It's official: Caitlin Clark is participating in the WNBA's first-ever 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis on Friday. Clark will be joined by Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Sonia Citron. Ionescu and Citron are also members of Clark's All-Star team. Clark's participation in this year's 3-point contest is likely to equally thrill her fans and disappoint her detractors.
This is Clark's first 3-point contest since she was drafted into the league in 2024. Clark had the option to participate at last year's All-Star but declined, citing mental and physical fatigue.
This year's competition is stiff. Gray will return as the defending champion, having won the 3-point contest in 2024, and Ionescu set the all-time single-round record in 2023's contest with 37 points.
When is the 2025 WNBA All-Star skills challenge?
The skills challenge will kick off on Friday, July 18, at 8 p.m. EST. The event will be hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. In addition to the 3-point contest, the WNBA will also host a skills challenge that will include a timed obstacle course that tests the athletes' ability to dribble, bounce pass, chest pass, and outlet pass, as well as shooting jumpers, 3-pointers from the top of the arc, and corner threes.
The skills challenge participants are Skylar Diggins, Natasha Cloud, Allisha Gray, Erica Wheeler, and Courtney Williams. The All-Star Game will follow on Saturday, July 19, at 8:30 p.m. EST, also at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Why didn't Caitlin Clark compete in the 3-point contest in 2024?
Despite playing in last year's All-Star Game, Clark passed up the opportunity to participate in the 3-point contest the day before. Clark told reporters she had never shot off the rack, the Indy Star reported, and that coupled with the intensity of her rookie season led her to prioritize both her physical and mental fortitude.
"I think the biggest thing was for me, it's just like, I need a break," she said at the time. "I'm gonna take some time for myself to enjoy what I want to do, and at times that can be tough in the position I'm in, but I think it was healthiest for myself."
Clark also turned down the opportunity to participate in the NBA's 3-point contest at the league's own All-Star weekend in February, and her representatives explicitly noted she wanted her first-ever 3-point contest to be at home in Indianapolis.
It wasn't clear until the news was published that Clark would be part of this year's contest. The sophomore star has missed 10 games due to injuries and is battling through a small shooting slump at present; Clark is currently shooting at 28.9% from the three so far this season (she shot 34.4% last year).