{"id":5239,"date":"2026-07-23T16:09:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5239"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:09:38","slug":"libertys-sabrina-ionescu-sets-record-straight-on-wnba-3-point-contest-debacle-i-never-got-officially-invited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5239","title":{"rendered":"Liberty\u2019s Sabrina Ionescu sets record straight on WNBA 3-point contest debacle: \u2018I never got officially invited\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>Sabrina Ionescu set the record straight on the WNBA\u2019s three-point shooting contest debacle.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5237\">House again passes resolution seeking to halt military action in Iran as some Republicans defect<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Liberty sharpshooter and graduate of Orinda\u2019s Miramonte High said Wednesday she never received any form of invitation to participate in the annual shooting contest for this year\u2019s All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Her comments came a day after reports swirled of the star and defending contest champion declining an invitation to participate in the event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I mean, I saw that (Tuesday),\u201d said Ionescu, who commented \u201clies\u201d on a since-deleted Bleacher Report social media post claiming she declined an invitation to Friday\u2019s event. \u201cI guess you can\u2019t really, at least personally, I can\u2019t decline an offer I never got officially invited to. So, [I] was pretty surprised to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The four-time All-Star said she never spoke with anyone about participating in the competition. She added that no one from the Liberty camp was contacted regarding such an invitation.<\/p>\n<p>Along with Ionescu, initial reports stated Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark denied an invitation for the event, too.<\/p>\n<p>The WNBA didn\u2019t respond to the Daily News\u2019 request to comment.<\/p>\n<p>The event, which is set to take place inside Wintrust Arena, will feature Portland\u2019s Bridget Carleton, Dallas\u2019 Azzi Fudd, Seattle\u2019s Natisha Hiedeman, Atlanta\u2019s Rhyne Howard, Toronto\u2019s Marine Mabrey and Golden State\u2019s Janelle Sala\u00fcn.<\/p>\n<p>No Ionescu means a new champion will be crowned in this year\u2019s festivities. She edged Dream star Allisha Gray, 30-22, in the final round of last year\u2019s tournament to win the title in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That win made her the second player in WNBA history (Allie Quigley \u2013 2017-18, 2021-22) to win the event multiple times. Ionescu\u2019s record-setting 37-point performance propelled her to a win in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Ionescu\u2019s impressive 2023 performance setup the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA three-point competition between her and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry during the NBA\u2019s All-Star Weekend in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5235\">Larry Magid: Trust and safety professionals in age of AI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Curry won that matchup \u2014 which was separate from the traditional three-point shootout \u2014 by just three points after swishing a last-second money ball.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I mean I\u2019m not sure,\u201d Ionescu said when asked if she would\u2019ve liked to defend her title in Chicago this weekend. \u201cEvery year I kind of weigh out what I\u2019m going to do, what position I\u2019m in, how I\u2019m feeling, the gravity of understanding every time we step out on the floor and you do something like that. You\u2019re pushing the league forward. You\u2019re going to the game of basketball. And whether I don\u2019t do it this year, maybe I\u2019ll do it with Steph again at NBA All-Star and get a really nice official invite.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On the same day Ionescu told reporters of the \u201cfalse\u201d claim, Minnesota Lynx sharpshooter Kayla McBride cleared the air of her \u201cinvitation\u201d from the league.<\/p>\n<p>McBride claimed a \u201chalf ass invite\u201d was sent to her agent via text 48 hours prior in a post on social media.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>And we have more WNBA 3-point shootout invitation mess .. this time Kayla McBride sharing her experience pic.twitter.com\/rA28NcWqp4<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fiifi Frimpong (@FiifiFrimpong) July 23, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With no such invitation being sent to Ionescu, the next opportunity for her to compete in the WNBA three-point contest will be in 2027 at a venue that has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n<p>As she mentioned, she could participate in some fashion during the 2027 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNever got invited [for this year\u2019s WNBA contest]. Whether it\u2019s against Steph Curry or in the W, I always go out and try and beat my record every single time I\u2019ve gone out,\u201d Ionescu said. \u201cSo yeah, I mean I just kind of wanted to set the record straight. Like that was just false, but I\u2019m really excited for the participants in it, and obviously there\u2019s going to be a new winner, so I\u2019m excited to see who wins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5234\">Here are 10 of the best economy cabins for international flights<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sabrina Ionescu says she was never invited to the 3-point shootout as part of WNBA&#8217;s All-Star weekend to defend her title<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Liberty\u2019s Sabrina Ionescu sets record straight on WNBA 3-point contest debacle: \u2018I never got officially invited\u2019 - 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