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New York Liberty star guard Sabrina Ionescu clarified on July 22 that she never officially received an invitation to defend her title in this year’s WNBA 3-point Contest and was surprised by reports that it was her choice not to participate.
In a press conference ahead of WNBA All-Star weekend, Ionescu said she was blindsided by media headlines suggesting she had declined an offer to participate. She emphasized her eagerness to compete whenever given the opportunity, but reiterated that she could not turn down an invitation she never received.
“I can’t decline an offer that I officially didn’t get invited to,” Ionescu said. “So I was pretty surprised to see that. Never got invited. Whether it's against Steph Curry or in the W, I always go out and try to beat my record every single time I step onto the court. I take pride in competing at the highest level, and I love representing the Liberty and the league in these contests. I just wanted to set the record straight – that rumor was simply false.”
Though she isn’t taking part in this year’s contest, Ionescu said she was excited to watch the event and to see who will become the new champion.
To Ionescu’s claim that she never received an invite, the WNBA responded with a statement saying, “Our general process is to reach out to agents to determine a player's interest, and some accept and some decline."
Ionescu is just the second player in league history to win multiple titles, winning in 2023 and 2025.
In 2025, she secured the title by scoring 30 of 40 points in the final round, surpassing Allisha Gray, who scored 22. Ionescu’s 30-point performance in 2025 came close to the league record of 37 points, which she set in 2023.
More: Who will win WNBA 3-point contest? Ranking players from least to most likely to win
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sabrina Ionescu 'didn't get invited' to defend WNBA 3-point crown
Continue reading...
In a press conference ahead of WNBA All-Star weekend, Ionescu said she was blindsided by media headlines suggesting she had declined an offer to participate. She emphasized her eagerness to compete whenever given the opportunity, but reiterated that she could not turn down an invitation she never received.
“I can’t decline an offer that I officially didn’t get invited to,” Ionescu said. “So I was pretty surprised to see that. Never got invited. Whether it's against Steph Curry or in the W, I always go out and try to beat my record every single time I step onto the court. I take pride in competing at the highest level, and I love representing the Liberty and the league in these contests. I just wanted to set the record straight – that rumor was simply false.”
Though she isn’t taking part in this year’s contest, Ionescu said she was excited to watch the event and to see who will become the new champion.
To Ionescu’s claim that she never received an invite, the WNBA responded with a statement saying, “Our general process is to reach out to agents to determine a player's interest, and some accept and some decline."
Ionescu is just the second player in league history to win multiple titles, winning in 2023 and 2025.
In 2025, she secured the title by scoring 30 of 40 points in the final round, surpassing Allisha Gray, who scored 22. Ionescu’s 30-point performance in 2025 came close to the league record of 37 points, which she set in 2023.
More: Who will win WNBA 3-point contest? Ranking players from least to most likely to win
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sabrina Ionescu 'didn't get invited' to defend WNBA 3-point crown
Continue reading...
