Fifty years ago, the original Battle of the Sexes took place.
The competition pitted the No. 1 women’s tennis player, Billie Jean King, against 55-year-old former No. 1 Bobby Riggs. The self-proclaimed male chauvinist turned the event into a spectacle mocking women athletes. After watching her peer, Margaret Court, lose to Riggs in what became known as the “Mother’s Day Massacre,” King took it upon herself to quiet Riggs’ claims that despite pushing 60, he could beat the best women tennis players.
King pummelled Riggs, beating him in three straight sets.
On Saturday night in Indianapolis, there will be a new spin on the original that will pit the two-time winner of the NBA’s three-point challenge, Steph Curry, against the reigning three-point champion in the WNBA, Sabrina Ionescu.
“There are many similarities in what [both competitions] stand for,” Ionescu said. “Obviously, it’s a friendly match, but there’s an opportunity to raise awareness. There’s obviously many people in our society that don’t give the respect to women’s sports and women in general that is deserved.”
Ionescu holds the record for most points scored in a three-point contest, finishing with 37 of a possible 40 points in last year’s victory in the event at the WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas.
Her historic win, which set the internet ablaze, sparked a conversation between the two sharpshooters, out of which the first NBA vs. WNBA three-point contest was born. A few hours after her win, which included sinking 20 straight threes, Ionescu said she got on the phone with Curry. Both players were laughing while they discussed the chaos of a moment like the one Ionescu had just experienced.
The two-time WNBA All-Star later took to X, formerly Twitter, to challenge Curry to a shootout. From there, it was all about finding the right time and stage to hold the competition.
“It’s unchartered territory,” Curry said. “We’re both honored and privileged to be the first to do it. It all makes sense.”
It does make sense, considering the pair’s long-standing relationship.
Ionescu grew up in the Bay Area, frequenting Warriors games as a kid with her family. Curry was an inspiration to her.
“I was about 10 watching Steph up in the stands,” Ionescu said when asked about her first impression of Curry. “He’s just who I wanted to model my game after as a basketball player and a person.”
It wasn’t long before the entire Warriors organization, including Curry, became aware of the young star.
“The rumors around were there’s this phenom that’s right in our backyard creating this wave around her every time she steps on the floor,” Curry said.
While the competition has been dubbed by many as the modern-day Battle of the Sexes, absent is the hostility that accompanied the Riggs-King match. In the years since her win, King has detailed the pressure she felt leading up to the match in various interviews.
King’s thought was that if she were to lose, it would have a negative impact on not only women’s tennis but also the fight for women’s rights and equal opportunities for women in sports. That same pressure King felt appeared justifiably absent in Ionescu as she spoke about the competition during a media call this week. Instead, that pressure seemed to be replaced by excitement, the result of a number of factors.
For one, what King accomplished during her career and as an advocate for women’s equality for decades after her retirement has contributed to a less hostile environment for women in sports today. Another reason is Curry’s longstanding fandom and support of women’s basketball. And Ionescu’s unwavering confidence is the result of a shooting ability that hasn’t been rivaled by many.
Even though the vitriol is absent between Curry and Ionescu, the impact of this competition is what’s most comparable to the original Battle of the Sexes.
“For me, it’s continuing to raise the bar and give us the opportunities to be on this platform,” Ionescu said. “Understanding that it being on TV gives young girls and boys an opportunity to watch it. Understanding how important visibility is. There’s going to be a young kid who maybe hasn’t watched many WNBA games but is going to tune into this and they’re going to have that dream of one day shooting against their idol.”
The competition’s original format had Ionescu shooting from the women’s three-point line, but she later requested to shoot from the NBA’s. Curry has taken notice of social-media videos that depict Ionescu pointing to the line on the court where she has been practicing. It’s the range Ionescu said she shoots from regularly.
The response from athletes across the professional sports landscape is another indication of the level of attention this competition is attracting. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said his money is on Ionescu. During Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, Cam Newton expressed his support of Curry. Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving went with Ionescu, while Curry’s teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were split. Green remained loyal to the guy he won four NBA titles, and Thompson is on Team Ionescu.
“However it plays out, this is what sports is about,” Curry said. “Competing, whatever the format is. She’s the champ. I’m the contender. So let’s lay it all out on the line.”
