Caitlin Clark and Klay Thompson could be the newest additions to the NBA’s All-Star Weekend three-point shooting competition. Last year, Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry faced off in the first challenge of its kind, with Curry defeating the WNBA superstar 29-26. This year, Clark and Thompson could participate in the competition.
On Friday night, ESPN insider Shams Charania said the league could expand to include the WNBA Rookie of the Year and the four-time NBA champion.
“Sources tell me Curry and Ionescu are continuing discussions about bringing back the gunfight,” Charania said. “There are plans for that. But possibly Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark in that competition this year.”
Reporting for NBA Countdown on the 2025 tournament-style All-Star Game – plus Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu working to add two friends to the NBA-WNBA 3-Point Challenge: pic.twitter.com/DjjpAb1GO2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 16, 2024
The “Steph vs Sabrina” three-point competition was created after Sabrina Ionescu scored 37 points (out of a possible 40) in the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game. The 37-point mark set both a WNBA and NBA record in one round.
In turn, Ionescu challenged Curry – the NBA’s all-time three-point leader – to a three-point contest, an event widely considered one of the highlights of the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.
The additions of both Clark and Thompson would be fitting: Clark set the WNBA rookie record for most three-pointers in a single season last season with 122 threes. That’s the second-most threes made by a WNBA player in a single season, behind only Ionescu, who holds the record for most threes in a single season (124).
Thompson, meanwhile, holds the NBA record for most three-pointers in a single game (14). Thompson and Curry won four WNBA championships as teammates, and their temporary reunion as teammates for this game would add another layer of intrigue.
It’s not the only possible twist to NBA All-Star weekend; Charania also reported that the league is considering replacing the All-Star Game with a four-team tournament-style format consisting of three All-Star teams and the winner of the Rising Stars game. The two winners of the first game would face off in a final match.
Nothing has been finalized yet, but if Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu take on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in a three-point shootout, this could serve as the culminating in NBA All-Star Weekend, which takes place Feb. 16-18 at Chase Center.