Steph Curry
, 35-year-old living legend of the
Golden State Warriors
, beat
Sabrina Ionescu
,
star of the New York Liberty in the WNBA
, in a very special three-point duel that took place this Saturday at the
All-Star Game
of the
NBA
in Indianapolis that featured Mac McClung and his chilling jump over Shaquille O'Neal that helped him win a very close dunk contest.
For the first time, a woman and a man faced each other in a version of "
the battle of the sexes"
on the LED parquet of the Lucas Oil Stadium.
The
"Stephen vs. Sabrina"
, as promoted by the organizers, was a bet excellently received by fans.
The public's ovation for two great figures of American sports makes it clear that this new challenge is here to stay.
Curry won the duel with Ionescu from the NBA's three-point line by 29 points to 26
, an unprecedented test in which the WNBA player pushed the best three-point shooter in the history of the league to the limit.
“For us, having given a show like this was something perfect.
There was a lot of excitement that we were able to generate there in such a short time, with two great shooters that we wanted to win.
"It's something we will remember for a long time," said Curry, four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP of the regular season and once MVP of the Finals, in addition to two World Cup wins with the United States team.
Ionescu, 26, had arrived at this event after her
amazing performance in the 2023 WNBA All-Star three-point contest
, when she sealed the points record, in both men's and women's basketball, with
37 points out of 40 possible and 25 successful shots out of 27 attempts
- he had missed the first one and then hit 20 consecutive ones.
Stephen vs.
Sabrina lived up to the hype!
Watch two of the best shooters in the world go at it, with Stephen Curry taking home the belt 🔥🎯 pic.twitter.com/8qp76GZp9b
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
Ionescu, of Romanian origin, competed with the WNBA balls, slightly smaller than the NBA ones, used by Curry.
The Warriors guard needed to reach the last rack of balls and sealed his victory with 29 points.
He raised his arms to the sky and exchanged a heartfelt hug with Ionescu, with whom he maintains a strong bond of friendship.
It was precisely a proposal from these two stars to organize this duel, with the desire to lead a change of perspective and inspire girls and boys to pursue their passions.
"It was fantastic, being here for the first time, putting on a show, changing the perspective
," Ionescu said at the end of the test.
He immediately expressed the hope that this was not the last time and promised to continue using his platform to inspire the growth of the sport.
"If you know how to shoot, you know how to shoot. It doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl
," Ionescu stressed, applauded by the audience.
And she was grateful: "The respect I got from the NBA guys... is going to show a lot of people who haven't seen women's sports that we can go out and put on a show."
"The respect that I've been able to receive from the NBA guys... it's going to show a lot of people that haven't watched women's sports that we're able to go out there and put on a show."
Sabrina Ionescu on how this competition will help the game of basketball as a whole 💯 pic.twitter.com/zmaRMEftBp
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
Hours before facing Curry, Ionescu offered a long press conference in which she recounted the process that led her to accept this challenge.
"It would have been easy to say that I didn't want to feel embarrassed or I was afraid of failing. I didn't do it because I know who I am, but also because of what it's going to mean for a lot of young girls, who will see that they can jump on the court and beat a guy." on the field, that they can play more on a boys' team, that they can be the best on their women's team," she said.
And she continued: "That's what I play for, and that overcame any kind of fear of coming here and not winning."
Saturday's contest was held at Lucas Oil Stadium, the stadium of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, prepared with a futuristic glass basketball court and illuminated with LEDs.
There was a spectacular giant screen effect on those 756 square meters that became a show apart.
This Sunday, the All-Star Game will conclude with the All-Star Game, played at Gainrbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers.
That stage already hosted the Rising Stars on Friday between first-year players, second-year players and a selection of talents from the G League development league.
Source: EFE