Caitlin Clark & Sabrina Ionescu Decline WNBA All-Star 3-Point Showdown Again

When Caitlin Clark was coming into the WNBA, fans wanted her to take on 3-point contest superstar Sabrina Ionescu. That has not happened to date, and it seems fans will have to wait at least another year.

During her rookie campaign, the Indiana Fever star was interested in battling her friend. But the veteran declined to participate as she preferred to conserve her energy for preparations ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Then, when the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend was being decided, there was hope that Clark and Ionescu would go head-to-head against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

But the Iowa native declined to do so, citing that she would rather make her debut in the tournament in the WNBA first. Only then would she entertain a call from the men’s league.

Last season, despite being scheduled to participate, Clark’s injuries stopped her from competing, and Ionescu went on to win the contest again. This year, both are healthy after some injuries earlier in the season. Therefore, it was only natural that fans would expect them to entertain them this year.

Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride were invited to participate in the 3-point contest but declined, a source told ESPN.

Alexa Philippou revealed on X

FYI: Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride were invited to participate in the 3-point contest but declined, a source told ESPN https://t.co/HskuFy1IyC

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) July 21, 2026

The ESPN insider revealed this as a follow-up when the WNBA first announced its participants for this year’s event. This means that neither is going to grace the tournament this year. It also means that fans will now have to wait until next year, with the hope that they accept the invitation and are healthy.

Did WNBA not send invitations to Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu? Liberty star reveals the truth

When the news first dropped about this year’s 3-point contest participants, fans were searching for answers as to why Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu were not part of the event.

When Bleacher Report’s women’s sports Instagram page dropped the news that the two sharpshooting guards had declined the WNBA’s invitation, the Liberty star reacted to it with this:

Lies.

Ionescu wrote

This was the clearest indication that the league may not have sent both Ionescu and Clark any invitations. Instead, they possibly ran the story as a cover-up, knowing how fans would react to their absence.

However, BRW Sports took down the original post before it went viral, knowing they would draw the league’s wrath for keeping the 2024 WNBA champion’s comment in full public view.

Thankfully, fan pages took screenshots and are now in circulation, raising questions about the league’s intentions. The league’s management is already on shaky ground amidst recent controversies.

If they indeed did not send out invitations, it will only add to the discourse that they are intentionally not promoting certain players. But every time they do that, one or the other player has revealed something that has raised eyebrows.

Despite 6th-best shooting percentage, Sophie Cunningham was also not invited

One of the reasons Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu may not have received an invite for this year’s 3-point contest is because of their not-at-par shooting percentage. The Fever star has been converting 33.3% of her shots from distance, while the Liberty star is worse, with just 28.7% of her shots going in.

However, Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell has been draining 42.3% of her three-pointers and still did not get an invite. So didn’t Sophie Cunningham, who is shooting at a career-best 43.7%.

That number also happens to be the second-best shooting percentage of any WNBA player attempting more than four three-pointers a game. But it so happens that the league preferred those who have been shooting at higher volume. All six players chosen for this year’s contest are attempting at least 5.2 shots per game and are converting at least 35% of them.

Also Read:

• Sophie Cunningham’s Push to Rally Opposition Against Farmland Data Centers Backfires – “Buy the Land and Farm It”
• Caitlin Clark Reveals How She Blocks Out Noise Amid Controversies: “Gotta Have Thick Skin”