it was equal to her winning score in 2024.
Sabrina Ionescu puts up a MONSTER 30 PTS to reclaim her STARRY 3-Point Contest title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qgRwN2OPTQ
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty: A+
Ionescu gets the highest grade as she became just the second multi-time 3-point champion in event history. She set the bar high in the first round, recording a score of 25 points. Although she didn’t eclipse her 37-point performance from 2023, she did hit 11 consecutive 3s in the final round — replicating much of the same in-arena energy that she sparked a few years ago when she hit 20 consecutive 3-pointers. Ionescu said that she felt the juice of the crowd, and she put on another show that fans will remember.
(Photo of Sabrina Ionescu: A.J. Mast / NBAE via Getty Images)