The six competitors in the 3-Point Contest on Friday night of WNBA All-Star 2026 are:
- Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire)
- Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings)
- Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm)
- Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
- Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo)
- Janelle Salaün (Golden State Valkyries)
Howard and Mabrey are each participating in their second 3-Point Contest. As rookie in 2022, Howard advanced to the final round and finished third; in the 2024 competition, Mabrey came in sixth. In addition to the rookie Fudd, Carleton, Hiedeman and Salaün are making their contest debuts.
According to USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall, two-time and defending 3-Point champion Sabrina Ionescu declined an invitation to participate,
as did Kayla McBride and Caitlin Clark.
However, Ionescu and McBride, a three-time participant who finished second in 2018 and 2019, disputed their “invitations.”
After first expressing the inaccuracy of her invite on Instagram, Ionescu explained before the New York Liberty’s final pre-All-Star break game that she “can’t decline an offer I never officially got invited to.”
McBride subsequently took to Instagram to share her experience, suggesting her agent received a slapdash, last-second invite.
But, that’s enough about who will NOT be trying to stake their claim to 3-Point shooting superiority.
Of the six who will put their 3-Point shooting skill in the spotlight, who has the best chance of catching fire and capturing the crown?
Here are my top three favorites, in ranked order. In the comments, let us who you think will win, or who you hope will win, on Friday night.
1. Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings)
The greatest 3-Point Contest competitors in WNBA history—four-time winner Allie Quigley and two-time winner and single-round record holder Ionescu—have thrived in this setting due to their metronomic consistency.
Both Quigley and Ionescu have an uncanny ability to enter a zone, efficiently replicating attempt after attempt as they work their way around the arc, accumulating make after make.
Fudd seems perfectly suited to follow a similar script.
It’s not crazy to predict that she could become one of the greatest shooters in WNBA history because of her strong base, elite balance, pinpoint form and quick release, all of which are traits that should seamlessly translate to the contest format. Her conditioning and endurance should also ensure that she’s not going to tire.
Her “weaknesses” as a 3-pointer shooter also might be a strength in this setting. In in-game WNBA action, Fudd has yet to flash 3-point shooting versatility. For the Wings, 47 of her 50 made 3-pointers have been assisted, but the absence of an off-the-dribble or pull-up repertoire isn’t a problem here.
Expect her to cash in on the three above-the-break locations, as 119 of her 129 attempts have come beyond the corners. With just 10 corner 3 attempts—4-for-6 from the right corner and 1-for-4 from the left corner—on the season, Fudd doesn’t have enough of a sample size to make any pronouncements about her performance from those spots.
And while not know as a long-range bomber, she has taken 47 3s from 25 feet and beyond, making almost 45 percent of them. So, the two “From the Logo” shots, worth three points, are extra-points possibilities for Azzi.
2. Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
Howard’s lone 3-Point contest entry came during her rookie season, making her opening 24-point performance all the more impressive. Although she faded in the final round, the more-than-solid showing on Howard’s resume inspires confidence in her ability to again emerge as a final-round contender.
Of all this year’s competitors, Howard shoots the easiest ball; her shots are elegant and effortless. But, that doesn’t mean she can’t ignite. A streaky shooter who is prone to game-to-game droughts, it’s not uncommon for Rhyne to go empty or just make a single triple for a game or two before enjoying a night where everything she throws up from deep finds the bottom of the net.
If Howard gets on a heater, she can end this expeditiously.
Her shot versatility—pull-ups, stepbacks, catch-and-shoots, off screens—is more valuable in games than in this setting, but Howard should experience no issue shooting off the racks.
Howard, like Fudd, also has the endurance required to not wear down as the time winds down. Rhyne leads the league in minutes per game and 3-point attempts per game, and still is making almost 36 percent of her 3s.
Her shot profile also resembles Fudd’s, as the preponderance of her 3s come above the break, with only 10 attempts from the corners. Of her 220 total 3-point attempts, 210 were above the break. Although Howard has taken 67 3s from 25 feet and beyond, she’s hit barely 31 percent of those, suggesting she might have bit more trouble taking advantage of “From the Logo” opportunities.
3. Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo)
Mabrey winning, certainly, would be the best show. The star of Philly is Unrivaled who has a WNBA single-game record-tying 53-point game to her name, Marina rising to meet the moment is becoming routine.
A former member of the Chicago Sky, it would be quite the sight to see Mabrey goad, gesticulate and celebrate with the Wintrust Arena crowd.
Mabrey’s first 3-Point Contest foray in 2024 actually served as her debut in a Connecticut Sun uniform, as the Sky traded her away just before the All-Star break. Although she came in last, the 19 first-round points she earned usually would result in better than a sixth-place finish.
Mabrey’s also improved as a 3-point shooter over the last two seasons, wedding her volume and ambition with greater accuracy. Her 8.6 3-point attempts per game trail only Howard, and because she’s drilling over 40 percent of her deep balls, she leads the WNBA with 82 made triples.
And a lot of those 3-balls have come off-the-dribble. That Mabrey is shooting such a strong percentage from behind the arc despite more than 35 percent of her 3s being unassisted, the highest percentage of any contestant, is impressive.
It also might be less relevant to this competition.
Mabrey often conjures her magic when she deploys a series of dribble moves, jerks and jabs before drilling a 3. The repetition required for contest success seems a bit antithetical to Mabrey’s stylings.
However, combining volume, percentage and shot versatility, Mabrey’s been one of the best 3-point shooters in the league this season, so it’s probably dumb to doubt her.
And even more than Fudd or Howard, the “From the Logo” shots could be a real weapon that gives her the extra points needed to advance, and maybe win it all. Mabrey’s taken 43 3s from 27 feet and beyond, converting almost 40 percent of them.
