All Eyes on Sabrina Ionescu for WNBA All-Star Weekend, in Both 3-Point Contest & Redesigned Skills Challenge

At the WNBA All-Star weekend, Sabrina Ionescu will be the main attraction in both the 3-point contest and the redesigned Skills Challenge. All-Star weekend will be a hectic time for Sabrina Ionescu.

The New York Liberty’s All-Star guard will take part in the WNBA’s 3-point contest, the league said on Thursday. She will participate in both the All-Star game and a revamped version of the Skills Challenge, in which she will defend the title she won in 2022.

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, Seattle Storm guard Sami Whitcomb, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young will all compete alongside Ionescu in the 3-point challenge. Young has the highest 3-point percentage in the league at 48.5%.

On July 14 at 4 p.m. ET, Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas will host the 3-point contest and Skills challenge. On July 15th, there will be an All-Star Game.

On Tuesday, the WNBA unveiled its plans for the 2018 Skills Challenge. A timed obstacle course will pit four teams of All-Star teammates against one another as they show off their dribbling, passing, and agility.

Each team will run the course with only one participant at a time in a relay format. The first player has the following tasks to accomplish:

Baseline chest pass of 25 feet; must be received to advance; maximum of three attempts.

Using an automobile as one of the pylons, dribble down the court.

You have three tries to make a short shot in the lane before having to try the challenge again.

You have three tries to make a 3-point shot from the left corner; if you make one, you can keep going.

Make a shot of any kind (dunk, layup, jump shot, etc.) while dribbling towards the other net.

After the first player shoots or passes, the second player will start the course by rebounding the shot or receiving the pass. The second player will go through the levels in the exact same sequence. The next step calls for her to dribble to the other end of the court and shoot a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

The WNBA will decide the starting order of the first round, and the top two teams in terms of time will compete in the final round. The teams that finished tied in each round will have to run the obstacle course again.

Teams competing in this year’s Skills Challenge are as follows:

The Las Vegas Aces Team.
A Guard Named Chelsea Grey
Guard Kelsey Plum

Allisha Grey, Guard Cheyenne Parker, Forward Team Dream (Atlanta)

New York’s Team Liberty
Guard Sabrina Ionescu
Security Officer Courtney Vanderloot

Arike Ogunbowale, Guard Satou Sabally, Forward Dallas Wings

WNBA All-Star Game Substitutes Due to Injuries

Guard Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream will start in lieu of Elena Delle Donne, a seven-time All-Star, for Team Wilson in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Howard, a former No. 1 overall pick who is presently 10th in WNBA scoring, has been selected to the All-Star Game for the second time in her career.

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