Despite their stellar shooting records, Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu have declined invitations to participate in the WNBA's 3-Point Contest during the All-Star break, leaving fans clamoring to see their talents on display.
The absence of two of the WNBA's top shooters, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu, from the upcoming 3-Point Contest during the All-Star break has sparked disappointment among fans. The league announced on Wednesday that neither the Indiana Fever rookie nor the New York Liberty star, who won last year's contest, will participate in the event on Friday night.
The decision has been met with outrage on social media, prompting the league to confirm to The Associated Press that both players were offered to participate but declined the invitation.
WNBA Fans Disappointed as Top Shooters Clark, Ionescu Decline 3-Point Contest
Clark, who holds the NCAA all-time scoring record, has maintained her impressive shooting ability in the professional ranks. The former Iowa star currently ranks fifth in the WNBA for average 3-point field goals made, while Ionescu sits at fourth.
With 71 3-pointers by the halfway mark of the season, Clark is third in the league, tied with Arike Ogunbowale and Kelsey Plum. Ionescu is close behind at number two with 74.
WNBA Fans Disappointed as Top Shooters Clark, Ionescu Decline 3-Point Contest
Despite their remarkable shooting prowess, both players have opted out of the competition. Instead, Washington Mystics' center Stefanie Dolson, 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones, Minnesota Lynx star Kayla McBride, Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray, and the Connecticut Sun's Marina Mabrey will participate in the event, which will follow the skills challenge.
Dolson leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage this season, while McBride is the league's leading scorer with 76 3-pointers.
WNBA Fans Disappointed as Top Shooters Clark, Ionescu Decline 3-Point Contest
Clark will still have an opportunity to showcase her skills during the All-Star Game on Saturday night as a member of Team WNBA, which will face off against the women's Olympic basketball team.
Despite her desire to represent her country in Paris, Clark expressed her intention to take advantage of the month-long break to rest and rejuvenate.
"I think it'll be really good for myself and my body," she said Wednesday. "You're getting close to a full year of just playing basketball nonstop. So it'll probably be a little weird for me not playing games. But I think it's definitely going to be good for my body."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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