Sabrina Ionescu, Natasha Cloud Dominate WNBA All-Star/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Sabrina Ionescu reclaimed the 3-point contest crown while Natasha Cloud secured victory in the skills challenge, giving the New York Liberty a clean sweep at the WNBA All-Star festivities in Indianapolis. Ionescu dazzled with 30 points, while Cloud edged Erica Wheeler with a lightning-fast course time. The night showcased elite performances and emotional moments from two Liberty stars.
INDIANAPOLIS — The New York Liberty ruled WNBA All-Star Friday as Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud captured titles in the 3-point contest and skills challengerespectively, delivering a night to remember in Indianapolis and reinforcing their team’s rising dominance.
Ionescu delivered a sizzling performance in the 3-point contest, scoring 30 points in the final round to outpace defending champion Allisha Gray. While short of her record-setting 37 points in 2023, Ionescu’s latest win marked her second victory in the event — making her the only player besides Allie Quigley to have multiple titles.
The Liberty duo’s sweep highlighted a night of precision, teamwork, and heartfelt moments that energized the crowd and showcased the depth of talent in the WNBA.
In 2023, Ionescu shocked fans by making 25 of 27 shots, setting a record for the highest-ever score in either WNBA or NBA 3-point contest history. While this year’s 30-point performance didn’t rewrite the record books, it matched Quigley’s 30-point tallypreviously the second-highest ever.
Notably absent from last year’s contest due to Olympic preparation, Ionescu previously competed in a historic NBA shootout against Steph Curry in Indianapolis earlier this year. Though she lost that round, she came back strong — and made sure to show Curry her latest trophy after the event.
Cloud, a first-time All-Star skills participant, stormed through the obstacle course with a final time of 36.4 secondsnarrowly defeating Erica Wheeler by 1.1 seconds despite missing all three of her corner shots.
The 11-year WNBA veteran never previously received an All-Star invitation — but Friday night she claimed her place in the spotlight.
Cloud’s win came with $55,000 from Aflac through a WNBAPA partnership, plus a $2,575 league bonus under the collective bargaining agreement.
Ionescu added a touching twist to her night by pledging to share her prize winnings — $60,000 from Aflac and $2,575 from the league — with Washington rookie Sonia Citronwho was nervous before her All-Star debut.
Citron scored 19 points in the opening round of the 3-point contest, just behind Lexie Hull (20) and Kelsey Plum (22), but short of making the finals.
Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Graylast year’s double champion, made it to the 3-point finals but only managed 22 pointsfalling behind Ionescu’s blazing finish. Gray also struggled in the skills challenge, missing all her chest passesfinishing with a 39.4-second run.
Her attempt at a repeat victory ended early, despite donning custom A’ja Wilson shoes emblazoned with dollar signs.
With Caitlin Clark sidelined due to a groin injuryIndiana’s Lexie Hull stepped in and scored 20 points, drawing cheers from the hometown crowd as Clark hyped the audience from the bench.
Wheelerwho missed last year’s skills event due to global flight disruptions, impressed the crowd with her performance and was met with a rousing ovation during her introduction — a sign of lasting fan appreciation during her Indiana tenure.
Other competitors in the skills event — Courtney Williams (42.0s) and Skylar Diggins (44.3s) — failed to qualify for the finals.
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