The NBA All-Star Weekend had its fair share of highlights, and one of them was Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu‘s three-point shootout. It was a thrilling spectacle, with Curry emerging as the victor, 29-26. However, Saturday night didn’t finish without a bit of controversy. NBA on TNT commentator Kenny Smith in particular, received online backlash after stating that Ionescu should have shot from the WNBA three-point range, which is slightly closer to the basket than that of the NBA.
While Ionescu’s 26 points showed that she fared well from the men’s three-point line, Kenny Smith still stood by his comments, which he addressed with Stephen A. Smith.
“Most people who know basketball understood what I was talking about,” (Kenny) Smith said, via ClutchPoints. “Actually I was advocating for her (Ionescu) more than anything else because basketball’s goal is muscle memory. So he (Curry) practices from one range and she (Ionescu) practices from another.”
Smith then brought up a study about how a darts player’s accuracy changes when aiming from different distances. Afterward, he went on to emphasize that Curry has an advantage because the Golden State Warriors guard regularly practices from the NBA distance.
“…So I’m like, why is he (Curry) getting the advantage? Cause (they) shoot at his line. That’s an advantage. It’s not gender, it’s not genetic, it’s an advantage. Shooting is only muscle memory,” he added.
Smith may have aired his side, but it may take quite some time before the backlash dies down, due to the large number of viewers tuned in.
As the first of its kind, the NBA-WNBA crossover event garnered plenty of attention. And with Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu putting on a clinic to ensure its success, similar events are likely to happen again in the coming years.
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