Curry, Ionescu won't run back All-Star 3-point challenge

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu won't be having a rematch of their 3-point shootout at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed to Shams Charania of ESPN.

"We weren't able to land on a plan we thought would raise the bar off of last year's special moment," Bass told Charania. "We all agreed not to proceed and will instead keep the focus on All-Star Sunday's new format."

Curry and Ionescu had no interest in another one-on-one showdown and wanted to expand the competition to include Caitlin Clark and potentially Klay Thompson, sources told The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Anthony Slater.

Thompson recently said he was open to the idea, but Clark's decision to decline essentially ended any hopes of a second 3-point shootout between Curry and Ionescu, adds Vardon and Slater.

Curry came out on top in last year's All-Star matchup in Indianapolis, defeating Ionescu 29-26 in the single-round contest.