The NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest is a long-standing tradition that dates all the way back to 1986 when Larry Bird took home the first-ever title in the shooting contest. Professional basketball itself has greatly evolved since the inaugural 3-Point Contest, with long-range shooting becoming more common and popular than ever before. 

Not only is this event during NBA All-Star weekend, a highly coveted feat for players in the league, but it also highlights more individualized competitiveness in players, letting them shine on a big stage separate from their team’s success.

The idea of the contest itself is genius. It allows fans to see some of the top players in the league compete in an unconventional setting. The contest is known for being one of the most anticipated events during NBA All-Star weekend. What could a fan want more than to see their favorite players with the spotlight solely to themselves, an occurrence that is impossible in basketball?

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Having the chance to participate in such a renowned tradition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There’s no doubt that being invited to participate in this event is something most athletes would dream of. 

Nevertheless, WNBA star Caitlin Clark recently declined the NBA’s invitation to compete in the 2025 Starry 3-Point Contest at this month’s NBA All-Star weekend. Clark’s media representation told the press that she preferred to have her first 3-Point Contest be in Indianapolis this summer, at the WNBA All-Star Weekend. 

Women athletes are often expected to be content with just being included. The world expected Clark to graciously accept this invitation without question. There is a common belief that women’s professional leagues should just be satisfied with any coverage, benefits or opportunities they receive, without pushing for their fair share. 

While I agree that it is worth celebrating that organizations like the WNBA can even exist today, they have only persisted because of past women athletes’ relentless push for more. These women have had to go above and beyond to earn acknowledgment and recognition — as we see with Clark’s incredible career thus far.  

Look at the story of the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, Billie Jean King. In order to create the WTA in the 1970s, she had to ask another player to physically block people from exiting the room, while King convinced and begged people to sign off on the idea in support. 

The NBA’s invitation to Clark was a thoughtful gesture, but it seems to be too little, too late. 

It is no secret the NBA has been in massive trouble financially in recent years. According to an article from Front Office Sports, after just one month of the NBA season, viewership on ESPN was already down 28%. In numerous articles across the internet, sportswriters everywhere have been branding NBA viewership as one, disappointing remark: a flop.

In comparison, women’s basketball has been doing exceptionally well. The WNBA recently secured an 11-year media deal with Disney that is valued at around $2.2 billion — the inclusion of additional partners in the future proposing the deal could rise to even $3 billion. People want to watch professional women’s basketball players compete.

Clark’s talent and presence naturally draw enough attention on their own. Clark and her team are well aware that if she had participated in the 3-Point Contest, people would have tuned in and watched. Since Clark joined the WNBA, ratings have soared. ESPN even found that it averaged 1.2 million viewers for its games — up from 440,000 viewers a year prior. The NBA All-Star Weekend would have greatly benefited viewership wise if Clark had chosen to attend and participate. 

Clark’s rejection of the 3-Point Contest symbolizes something much greater in the scheme of gender equity in sports. Her choice to prioritize the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend this summer brings a simple phrase to the attention of the NBA — “I don’t need you.”  

Whether this was the actual intention of Clark’s team or not  — there have been rumors of her opting out as a result of hesitation to shoot off a rack that was different from her usual practice routine — I still find the entire situation incredibly ironic. The world has almost always looked down upon the WNBA, but now the men’s league was counting on a women’s basketball player to help garner attention for the All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest.

For pretty much my entire life, I’ve constantly seen the WNBA being ridiculed. Although the mockery is brushed off as fun and games, jokes are often what subtly reinforce public opinion, especially when it comes to negative perceptions of women’s sports in general. 

When Caitlin Clark was on “Saturday Night Live” in April 2024, a reel played during Clark’s appearance on the infamous Weekend Update segment of every misogynistic WNBA joke Michael Che had made over time. 

Although Clark did give him a taste of his own medicine with her comedic response, I couldn’t help but think how often the WNBA is portrayed as something to laugh at rather than an organization full of incredible talent and potential. 

The fact that a women’s basketball star is now declining to participate in NBA events furthermore illustrates that the WNBA can stand on its own, amassing its own fan base and attention.

Clark’s choice to have her first 3-Point competition be under the women’s league further shows that the WNBA is no longer a mere shadow of the NBA, but rather has its own entity. The sky’s the limit for where the league can go next.  

Sloane Morra is a senior giving her opinions and perspectives on current issues in women’s sports through her column “Second Serve,” which runs every other Friday.