Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
As expected, Caitlin Clark will participate in the 3-point contest Friday night during the WNBA All-Star Weekend festivities in Indianapolis, the Fever confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
The Fever guard will join several other big names in the contest, led by last year’s champion, Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream, and noted sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty.
Also participating in the 8 p.m. contest at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron and Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum.
Clark will be in a 3-point contest for the first time in her pro career. Her management team said earlier this year when she turned down competing in some fashion at NBA All-Star weekend that the young star wanted her first 3-point contest to be in Indianapolis at the WNBA weekend.
Contest record holder Ionescu last entered the event in 2023 and hit 25 of her 27 shots in the final round, scoring 37 points. It was the most shots made in a 3-point contest in either the WNBA or NBA. The Liberty’s star guard wanted to make sure she was completely healthy before officially entering the contest. She said she’ll be trying to break her own mark.
Gray, who made her own history last season, winning the 3-point and Skills Challenge, will try and defend her title in both competitions. She beat Jonquel Jones 22-21 to win the 3-point shootout. Gray beat Sophie Cunningham by 2 seconds to win the skills competition.
The Atlanta Dream star received $110,000 from Aflac as part of a partnership with the WNBPA. The 3-point contest winner this year will get an extra $5,000 from Aflac. Gray also got $2,575 from the league for each of her two victories.
Other players competing in the skills challenge will be New York’s Natasha Cloud, Seattle’s Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler, and Minnesota’s Courtney Williams.
Heading into the weekend
The WNBA finishes off the first half of its season this week before heading into the All-Star break in Indiana, which will be a showcase for young star Caitlin Clark.
The Fever have three all-stars with Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell all playing in the game Saturday. Clark, who is one of the captains, took both her Indiana teammates for her team in the game.
Before Saturday’s contest, the Fever have a busy week with back-to-back games, first in Boston against Connecticut on Tuesday and then in New York on Wednesday.
The Fever are trying to get some momentum heading into the break as they are just over .500 heading into Tuesday night’s game.
Minnesota, led by the other All-Star captain, Napheesa Collier, has the best record in the league at 19-4. The Lynx played four games in six days over a stretch they went 2-2. They have one more game against second-place Phoenix on Wednesday before heading into the break.
Sidelined
Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard will be sidelined for the rest of the month with a left knee injury she picked up against Indiana. Howard earned her third All-Star nod earlier this month and was drafted by Team Collier. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert named Minnesota’s Kayla McBride as Howard’s replacement on Tuesday afternoon. It’s McBride’s fifth All-Star appearance.
Howard is expected to make a full recovery and a timeline for her return will be provided at a later date, the Dream said.
Strong ratings
ABC had its most watched WNBA game ever on Saturday when Paige Bueckers and Dallas faced Clark and Indiana. The Fever won in a blowout in the first pro matchup between the two star guards. The game averaged 2.1 million viewers.
Record breaker
Naz Hillmon played in her 128th straight game, setting an Atlanta franchise record by passing Iziane Castro Marques’ mark of 127. Natisha Heidman of Minnesota has the longest active streak with 199 consecutive games played. Dawn Staley holds the league record with 263.
Power poll rankings
Phoenix moved up to the No. 1 spot, passing Minnesota after beating the Lynx last week. The Mercury haven’t been in the top spot since 2018. The Lynx were second and New York was third. Atlanta, Indiana and Seattle followed the Liberty. Washington moved up two spots to seventh with Golden State and Las Vegas next. Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Connecticut rounded out the poll.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.