Starry Night in the WNBA: Ionescu and Cloud Shine with New York Flavor
Indianapolis hosted the first WNBA All-Star Game, and Friday night was marked by a clear dominance from New York. Sabrina Ionescu, of the Liberty, was crowned champion of the three-point contest for the second time in three years, while her teammate, Natasha Cloud, took the title of the skills challenge.This is the second time in WNBA history that players from the same team have won both competitions, which have been held at each All-Star Game since 2019. However, it is the first time this has happened with two different players.
In 2024, Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream won both competitions, but was unable to defend either of her titles on Friday.Three-Point Contest
Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty)
Rating: A
After being absent last year, Ionescu showed why she and four-time winner Allie Quigley are the only candidates for the GOAT title in the WNBA three-point contest. Ionescu, with a score of 25 in the first round, tied for the second-best record of the night. In the final, Ionescu hit 11 consecutive shots at one point, including a three-pointer from long distance, which recalled her record of 37 points during the 2023 final. Ionescu scored 30 points, giving her two of the three times that WNBA players have scored more than 30 points in the three-point contest since the current format was adopted in 2021.Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
Grade: A-
Gray, as the defending champion, tied Ionescu’s score of 25 points in the initial round. In the final, Gray scored 5 out of 5 after making the three-pointer from that side, but it was already too late to catch up to Ionescu. Gray missed her first four shots of the final and didn’t score any of the five from the top of the key. Gray’s score of 22 points in the final tied the best round of anyone except her and Ionescu.Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles Sparks)
Rating: B
Plum led the first half of the round. She made three from the top of the key, the right three, and four of five from the right wing. If Plum had made her last shot, which was worth two points, she would have made things really interesting for the two finalists. Instead, Plum finished third.Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics)
Grade: B-
The only rookie needed to move her shelf of balls. Citron made four of her high shots from the left wing and all five from the top of the key, but missed 1 of 5 from the right wing, where all shots were worth double points. Simply by inverting the two wings, Citron would have gotten a couple more points and would have come out of last place. For that position, Citron’s score was more than respectable.Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever)
Grade: B-
The only Fever player who competed on Friday was a late replacement for her teammate Caitlin Clark, who had to withdraw due to injury. At first, it seemed that Hull’s shot, which relied on a large vertical jump, might not be effective in the three-point contest. She only had three points in the first two rounds before making one of the three-pointers from long distance. Hull caught fire at the end, making eight of her last 10 shots, including four of five from the ball rack, but it wasn’t enough to reach the final.Skills Challenge
Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty)
Rating: A
Cloud managed to complete the final run successfully. Cloud finished with the two best times of the night, demonstrating mastery of both skill and strategy.Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm)
Rating: A-
Wheeler counted on the support of the public and it seemed that could be enough to take the 2019 All-Star MVP to victory. He focused on the fundamentals and achieved his first shot or pass, but in the final, he fell behind when he needed multiple attempts at the three-point shot.Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
Grade: B-
Gray, the defending champion, moved quickly through the course, perhaps too quickly. Gray needed all three attempts, which left her too far behind to reach the final round, despite her good shot.Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx)
Rating: C
After a good start with boat passes, Williams was not accurate enough in the rest of the round. She needed multiple attempts in her passes and shots, which left her with a score of 42.0 seconds.Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm)
Grade: C-
The initial Diggins round reflected a problem with the skills challenge rules that the NBA and WNBA have not rectified.
