Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu not in WNBA All-Star 3-point contest

Two players who fans would expect to be competing in the WNBA 3-point contest won't be participating.

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, the defending champion in the event, will sit out this year's competition, which takes place Friday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

The two stars were invited by the WNBA to compete in the contest but declined. Ionescu is at camp preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Ionescu's Liberty teammate, center Jonquel Jones, will be one of the five players looking to take home the title. The other participants are Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride.

McBride leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made with 76, and Dolson is the league's leader in 3-point field goal percentage this season, hitting 48.5% from beyond the arc.

Clark said she would focus only on the All-Star Game before the Fever's Wednesday night loss against the Dallas Wings, during which she set the WNBA record for most assists in a game with 19.

Clark has made 71 3-pointers this season and is shooting 33% from 3.

Ionescu, who has 74 3-pointers this year and took on Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in a 3-point contest during the NBA's All-Star weekend, lit up the WNBA 3-point shootout competition in 2023, hitting 37 points in the final round to win.