Two anticipated participants won’t be competing in the upcoming WNBA All-Star 3-point contest.
Caitlin Clark, a rookie guard for the Indiana Fever, and Sabrina Ionescu, the New York Liberty guard and last year’s contest champion, have chosen not to participate in this year’s event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Despite receiving invitations from the WNBA, these standout players have declined to take part. Ionescu is currently focused on training for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fans are still sore about Clark not being invited to join the 2024 Paris Olympics basketball team.
Clark was chosen as the first overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA. She has consistently attracted record-breaking attendance. There are reports that concerns about how her large fanbase might react to her potentially receiving little playing time during the Olympics may have led to her being left off the roster, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Here is more of what USA Today had to report on the All-Star 3-point contest:
Ionescu’s Liberty teammate, center Jonquel Jones, will be one of the five players looking to take home the title. The other participants are Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride.
McBride leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made with 76, and Dolson is the league’s leader in 3-point field goal percentage this season, hitting 48.5% from beyond the arc.
Clark said she would focus only on the All-Star Game before the Fever’s Wednesday night loss against the Dallas Wings, during which she set the WNBA record for most assists in a game with 19.
Clark has made 71 3-pointers this season and is shooting 33% from 3.