Sabrina Ionescu Slams Claims of Her Rejecting 3-Point Contest Invite

Koby del Rosario

July 22, 2026 | 10:48 PM EDT

Sabrina Ionescu Slams Claims of Her Rejecting 3-Point Contest Invite — Sabrina Ionescu. - Source: Imagn

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is widely regarded as one of the best three-point shooters in the current WNBA landscape. Throughout her seven-year tenure so far, Ionescu has averaged 34.6% from the three-point line as she makes around 2.5 of her 7.2 attempts per game. 2023 was Ionescu’s most efficient season from three-point territory, as she knocked down an impressive 44.8% of her attempts.

With how great she is from beyond the three-point line, Ionescu is no stranger to the Three-Point Contest on every WNBA All-Star Weekend. But a recent report by @brwsports on Instagram suggests that Ionescu declined an invite to be a part of this year’s Three-Point Contest. Ionescu has since dismissed this claim during a press conference and shared that she was never invited to the contest this year.

“ I saw that yesterday. I guess you can’t really, at least personally, I can’t decline an offer I never got officially invited to. So, I was pretty surprised to see that. Never got invited and obviously, that’s, you know, whether it’s against Steph Curry or, you know, in the W, I always go out and try and beat my record every single time I’ve, I’ve gone out. So yeah, I mean, I just kind of wanted to set the record straight,” Ionescu said. (0:00)

“That was just false, but I’m really excited for the participants in it, and obviously there’s gonna be a new winner, so I’m excited to see who wins,” she continued.

Ionescu holds the all-time record for the most points scored in any Three-Point Contest between the NBA and the WNBA. The former Oregon Ducks standout dropped 37 points in the final round back in 2023, when she made 25 of her 27 shot attempts, including 20 straight shots made. Ionescu has won the competition twice, most recently defending her throne successfully in 2025.

The report made by B/R W Sports on Instagram also mentions Caitlin Clark and Kayla McBride

In the now-deleted post on Instagram by B/R W Sports, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride were also mentioned to have declined an invite to the 2026 WNBA Three-Point Contest. It remains to be seen how both sharpshooters will respond to the report, but Clark and McBride have yet to participate in the contest in their careers.

In the screenshot provided by @Sportico on X/Twitter, Sabrina Ionescu is seen commenting “lies” in the post before she verbally responded to the report. Nevertheless, both Clark and Ionescu were named to this year’s WNBA All-Star Game in consecutive fashion. The annual showcase is scheduled for Saturday, July 25.