The NBA will have its “Battle of the Sexes”: in which specialty will Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu compete?

As 50 years ago (September 20, 1973) the known “Battle of the Sexes” of tennis in which the legendary Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3, fascinating the audience present at the Houston Astrodome, Now this show comes to basketball and Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will be the protagonists of a highly anticipated clash.

As a prelude to tradition All Star Gamewhich faces the ideal teams of the two NBA conferences, the point guard of the Golden State Warriors and the guard of the New York Liberty They will face each other in the triple race which Curry has already won in 2015 and 2021. He will try to match Larry Bird (1986, 1987 and 1988) and Craig Hodges (1990, 1991 and 1992) as the only ones to win three times.

Ionescu, meanwhile, won last year among the women in what is known in the United States as the 3 point challengeestablishing an unprecedented record on that occasion: he scored 25 triples out of 27 attempts (92.5% efficiency) and managed to make 20 consecutive ones. He finished with 37 of a possible 40 points.

After finishing the first round with 26 points, the native of Walnut Creek, California, completed an (almost) immaculate final round and thus surpassed Curry himself, who held the combined NBA and WNBA record with 31 points as of 2021.

The challenge will replicate the conditions in which they compete in their respective championships. That is, Curry will shoot from the NBA three-point line with NBA balls, while Ionescu will do so under the conditions established by the WNBA.

The Golden State Warriors, winner of the ring in the 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2021-22 seasons, is the absolute leader in NBA triples with 3,577 (42.9% efficiency), while the New York Liberty has an average that is close to it (37.7) and his career is on the rise. A show not to be missed.

All-Star Game schedule

Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will face off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of a weekend that will have plenty of basketball to watch.

Friday 16 February

• NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
• NBA Rising Stars Challenge

Saturday 17 February

• Quiz night

Sunday 18 January

• NBA All-Star Game on

The All-Star Game teams

Eastern Conference

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Tyrese Haliburton
3. Damian Lillard
4. Joel Embiid
5. Jayson Tatum

Western Conference

1. Lebron James
2. Luca Doncic
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
4. Nikola Jokić
5. Kevin Durant