Sabrina Ionescu will be busy on All-Star weekend.
The WNBA announced Thursday that the New York Liberty All-Star guard will enter the 3-point contest. She will also defend her 2022 title in a new take on the Skills Challenge in addition to playing in the All-Star Game.
Ionescu will be joined in the 3-point contest by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and Seattle Storm guard Sami Whitcomb. Young leads the league with a 48.5 percent 3-point completion rate.
The 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will take place on July 14 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas starting at 4 p.m. ET. The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 15.
The WNBA announced a new format for this year’s Skills Challenge on Tuesday. Four pairs of All-Star teammates will compete on a timed obstacle course that will test skills such as dribbling, passing and agility.
Teams will complete the course one at a time, with the two players from each team taking part in a relay. The first player must complete the course as follows:
25ft chest pass on target from baseline, complete pass to continue or max three attempts
Dribble through four pylons, including a car
Perform a short shot into the lane to advance, or continue the course after three attempts
Perform a 3-point shot in the left corner or continue the course after three attempts
Dribble to the opposite goal and make any basket – dunk, lay-up, jump shot, etc.
The second player will start the course after rebounding the shot from the first player or receiving a pass from the first player. The second player will complete the course in the same order. She will then dribble to the opposite side of the court and must take a 3-point shot from the top of the arc.
The order of the first round will be determined by the WNBA, and the two teams with the fastest times will advance to the final round where they will then re-race. If there is a tie in either round, the tied teams will complete the course again.
Here are the lists for this year’s Skills Challenge:
Team Ace (Las Vegas)
Chelsea Gray, guard
Kelsey Plum, Guard
Dream Team (Atlanta)
Allisha Gray, guard
Cheyenne Parker, Forward
Liberty Team (New York)
Sabrina Ionescu, Guard
Courtney Vandersloot, guard
Team Wings (Dallas)
Arike Ogunbowale, guard
Satou Sabally, Striker
Injury replacements for the WNBA All-Star Game
Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard will replace seven-time All-Star Elena Delle Donne on Team Wilson in Sunday’s All-Star Game. This is Howard’s second All-Star nod, and the former No. 1 overall pick currently ranks 10th in WNBA scoring.