Five players will participate in the WNBA's 3-point contest during the All-Star skills challenge, the league announced Tuesday. Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Sonia Citron, and Kelsey Plum will join defending champion Allisha Gray, who won the contest last year.
Gray has a second title to defend as well: last year she also won the skills challenge, which tests an athlete's ability to dribble, bounce pass, chest pass, shoot a jumper, and to shoot 3-pointers from the top of the arc and from the corner.
Both events will be far from smooth sailing for the Atlanta Dream star. Gray will be tasked with going up against Sabrina Ionescu, who set the record for the most points in an NBA or WNBA 3-point contest when she racked up 37 in 2023 as well as against Caitlin Clark, who is in a bit of a shooting slump at the moment but is a notorious 3-point shooter.
Citron and Plum will also be worthy opponents. Citron currently boasts a 36% 3-point percentage, and Plum is just above her at 36.5%.
What to expect from 2025 WNBA All-Star
This week's event is packed with a ton of experiences for fans, athletes, and media. The skills challenge and 3-point contest will begin at 8:00 p.m. EST on Friday, and will be followed by the All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 19. In addition to Gray, skills challenge participants include Natasha Cloud, Skylar Diggins, Erica Wheeler, and Courtney Williams. The All-Star Game will be broadcast on ESPN+, ABC, and Disney+.
The battle between Team Collier and Team Clark will be a tough one. This week Napheesa Collier's team lost Rhyne Howard to injury and gained Kayla McBride via appointment by Cathy Engelbert. In addition to McBride, the Lynx leader drafted Gray, Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike, and Paige Bueckers as starters and Williams, Diggins, Angel Reese, Alyssa Thomas, and Plum as her reserve list.
The squad will go up against Team Clark, helmed by the Fever's Caitlin Clark, who selected Aliyah Boston, Ionescu, A'ja Wilson, and Satou Sabally as her starters and Kelsey Mitchell, Gabby Williams, Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Jackie Young, and Kayla Thornton as her reserves.
Thomas and Ionescu were also named WNBA Players of the Week Tuesday. Ionescu is currently averaging 19.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for the Liberty, and Thomas is averaging 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game for the Mercury.