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SPORTS Thursday 1 February 2024
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An All-Star shooting showdown: Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu

is happening

By TIM REYNOLDS shooting nearly 45% from
AP Basketball Writer distance.
Stephen Curry is headed “I’m envisioning a Bobby
back to NBA All-Star week- Riggs versus Billie Jean King
end. Sabrina Ionescu will from 1973, so maybe it’s
be waiting for him. the modern-day battle of
The shootout that both of the sexes,” Warriors coach
them wanted is officially a Steve Kerr said. “I know
reality, the NBA announced those two are close. Sabrina
Tuesday. “Stephen vs. Sa- being from the bay, we’ve
brina” will happen as part seen her at our games be-
of All-Star Saturday Night fore and everybody loves
in Indianapolis on Feb. 17. her and pulls for her. So it’ll
Curry, the NBA’s all-time be fun to see them shoot-
3-point king, will take on ing against each other.”
the reigning WNBA 3-point RISING STARS
shootout queen and single- No surprise here: Victor
season record holder Io- Wembanyama is headed
nescu. to his first All-Star weekend.
“Stage is set! Let’s get it,” The San Antonio rookie and
Curry posted on social me- No. 1 overall pick in last
dia. year’s NBA draft was one
Ionescu responded simply: of 28 players picked for the
“Let’s go!” New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu shoots a 3-point basket during the first half of Game Rising Stars games, to be
This matchup was months 3 of a WNBA basketball semifinal playoff series against the Connecticut Sun, Sept. 29, 2023, in held on the Friday of All-
in the making. Curry was Uncasville, Conn. Star weekend, Feb. 16.
wired with a microphone Associated Press No. 2 pick Brandon Miller
for Golden State’s game cial media: “Let’s getttttt basketballs, and Ionescu 3s from nearly 30 feet will of Charlotte and No. 3 pick
last Thursday night against it!! See ya at the 3 pt line.” will shoot from the WNBA bring a donation from State Scoot Henderson of Port-
Sacramento and had a dis- In fact, she technically initi- 3-point line with WNBA bas- Farm to the NBA Founda- land are joining Wemban-
cussion with Warriors team- ated the challenge: Iones- ketballs. At stake: bragging tion “to support economic yama among the rookies
mate Brandin Podziemski cu posed for a photo imi- rights and a lot of cash for empowerment in the Black selected for the games the
about Ionescu, who scored tating Curry’s famous lights- charity Curry’s Eat.Learn. community,” the league format is a mini-tournament
an almost-perfect 37 points out pose while holding her Play. nonprofit and Iones- said. with the seven-player ros-
in the WNBA’s 3-point trophy at the WNBA All-Star cu’s SI20 Foundation will Curry has four of the five ters, and a championship
contest last summer. That event and raised the possi- receive a donation from highest single-season game after two semifinals.
topped Curry’s NBA 3-point bility of a matchup. the NBA and WNBA for par- 3-point totals in NBA history, Henderson is in the event
contest best of 31. The NBA was more than ticipating. Every shot they with his record of 402 com- for a third time, after be-
“I think I’ve got to challenge happy to make it happen. make $1,000 for regular ing in the 2015-16 season. ing picked twice when he
her,” Curry told Podziemski. Curry will shoot from the 3s, $2,000 for money-ball Ionescu led the WNBA with played for the G League
Ionescu responded on so- NBA 3-point line with NBA 3s and $3,000 for deeper 128 3s last season, while Ignite in 2022 and 2023.q

David Rubenstein has a deal to buy the Baltimore Orioles for

$1.725 billion, AP source says

By NOAH TRISTER Angelos’ son John is the team’s current
AP Baseball Writer chairman. The team recently reached a
Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Ru- deal on a new lease extension at Cam-
benstein has reached an agreement to den Yards. Maryland officials approved
buy the Baltimore Orioles for $1.725 billion, that long-term agreement after months of
according to a person with knowledge of negotiations.
the deal. The deal extended the lease for 30 years,
The person spoke to The Associated Press with an option to end it after 15 if the team
on condition of anonymity Tuesday night does not receive approval from state of-
because the agreement had not been an- ficials for development plans next to the
nounced. Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, ballpark.
would take over as the team’s controlling Prior to forming Carlyle in 1987, Rubenstein
owner, and he’s assembled an investment practiced law in Washington. From 1977-
team that includes Ares co-founder Mi- 81, he was a deputy assistant for domes-
chael Arougheti. tic policy to President Jimmy Carter. After
Co-founder and co-chairman of the private equity firm The The Angelos family has been in control of graduating from Duke in 1970, he attend-
Carlyle Group David Rubenstein speaks in the panel “The
Global Economic Outlook” on the last day of the forum’s Annual the Orioles since 1993, when Peter Ange- ed University of Chicago Law School.q
Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 19, 2024. los purchased the team for $173 million.
Associated Press