Klay Thompson's pick for the NBA three-point contest may surprise you

The event, which has a WNBA player facing an NBA player in a three-point contest, is the first of its kind and there couldn’t be two better representatives to kick things off.

At the 2023 WNBA three-point contest in July, Ionescu scored a record 37 of 40 possible points and promptly challenged Curry — the NBA’s leader in three-pointers made — on social media.

The format of the contest closely resembles the standard three-point contest, with four racks, each with five balls (one being a two-point money ball) and a fifth all-money ball rack. The main difference is Curry will shoot with NBA balls and Ionescu will shoot with WNBA balls. 

Initially, Ionescu was slated to shoot from the WNBA three-point line, which is roughly three feet closer to the basket than the NBA line, but requested to shoot from the NBA line.

This shouldn’t be a challenge for Ionescu, who regularly hits three-pointers from this range.

Curry, a two-time three-point contest winner, is going to have quite the challenge in Ionescu, who is coming off winning the 2023 WNBA three-point contest. Curry hasn't competed in the three-point shootout since his victory in the 2020-21 season.

The three-point shootout has easily become the most thrilling event on All-Star Saturday and the addition of this new wrinkle will only add to the excitement. 

The contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday on TNT.