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Caitlin Clark will make her 3-point contest debut in Indianapolis in front of her home fans on All-Star Friday night. Clark declined to participate in an NBA All-Star event earlier this year, electing to save her first All-Star skills appearance for the WNBA’s signature weekend; despite recent injuries that have cost her 10 games, Clark will be one of five entrants in the 3-point shootout.
Clark will face off against reigning champion Allisha Gray, all-time record-holder Sabrina Ionescu (37 points in the final round in 2023) and fellow All-Stars Kelsey Plum and Sonia Citron. Ionescu did not defend her title in 2024, electing to rest ahead of the Paris Olympics. Both she and Gray are 1-for-1 in the shootout, while Plum finished last in her first appearance in 2022. Plum, Ionescu and Gray are third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in 3-pointers made per game in 2025.
Friday night will also include the WNBA skills challenge, featuring All-Stars Gray, Skylar Diggins and Courtney Williams, plus Natasha Cloud and Erica Wheeler. Gray is also defending her crown in this event after pulling off the historic double in Phoenix in 2024. This is Gray’s third year participating in the skills challenge, which debuted in 2019.
Cloud, Diggins and Williams are all new to the event. Wheeler is as well, though she was scheduled to participate in 2024 before a canceled flight forced her then-teammate Kelsey Mitchell to perform in her place. Wheeler spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Fever and could be a fan favorite in this event, though Diggins is from Indiana.
This is the second year that Aflac will be providing additional prize money to the winners of each event. The CBA stipulates that each winner gets $2,575, but Aflac will be adding $55,000 for the skills challenge and $60,000 for the 3-point shootout, equivalent to the purse in the NBA All-Star events. In 2024, the decision was made the week of the event, leaving many players unaware in time. Several players said that a bigger prize pool would incentivize participation, which seems to be validated in the number of All-Stars in this year’s lineup.
All-Star Friday night tips off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
(Photo: Jeff Haynes / Getty Images)
