Before the 3-point competition even began, missed threes were the storyline of the night.
The Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields took home the 2019 WNBA All-Star Skills Competition trophy Friday night, knocking out Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun in the final round.
“The energy was amazing,” DeShields said. “I’ve been showing mad love to Vegas, but I’ll say it again. Shout out to all the people here with the Aces and with the league that put this event on. That was great energy in there.”
Friday night’s first round of festivities put eight different players in head-to-head matchups testing their dribbling, passing and shooting.
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DeShields’s Sky teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, kicked off the night with a decisive victory over Seattle Storm wing Sami Whitcomb.
Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx and Jones followed, with Collier jumping out to an early lead. But Collier missed a clean look to put Jones away, her shot hitting front iron. Jones promptly sprinted up to the ball rack and knocked down a deep three to send the Minnesota rookie home.
DeShields handled Lynx guard Odyssey Sims in the next matchup, and Elizabeth Williams of the Atlanta Dream downed Phoenix Mercury big Britney Griner, who dunked it after her passing portion of the competition, to end round one.
In round two, Jones upset Vandersloot after the Sky point guard missed her three, and DeShields dispatched Williams shortly after.
In the final round, DeShields failed to connect on her first two pass attempts, allowing Jones to build a wide gap leading into her layup. That lead vanished when Jones missed her first 3-point attempt, allowing Deshields the chance to win the competition—a chance which she promptly seized.
“I knew that if (Jones) missed her first three-point attempt that I was going to make mine,” DeShields said. “That’s what ended up happening, a testament to my hard work and just never giving up.”
DeShields won $10,000 from the competition to go towards a charity of her choice. The All-Star opted to donate her money to Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdan’s charity, Hoops2o. The organization is dedicated to raising funs and awareness for water access disparity,
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