Fudd rare rookie named to WNBA 3-point contest

No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd will participate in her first 3-point contest as a pro on Friday as part of WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, the league announced Tuesday. Dallas' Fudd will be joined by Atlanta's Rhyne Howard, Toronto's Marina Mabrey, Portland's Bridget Carleton, Seattle's Natisha Hiedeman and Golden State's Janelle Salaun. Fudd is just the fourth rookie in WNBA history to compete in the 3-point shootout, joining Kelsey Mitchell (2018), Howard (2022) and Sonia Citron (2025). No rookie has ever won the contest, and Howard was the only one to reach the final round. Howard and Mabrey are the only two contestants who have competed previously in the event. Sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou that reigning 3-point champion Sabrina Ionescu as well as Caitlin Clark and Kayla McBride -- who competed last year -- were invited to participate but declined. Mabrey, who was selected to her first All-Star team this year, leads the league in 3-pointers made with 82. Earlier this season, she tied the WNBA single-game scoring record by dropping 53 points. That game saw her hit nine 3-pointers, tied for the most made in a single game. Howard has the second-most made 3s this season with 79, while Salaun and Carleton have the fifth (67) and sixth (65) most, respectively. Hiedeman has made the seventh most (57), and Fudd rounds out the top 10 with 50. All six participants also sit in the top 11 players for made 3s per game, led by Mabrey (3.3) and Howard (3.2). The 3-point contest will consist of two timed rounds. Racks will be placed at five main shooting locations around the arc, consisting of five balls each. Four of the balls will be official WNBA game balls worth one point, and one will be a "money ball" worth two points. There will be an "all money ball" rack, in which each ball will be worth two points. Each player can decide where her money ball rack is situated on the arc. There also will be two ball pedestals positioned deeper, called "from the logo" shots, and shots from there will be worth three points. The two players with the highest scores in the first round will advance to the championship round. The 3-point contest will happen Friday at 8 p.m. ET, as well as the Shooting Stars event. More details for that are expected in the coming days.