The mixed three-point contest in the NBA All-Star held in Indianapolis on Feb. 17, should make us question the gender separation in Basketball and other sports.
The best shooter in NBA history, Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry, faced off against the WNBA’s star Sabrina Ionescu, who plays for the New York Liberty.
It was unprecedented as the event had never witnessed a duel between a male and a female player.
Curry won the challenge by 29 points to 26, but beyond the competition itself, the shooting contest raised a significant discussion on gender disparities.
We should question why women are not already competing against men in sports like basketball, where skill prevails when women compete against men in tennis and golf.
Sabrina Ionescu came close to Stephen Curry in the three-point contest as she got 26 points and the Warrior's player 29 Photo credit: New York Liberty
While it’s indisputable that men are better than women in sports with a predominantly physical component, due to their naturally higher testosterone, there’s no reason to believe that the male gender has more or better skill than the female one.
The score of the three-point contest not only proved that Ionescu is almost as skilled a shooter as Curry, but also that she is equal to or better than many NBA players.
With her score of 26, the WNBA’s star equalled the points Damian Lillard, Trae Young, Karl Anthony-Towns and Tyrese Haliburton got in the men’s three-point contest.
Ionescu even surpassed the other participants, Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, Jalen Brunson and Malik Beasley.
And it’s worth remembering that, despite the three-point line in the WNBA being a little closer she shot from the NBA’s distance.
Curry and Ionescu took advantage of the opportunity to vindicate mixed competitions.
Ionescu said that, in basketball’s case, gender is not important.
“If you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a girl. I think it’s a matter of the heart you have,” she said.
Ionescu also said men and women could face off in other sports.
“Why not a penalty shoot-out in soccer? It would be cool to see how this keeps evolving in other sports. It’s something that already happens in tennis and golf as well.
“It’s just continuing to create chances for women to go out there, present themselves and prove a lot of people wrong,” she said. “It’s going to change the narrative, kind of shift the way that non-sayers believe what we are capable of doing.
“Obviously, it’s not going to happen overnight, it’s going to create a kind of ripple effect and over time we’ll be able to continue advocating for what we believe,” Ionescu said.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics already saw a remarkable number of mixed competitions with archery, athletics, badminton, equestrian, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and triathlon.
However, we must go on.
It’s time to break all gender boundaries in sports.
Curry said this event could inspire future generations
“Being present on this stage will provide a lot of inspiration for the younger generation, both male and female, who want to compete and see themselves in one of us,” he said.