NBA All-Star Weekend: How to watch 3-Point Contest and Stephen vs. Sabrina

While there have been complaints about the NBA All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk Contest in recent years, no one has had anything bad to say about the 3-Point Contest. Now, the competition between the best long-ball shooters in the world is only getting better. On top of the 3-Point Contest that fans have come to know and love, NBA All-Star Weekend will feature a new competition for some of the best beyond-the-arc shooters in the world. Stephen Curry, widely regarded as the greatest three-point shooter ever, will take on Sabrina Ionescu, the best shooter in the WNBA, in a battle for three-point shooting supremacy. In this article, we will explain how you can watch both three-point competitions.

When and where is All-Star Saturday Night?

All-Star Saturday Night is one of three days during NBA All-Star Weekend. On Feb. 17, there will be the Kia Skills Challenge and the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest in addition to the Starry 3-Point Contest and Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge.

The Skills Challenge will start those events off at 8 p.m. ET, and the Dunk Contest will end the night. That means the two shooting competitions will be in between those events. The Indiana Pacers are hosting All-Star Weekend, and while the All-Star Game will be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, All-Star Saturday Night will be at Lucas Oil Stadium.

How to watch the 3-Point Contest and Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge

All of the events that are a part of All-Star Saturday will be on TNT.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 17 | Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, Indiana

TV channel: TNT

3-Point Contest contestants

Sabrina Ionescu on New York Liberty putting her hands up in celebration. — Wendell Cruz-USA Today Sports

Starry 3-Point Contest:

Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge:

Ionescu, the single-season three-point makes record holder in the WNBA, set the record for the 3-Point Contest for either NBA or WNBA players when she scored 37 of 40 points. That caused the WNBA star to challenge Curry to a shoot-off, and fans will get to see it during All-Star Saturday.

Curry and Ionescu will compete with normal 3-Point Contest rules. Curry will be shooting from behind the NBA arc with NBA balls, and Ionescu was expected to shoot with WNBA balls from the WNBA three-point line. However, it is now believed that the WNBA star will take the challenge a step further and shoot from the same distance as Curry.

I’ll shoot from the NBA line… LETS GET IT!!!!!!! https://t.co/LmQEbMe4S5

— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) January 30, 2024

History of the NBA 3-Point Contest

The rules for the 3-Point Contest are simple, although they have changed in recent years. Eight contestants have one minute and 10 seconds to shoot a total of 27 three-point shots. There are five racks with five balls each at five different locations around the arc. Four of those racks have four balls worth one point, and the fifth ball is worth two points. The two-point balls are considered money balls. One of the five racks consists of only money balls. In addition, there are two Starry deep-range balls worth three points. The players with the three best scores advance to the final round.

Previously, there were no Starry shots, no money ball rack, and players only had one minute to shoot. As the game of basketball has more commonly incorporated the three-point shot and shots from well beyond the arc, the 3-Point Contest has adapted to better reflect the times.

Overall, there has been a 3-Point Contest in every season except for the lockout-shortened 1999 season. Larry Bird and Craig Hodges are the only three-time winners, and Bird did that in the first three seasons that the competition existed. Damian Lillard won the competition last year.

3-Point Contest winners:

1986: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics

1987: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics

1988: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics

1989: Dale Ellis, Seattle Supersonics

1990: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls

1991: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls

1992: Craig Hodges, Chicago Bulls

1993: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers

1994: Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers

1995: Glen Rice, Miami Heat

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