Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu: Major rule tweaks ahead of NBA All-Star shootout contest?

The Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu 3-point contest has NBA fans and WNBA fans eagerly awaiting the All-Star weekend. In addition to the rest of the All-Star weekend festivities, such as the celebrity game, dunk contest, and G League Up Next Game, the two stars will compete in the first NBA vs. WNBA three-point shootout.

The event will take place on Saturday, February 17th, following the KIA Skills Challenge and the Starry 3-Point Contest. While having an NBA star like Curry compete against a WNBA star like Ionescu has generated tons of talk, there has also been some confusion.

For example, given that WNBA players use smaller basketballs and shoot from a three-point line that's closer to the basket, fans have wondered about the format. In a post on social media this week, the NBA shared details about the contest.

According to the league, the Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu 3-point contest will follow standard rules for the competition. Curry will shoot from the NBA three-point line with an NBA ball, while Ionescu shoots from the WNBA three-point line with a WNBA ball.

The two players will have four racks of four balls each, plus one money ball for two points. A fifth rack of all-money balls will be placed at a location chosen by the players, similar to the conventional three-point contest. In addition, both players will receive two exceptional Starry Range shots for three points.

Looking at the charities both players are competing for in the Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu three-point contest

The Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu three-point competition will see both players compete for charities of their choosing. In the case of the four-time NBA champ, he will be competing for his Eat.Learn.Play nonprofit, while Ionescu competes for her SI20 Foundation.

Ahead of the contest, the NBA has donated to both charities on behalf of itself and the WNBA. In addition, State Farm will be donating to the NBA Foundation "to support economic empowerment in the black community."

State Farm will donate $1,000 for each standard three-pointer made and $2,000 for every money ball made. State Farm will donate $3,000 for each of the two Starry Range balls that each participant shoots.

Last year, Curry and his wife were quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying:

“When we launched Eat. Learn. Play. in 2019, we saw the tremendous need that existed in our adopted hometown of Oakland and set out to use our platform and resources to work to unlock the full potential of the kids in our community.”

In the case of Ionescu's SI20 Foundation, the WNBA star aims to equip kids from all backgrounds and skill levels with access to sports. As part of the foundation's endeavors, they host a basketball clinic for NYC students, as seen on Instagram.