Stephen Curry lighting up the NBA All-Star stage is somewhat of a norm in recent years. The shooting maverick has taken that up a notch this year by writing the first chapter of a brand new NBA journal with Sabrina Ionescu.
While Curry edged past Sabrina, the contest was more than just a mere public display of shooting prowess. Both the athletes were out there to make the most of every shot with their foundation goal in mind. Curry made sure Sabrina went home with a lasting memory and then decided to add to that some more.
Stephen Curry teams up with Under Armour to donate $30K to charity
The Warriors star Stephen Curry faced the NY Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu in a special 3-point shootout challenge in the NBA All-Star weekend. It was the first time ever that a player from the NBA competed with a WNBA player.
Both the basketball associations made a donation of $25,000 that both the players could give as per their choices. Not only that, but State Farm also donated to the NBA Foundation every time the two scored a perfect shot.
The NBA Foundation aims to financially help the Black Community to grow in the fields of business, technology and so on. A normal well-hit shot was worth $1,000, whereas for money ball, the 2-pointers collected $2,000 and the Starry Range 3-pointers were worth $3,000. The $55k Curry collected during the challenge will be donated to the NBA Foundation.
Stephen Curry and Under Armour, the American sportswear company with which Curry launched his signature sneaker brand, will also donate $30k to Sabrina’s SI20 Foundation. The Foundation helps the unprivileged community by providing education, accessibility of sports equipment, and teaching leadership development skills.
With this challenge Curry and Sabrina bridged the gap between the NBA and WNBA, building a stage for future crossovers for such charitable causes.
Stephen Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu draws massive viewership
The WNBA-NBA crossover for a special 3-point challenge between Curry and Sabrina took place after the NBA All-Star weekend’s 3-point contest which had stars like Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and the contest winner Damian Lillard. The Warriors guard had last participated in the contest in 2021 so, the fans were eager to see him, especially after the stunning 100-plus feet shot he scored from the tunnel in a pregame recently.
Sabrina, the WNBA 3-point shootout Champion opened the stage for others in the future. She showcased her excellence and scored 26 points but lost by a small margin against Curry’s 29. She looked equally good against the 4-time NBA Champion.
The viewership reached to a higher point during their first-ever crossover. As per TNT reports, their contest recorded 5.4 million viewers. The Saturday night of the NBA All-Star saw an increase of 54% views from the previous year.
After winning the challenge, Curry was all praises for the WNBA star. He said, “This couldn’t have gone any better in the sense of us two taking the chance in front of this stage, running around with all the hype, and to deliver like that, she set the bar, it was unbelievable to watch.”
Sabrina seemed immensely happy and excited to be able to do this challenge against one of the greats of the game. The increase in viewship and cheers from the NBA community could only lead to more such crossovers in the future.
