Tiktekno, summary of today's events in sports, 16.2/Sport1
The All-Star weekend in Indianapolis continues tonight (Saturday through Sunday) with the traditional individual contests, alongside an intriguing addition that many have been waiting for, with what has been labeled the "new battle of the sexes": a three-point contest between Steph Curry, the NBA's greatest shooter and probably the greatest scorer of all the times, and Sabrina Ionesco, the WNBA star who herself is considered an exceptional shooter.
The duel between the two lived up to expectations, and beyond: UNESCO got the chance to shoot first and set a high bar for Kerry when she finished with 26 points - equivalent to the highest score in the "regular" three-point competition that took place later on the floor with the participation of the best snipers of the -NBA.
Kerry did accept the challenge and sniped repeatedly on the way to 29 points that arranged a turnaround, but the victory was all about the great UNESCO and women's basketball, in the US and around the world.
"If you can score, you just can score.
It doesn't matter if you are a woman or a man, what matters is how big your heart is, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to reach such a level," said the excited Ionesco, a big fan of Kerry, after the competition.
barely won.
Kerry with UNESCO/GettyImages, Justin Casterline
The stamping contest
Mack McClung, a player for the Oskaola Magic of the G-League, won the competition for the second year in a row, and finally and officially became an All-Star legend.
McClung, a white guard with an appearance that does not betray his tremendous athleticism, who started his career as a network sensation thanks to the ring videos he uploaded to YouTube in high school, defeated Jaylen Brown in the finals and took the title after an impressive dunk over Shaquille O'Neal, who earned a perfect 50.
McClung advanced to the final round with the highest score (97.4), while Jaylen Brown controversially got there, after a massive 360-degree, between-the-legs dunk by G-League Jacob Taupin, received a score of 47.2 from the five judges, Although it would have looked more impressive than the imprint of the Boston Celtics star.
Either way, the big winner of the night was McCullough, who became the fifth player ever to win the dunk contest two years in a row.
The previous ones to do so were Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson and Zach Lavin.
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McClung dunks over Shaquille O'Neal/GettyImages, Stacy Revere
He is again.
Lillard/GettyImages, Stacy Revere
The three-point competition
Like McClang, Lillard also won the title for the second year in a row, and at the end announced that next year in San Francisco, the city of his youth that will host the 2025 All-Star Game, he will go for three-feet.
Lillard won after hitting the last shot and reached 26 points in the final round, one more than Trae Young.
The Milwaukee star becomes the eighth player ever to win the contest twice, and the first to do it two years in a row since Jason Capono.
On the way to the finals, Lillard and Young beat Karl Anthony Towns and Tyrese Halliburton in a tie breaker, who scored exactly 26 points.
Jaylen Brunson, Malik Beasley, Donovan Mitchell and Auri Markkanen also participated in the competition, but were eliminated in the first stage.
* In the skills competition, the three Indiana players - Tyrese Halliburton, Myles Turner and Benedict Mathurin (Rising Stars Game MVP) won - to the delight of the home crowd.
More on the same topic:
Stephen Curry
Sabrina Ionesco
Damian Lillard