How Do the Guard’s Numbers Compare to Stephen Curry?

Part of the fun of All-Star events is the fantasy aspect. While sports fans may love to tune in and watch their favorite team, not every contest is fun. Sometimes, the squad is mired in a slump; other times, an injury will decrease the quality of the on-court product. And, especially when the season enters the doldrums, some matchups just won’t be compelling.

NBA All-Star Weekend removes some of those logistical hurdles. Things aren’t perfect—the Slam Dunk Contest still largely lacks a star presence beyond Jalen Brown—but, on the whole, we get to see many of basketball’s biggest names duking it out for on-court supremacy.

And this year’s festivities include a notable WNBA name: Sabrina Ionescu.

The New York Liberty sharpshooter will face off against Golden State Warriors marksman Stephen Curry in “Steph vs. Sabrina,” a one-on-one three-point shootout from NBA distance. While that will represent a (technical) change for Ionescu, she’s not concerned.

“I shoot from that range to begin with,” Ionescu said on Tuesday. “Knowing that I had the opportunity to kind of pick what line I wanted to shoot from, it was a no-brainer. Continue to prove that we’re capable and willing. Wanted to continue to equal the playing field and doing so on the biggest stage.”

But with their showdown inching closer, let’s compare their respective shooting stats in something of a tale of the tape.

Curry’s 3-Point Stats Speak for Themselves

There was a time when the consensus held that you won basketball games in the post, not on the perimeter. These days, though, it’s impossible to imagine a roster that doesn’t feature a heavy dose of outside shooting; even modern big men have to be comfortable on the perimeter.

Curry’s success has played a role in that evolution.

During his time in the pros, the Golden State Warriors guard has attempted more than 8,500 three-pointers. He’s sunk an incredible 3642 (as of Thursday, February 15), which is good for a 42.7 percent career three-point percentage.

But Curry can do more than shoot from three-point range. Beyond his highlight reel capability, he’s also accurate from a shorter distance. Across his 14+ seasons in the Association, the guard has converted more than half of his two-pointers (52.4 percent) and 91 percent of his free throws.

If you roll effective field goal percentage into the mix (the stat works aims to reflect that a three-point shot is more valuable), he sits at 58.3 percent, which is good for 15th all-time. That number becomes even more impressive when you consider that almost every name above him is a big man who did most of their work near the rim.

Sabrina Ionescu Shooting Stats

Whether it’s fair or not, WNBA players don’t have the same celebrity status as their NBA counterparts. With that in mind, let’s consider some of Ionescu’s numbers.

During her four professional seasons, the Liberty guard’s long-range attempts have increased annually. She attempted 20 threes as a rookie but then put up 166 in 2021. The 2022 campaign saw 249 shots from downtown, and 2023 was the highest watermark to date (286).

Ionescu’s accuracy has largely trended in the right direction. In 2023, she drained a career-high 44.8 percent of her shots from behind the arch; her career three-point percentage is a bit lower at (a still impressive) 37.7 percent.

But we can also consider her other shooting stats, as we did with Curry.

Ionescu has 44.9 percent on two-pointers during her professional career and converted 90.9 percent of her looks from the free-throw line. Her professional effective field goal percentage sits at 51.3 percent, which trails Steph’s.

It is worth noting, though, that Ionescu’s victory in last year’s WNBA All-Star Weekend saw her finish on 37 points, the highest total in either WNBA or NBA history.

NBA Players Seem Split on Their Favorite

Stats can tell part of the story, but what do NBA pros think? They, after all, are the ones who have seen just how lethal Curry can be from range.

Well, the jury seems to be largely split.

Among four players whose responses were shared on the NBA’s X (formerly Twitter) account, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green threw their support behind Curry. Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson voted for Ionescu, although it’s possible that the Warriors guard just wanted the chance to throw some shade at his fellow Splash Brother.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked to pick between the two sharpshooters during a Boardroom interview. He said that he would put all his money on Sabrina.

How will things actually play out? At this point, we’ll have to wait and see which guard claims the head-to-head crown.