Overview
- The WNBA announced the six entrants for the 3-Point Contest as Bridget Carleton, Azzi Fudd, Natisha Hiedeman, Rhyne Howard, Janelle Salaün and Marina Mabrey with the event set for Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago and televised on ESPN and Disney+.
- Multiple outlets reported that Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride were invited but declined and the ESPN tweet naming those declines preceded Ionescu’s public one-word reply calling the account “Lies”, creating a direct dispute over whether she was offered and refused an invite.
- Fans and analysts immediately questioned the selection process because players like Sophie Cunningham, who leads the league in three-point percentage, were omitted while high-volume shooters made the field.
- Azzi Fudd will be the only rookie in the contest, giving her a rare national spotlight, and Marina Mabrey enters as the statistical favorite by leading the WNBA in total three-pointers made this season.
- The contest uses two timed rounds with money balls and a special rack and the current controversy could pressure the league to clarify invite criteria and affect viewer interest for Friday’s skills show.