usatsi_22551043
Rarely in sports do expressly made-for-television events live up to the hype.
Saturday’s three-point showdown between Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu did exactly that.
In a one-off competition in Indianapolis, Ionescu drained 26 points’ worth of three-pointers from behind the NBA three-point line—only for Curry to equalize and then surpass with 29 points to take the crown.
For his efforts, Curry received a championship belt—but the real winners were basketball fans.
Viewers ladled out praise toward both Curry and Ionescu for their performances.
In an oft-shared quote, Ionescu reminded fans that shooting ability has no gender.
Many urged fans not to use Ionescu’s loss as an excuse to denigrate her or women’s basketball.
Broadly speaking, the prevailing attitude was of celebration for two of the game’s great talents.
Legendary South Carolina coach Dawn Staley praised Ionescu for her performance.
In contrast with the participants, TNT analyst and former NBA guard Kenny Smith attracted criticism for suggesting Ionescu should’ve shot from the shorter WNBA three-point line.
All in all, fans were generally satisfied with the proceedings…
…and were quick to point out the two players’ near-identical shooting pedigrees.
Some suggested it was time for Curry to recruit a new teammate.
News Related
-
Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January
-
Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges
-
Israel's economy recovered from previous wars with Hamas, but this one might go longer, hit harder
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mixed ahead of US consumer confidence and price data
-
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Sister Wives' star Christine Brown says her kids' happy marriages inspired her leave Kody Brown
-
NBA fans roast Clippers for losing to Nuggets without Jokic, Murray, Gordon
-
Panthers-Senators brawl ends in 10-minute penalty for all players on ice
-
CNBC Daily Open: Is record Black Friday sales spike a false dawn?
-
Freed Israeli hostage describes deteriorating conditions while being held by Hamas
-
High stakes and glitz mark the vote in Paris for the 2030 World Expo host
-
Biden’s unworkable nursing rule will harm seniors
-
Jalen Hurts: We did what we needed to do when it mattered the most
-
LeBron James takes NBA all-time minutes lead in career-worst loss
-
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell to evaluate Josh Dobbs, path forward at QB