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The WNBA announced its 3-Point Contest section Tuesday, and it didn’t return agelong to announcement a glaring omission.
Caitlin Clark isn't successful it.
According to ESPN, nan convention invited Clark to its shooting contest, but she declined. Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride besides declined invitations to participate.
Caitlin Clark of Team WNBA reacts against nan USA Basketball Women's National Team during nan 2nd half of nan 2024 WNBA All-Star Game astatine Footprint Center connected July 20, 2024, successful Phoenix, Ariz. (Getty Images)
It's intolerable to overstate really large of a rustle this deals to nan WNBA and its broadcast partner, ESPN.
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The convention built its All-Star Weekend shooting arena astir Clark by adding "From nan Logo" shots to nan contest. Not only is Clark nan astir notable WNBA subordinate (really nan only notable player) to sprout logo threes, but State Farm built an full trading run astir her long-distance triples.
So, yeah, it's difficult to position nan league's "From nan Logo" changeable arsenic thing but a motion to its astir celebrated superstar.
And arsenic bad arsenic it is for nan WNBA, it's astir apt worse for ESPN. With Clark competing, ESPN could almost guarantee that it would tie astatine slightest a cardinal viewers.
But it gets a small worse.
Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, sidelined pinch an injury, reacts aft nan Fever made a 3-point changeable during a crippled against nan Connecticut Sun connected May 30, 2025, astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis, Ind. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The convention besides didn't see Clark’s Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell aliases Sophie Cunningham. It's unclear whether either were offered and declined aliases simply wasn't asked, but it doesn't matter astatine this point.
Mitchell vanished 3rd among guards successful nan instrumentality information of WNBA All-Star voting and ninth wide pinch 665,377 votes. She’s besides shooting 42% from 3 this season.
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Cunningham vanished 15th overall successful instrumentality voting pinch 386,451 votes, and she’s shooting 44% from deep. Cunningham has complete 3.2 cardinal followers connected TikTok and 2.6 cardinal followers connected Instagram. In different words, she is 1 of nan astir celebrated players successful nan WNBA and she tin sprout nan rock.
Another notably absent subordinate is Paige Bueckers. Bueckers, nan No. 1 wide prime successful nan 2025 WNBA Draft, is averaging 20 points per crippled and led nan full convention pinch 1,045,051 instrumentality votes for nan 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
So, yes, nan WNBA has a 3-point contest.
It conscionable doesn’t person a batch of nan names group would’ve expected to see, aliases wanted to see, successful a 3-point contest.
Neither Sophie Cunningham nor Caitlin Clark are competing successful nan WNBA 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend. (NBAE via Getty Images)
Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey, Azzi Fudd, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman and Janelle Salaün will compete Friday nighttime astatine Wintrust Arena successful Chicago.
That’s a perfectly respectable field, though most of nan players are apt chartless to casual sports fans. Mabrey leads nan WNBA pinch 82 made threes entering play Tuesday. Howard is 2nd pinch 79. Salaün is fifth, Carleton is sixth and Hiedeman is tied for seventh. Fudd, nan No. 1 wide prime successful nan 2026 WNBA Draft, is tied for 10th.
Sure, those six players are bully shooters.
But travel on.
Clark is nan biggest tie successful nan sport. Ionescu is 1 of nan astir celebrated shooters successful women’s basketball. Bueckers led each players successful All-Star instrumentality voting. Clark's teammates, Mitchell and Cunningham, are 2 different very celebrated players who tin shoot.
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Still, nary 1 matters much than Clark, who has yet to compete successful nan WNBA's three-point title successful her three-year career.
She declined nan 2024 WNBA 3-Point Contest, was expected to compete successful nan 2025 type earlier pulling retired because of injury, and now reportedly declined this year’s contest.
Caitlin Clark, who is celebrated for her agelong three-pointers, isn't participating successful nan WNBA 3-Point Contest anterior to nan 2026 All-Star Game. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That’s a big problem for nan WNBA. Clark changes nan somesthesia of everything astir her. Regular-season games consciousness bigger erstwhile she’s involved. Road arenas capable up. Ratings jump. Social media explodes. People who don’t usually watch nan WNBA abruptly care.
The WNBA has a nationally televised 3-point title pinch logo shots during All-Star Weekend, and Caitlin Clark won’t beryllium successful it.
For a convention trying to move momentum into thing bigger, that’s a monolithic miss.
Dan Zaksheske is simply a newsman astatine OutKick.
