2024 WNBA All-Star Skills, 3-Point Contest Players Set; Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Out

The WNBA announced the participants for Friday's 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge as part of WNBA All-Star Weekend, and there were a couple of notable omissions.

According to ESPN's Alexa Philippou, the 3-Point Contest field will include Stefanie Dolson of the Washington Mystics, Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream, Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty, Marina Mabrey of the Connecticut Sun and Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx.

Meanwhile, Gray, Mabrey, Erica Wheeler of the Indiana Fever and both Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham of the Phoenix Mercury will partake in the Skills Challenge.

Many hoped for the inclusion of Fever star Caitlin Clark and Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu in the 3-Point Contest, but both declined invitations, the WNBA confirmed to the Associated Press' Doug Feinberg.

Clark and Ionescu are not only two of the biggest stars in the WNBA, but they are statistically two of the best three-point shooters as well.

Ionescu ranks second in the league with 76 three-pointers made, putting her just two behind the league leader in McBride. Meanwhile, Clark is tied for third in the WNBA with 71 trifectas.

Clark will be the headliner for Team WNBA in Saturday's All-Star Game against the United States women's national team, which will represent the U.S. at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris later this month.

Given her popularity, as evidenced by Fever games drawing some of the biggest crowds in WNBA history, it was widely assumed that Clark would be heavily featured in All-Star festivities.

Clark would have been a great fit in the Skills Challenge as well, especially after setting a single-game WNBA record with 19 assists in Wednesday's loss to the Dallas Wings, but she will merely be a spectator Friday in Phoenix.

As for Ionescu, she put on the most stunning performance in 3-Point Contest history last year, scoring 37 out of a possible 40 points, which was he most ever in a WNBA or NBA 3-Point Contest.

By virtue of her performance, Ionescu was invited to take part in a special shooting contest against Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry during NBA All-Star Weekend in February.

Curry won the event, but only by a slim 29-26 margin, further cementing Ionescu as the best shooter in the women's game.

Ionescu does have even greater ambitions than the WNBA 3-Point Contest on the horizon, though, as she will be part of Team USA at the Olympics.

It will mark the first Olympic participation of Ionescu's career, and she will look to have a significant hand in Team USA winning an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.